Aquatic Life 4-Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration Deionization System, RO/DI Filter Unit 100 GPD

I was concerned when buying this that it may leak, the flow would be insufficient or it would be low quality based on the price. This thing has exceeded my expectations. I thought I would need to buy a more expensive model for my reef keeping needs, branded and bought from an aquarium supply store but that’s not the case. It was easy to set up, I’ve experienced no leaks and the flow has been sufficient for my needs. I measured my water pressure at 50 psi at an outside hose bib and the meter on this system shows just over 40 psi when I’m using it. At least one other review said plumbers tape was needed to avoid leaks but I didn’t need it and the instructions didn’t say it was required.My Florida tap water that’s treated with chloramines (harder to filter than chlorine because it’s chlorine bonded with ammonia and the bond is best broken with a catalytic carbon filter rather than a regular activated carbon) tested at 324 TDS going in and 0 TDS after filtered. I can’t ask for more than that. Your mileage may vary, of course. I’m able to fill a 5 gal. water jug in the time it takes to watch a movie. There may be faster models out there but this is plenty fast enough for my needs. Time will tell how long the DI resin and other filters last but they’re a standard 10” size and replacements can be found easily.Make sure you read the instructions carefully, particularly the part about flushing the carbon filter and RO membrane before installing the DI resin filter. Better yet, read it 3 times so you don’t make a silly mistake that prematurely wears out your DI resin. I missed it on the first read through and cussed myself after catching it.The only small issue I had when setting it up is the rubber protection plug they inserted in the tap water “in” port. It was pushed too far in as seen in the photo and I wasn’t able to get a grip on it to pull it out. This was highly frustrating until I realized I could easily unscrew the port fitting (wrapped plastic fitting with a towel to avoid damaging it with the crescent wrench) and then easily push the plug out from the back side. Just a tip in case you run into the same problem.I know this system isn’t meant to be as portable as the “buddy” system they sell but I’ve found it to be portable enough. I set it on the back of my toilet tank against the wall when I use it and then connect my shower hose to the yellow incoming water line. Note that you would need a separate adapter for this (1/2” NPT to 1/4” Tubing adapter) that’s not included, but you can find one on Amazon. This adapter was included in the “Bernoi Pressure Gauge Kit” I bought here to check my water pressure. The included faucet adapter would not work with my bathroom faucet because it’s a male fitting when I needed a 55/64” female fitting. I can then hang the waste water line in the shower and place the filtered water line into my 5 gal. water jug, also sitting in the shower, so if it overflows it won’t damage anything. You can also use a bucket with a separately purchased float kit instead that will shut off the water once the bucket is full. When I’m done, it’s easy to coil up the tubes and store the system out of sight.

Installed this product with a tds inline meter measuring tds coming in and going out of the unit. TDS going in was 375, tds coming out was 0. Filters seem to be lasting very well and are not that expensive to replace. I installed the unit in my laundry room under the sink and sent the return line to the drain from the washing machine. I use a 2.5 gallon plastic jug for my aquarium water and set it in the sink to fill. The RO unit is slow, so I set the hose into the jug and if I forget it running, it’s just draining into the sink instead of all over the house. Little free tip there for ya :)

This unit produces a lot of waste water per gallon of R/O also I’ve never been able to achieve less than 3 tds. If I was doing it again I would spend more on a better system.update , I found an internal defect in the D.I. Cartridge ordered a new one hopefully that will get me to zero TDS

If buying for aquarium use, the production is quite low. But the description says that. Seems to work great, assembly was simply and no leaks

Been using this for over 3 months now and have added an extra di chamber and man, this thing is great for my reef.