Simply Koi and More Koi

Hi Guys,

Part of my 2010 projects is to sort out my RO system so that it works as best as i can possibly make it so i can produce some good water for the fish

No i have been playing about with this for a while now and as some of you know i do like to mess about a bit trying things out No although this is a good way to learn is can work out a bit expensive as i have found but if its what i have to do to learn then so be it i will try my best

One of my problems is i keep having problems with the membranes and although some have been my fault i have also been suffering from a lime scale problem which i believe has been damaging the membranes and giving me some of the problems and part of this could also be due to not flushing enough to keep them clean.I have a few other things that i will be looking into as well as i cant keep going through membranes as its working out more than the heating for the pond

So today i pulled it all out from the shed (what a mess that is another project for 2010 ) and stripped it all down so i could change all the membranes and sort out installing a few new bits to help me start on getting the system running correctly.Once i had pulled it all apart and of course got nice and wet it was into the garage which is a bit warmer to re-build the system.

I mounted the pr -filtration onto a board as i wanted to try to keep this all as tidy as possible and it also helps when piping it all up.The new membranes where installed and the RO housings where attached to the pre-filtration and then all the pipes where attached to the correct units and at the moment i am running this in a standard configuration at the moment and not in series but you know me nothing is definite

Then it was time to add a few little gizmo's which i hope is going to help me along the way and give me a better understanding on how the system works and if/how i can improve the system.I have installed a auto-flush unit which can be set up top flush the system automatically so in this way i can not forget which i am hoping with help give my membranes a longer life and stop them clogging.The unit also provides me with a flow rate of the product water and also the TDS of the product water so all can be seen nice and easy.

Here are a couple of pictures of the set up:

Very fancy mate! Will this still have the very low rejection rate you had before? I like the idea of an automatic back-flushing kit too!

Hi Ed,

It will be run as standard at the moment as i want to get it all running standard and then see where i go as i have a few other bits to add later

Nice and neat Gazza

I thought you were running the same set-up as Dunc's, like I have also been running for ages? Dunc's way is to have all 3 membranes in parrallell, therefore each if fed with fresh water, not rejected water from the previous membrane as is the standard set up. Like Dunc I also dont bother flushing at all and touch wood my membranes have been great for ages.

Hi Bob,

Yes i did run that way but i am trying a few things out so decided to start off with the original set up and i may well change it about a bit but this was basically getting the system set up so i could have a play

You would probably get away with not flushing but i have a massive lime scale problem here and i cant keep buying membranes all the time and want to mess about with a few things to see what or if anything can be done.

I'm still quite new to koi keeping so apologies for asking a daft question or 2, but what is reverse osmosis and what benefits does it have in keeping koi?

Hi,

Reverse osmosis is the removals of the minerals in our water and some of us believe that the removals of all the minerals to make our hard water soft is beneficial for our koi.

But here are a couple of articles by the man who knows his stuff on this and has done a lot of research and testing:

http://www.yumekoi.com/images/stories/p ... l_2003.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.yumekoi.com/images/stories/pdfs/aug_2003.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.yumekoi.com/images/stories/p ... t_2003.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks Gazza, part of me wishes i hadn't asked!!! I think i need to spend a bit more time on the basics b4 i start getting involved in the "fancy stuff"! Mike's articles are very good though and i did enjoy reading them, thanks 4 your help.
regards

simon

Hi Simon,

Your welcome we are here to help...........hopfully

Don't worry about your head hurting its what Koi keeping does

I have set the system up tonight with a low pressure switch so in the event of a water filter the unit goes into alarm and automatically switches of the pump to save it ruining dry.This is also handy for when you want to isolate the unit or switch it off while running supply water so you can turn off the water valve and the pump will stop and unit will still stayed powered up and of course you don't need to remember to turn the pump on when you turn the water back on...........as if i have ever forgotten

Hi Guys,

This system is now working with a water softener now as well to keep the water softer as it enters to try to help with keeping the membranes in better shape longer and also a better flow.I have also set up the auto flush to flush more to keep the membranes cleaner and away from the lime scale so it flushes about four times in one hour for about 20 seconds per flush.

So far this has been working a treat and i will keep you updated on how it goes.

do you put water through your purifier then into ro unit or does pure tap water go into ro unit?

cheers

tom

Hi Tom,

The water goes into the purifier first and through to the RO housings so as you look at the picture it goes in the purifier on the right and comes out on the left and into the RO housings.

cheers gaz. alot of questions but alot to learn

tom

Auto flush for 4 times per hour??? Gosh I thought I was doing well with a timer with 20flushes/day.

Got mine running tonight to test, very pleased with results