35ppt Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 OK, I'll admit it, I don't understand the system at walmart. I see you can buy empty bottles, but it also says 'refill and save'. Can I bring my own container?? How do they ring it up?? Or do I have to buy their bottle the first time and then rip the bar code off before I bring it for refill? I thought they might have a refill sticker or ticket to use, but didn't see any. Looks like the machines are checked (TDS) once a month. Should I be picky about how high of a TDS I should accept? The 2 machines I looked at had TDS 30-50 ish. I am trying to bring down the GH on my tank, it's about 7-8. My tap is GH4. Also, I don't need to add Prime, correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishcrazy Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 You can just buy the jugs of DI water it comes like in the jugs of milk. I tested and everything came out as 0 with a ph of 6.8-7.0. The Walmart brand of DI water is about 78 cents each. I never used Walmart's RO system. I believe you use their containers. I read that you don't have to use prime but some people do; however, in a very small amount. I'm not sure which method is cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMG Aquatics Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 Really wouldnt trust walmart. Who knows how often they change filters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenteam Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 I been using RO water from grocery store machine. I purchased two 5g jugs that you and just fill up once a week. Is been over a year now and zero issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 I buy all my water from the WalMart RO machine TDS never tests higher than 12 and is usually 4-5. I do not add prime to it just remineralizer. And yes you bring your own container just empty water jugs that I bought at one point. They ring it up on the register, they have a barcode they scan for the jugs or you can even do it yourself at self check out hit the look up item button then select the alphabet keys for W and its under that. 35ppt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumo82 Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 Yep my ph at Walmart is 6.4. I bring my own container and it's like $.34 a gallon. Very good price. They have preset 5,3, and 1 gallon refills in their registers to scan or enter. Their 5 gallon container is $12.xx at my store if I didn't have my own container btw. Not free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadenlea Posted May 20, 2015 Report Share Posted May 20, 2015 I get mine at Petco. They have a machine now at mine. I was speaking with the fish guy there though. I guess their store is a test store to see how the RO water will sell. He says he has been selling a ton of it but we are really lucky at our petco. The manager of that department is a real hobbyist and keeps the tanks beautiful, clean and interestingly stocked. Not sure if it would do well at another store where the fish department wasnt so nice Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMG Aquatics Posted May 20, 2015 Report Share Posted May 20, 2015 I get mine at Petco. They have a machine now at mine. I was speaking with the fish guy there though. I guess their store is a test store to see how the RO water will sell. He says he has been selling a ton of it but we are really lucky at our petco. The manager of that department is a real hobbyist and keeps the tanks beautiful, clean and interestingly stocked. Not sure if it would do well at another store where the fish department wasnt so nice You are lucky! If all petco stores sold RO water, there will be a lot more hobbyist since not everyone has the perfect tap water. What does suck about petco is their staff does not justify their slogan. It would be a lot better if Petco staff members were actually people who cared and are hobbyist rather than someone just trying to make a living. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35ppt Posted May 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2015 I picked up a gallon from the walmart primowater machine. I don't have a tds meter. GH was 2. Now I am realizing I am not even sure how to proceed. current GH is 7 or 8. I have young shrimp, looks like they have molted a few times, so I guess at least some of them are getting by. How low should I target for, and how to actually get there, mixing in the GH water? I know normally people 'top off'. I have a bit of an unusual setup in that I don't keep water at a certain level, so I haven't been topping off with RO, and now I am playing catchup. Plus my control valve for my drip line just broke. Would be nice if they sold these at LFS or walmart, but is there something of a clamp configuration that works well ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr0p Posted May 21, 2015 Report Share Posted May 21, 2015 Love the walmart RO machine. My local walmart water TDS comes out at between 5 - 14 and at $.37 a gallon it's a steal. LFS or "water stores - IE Culligan" come out at 40-60 TDS at over $1 per gal. My tap water is garbage at over 300 TDS. 35 - You could just tie a few loose knots in your tubing. Doing so will help retard the flow down to a more managable rate until you can get another valve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted May 21, 2015 Report Share Posted May 21, 2015 Yeah I guess it depends on the Wal Mart, I live in the country and the tap water in that area is pretty good to begin with. The TDS comes out at 4-12 usually closer to 4-5 so I think im lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loumeer Posted May 21, 2015 Report Share Posted May 21, 2015 I cant imagine how buff you guys must be. Spectrapure Ro/DI system referb for $90. Possibly the best money I every spent on this hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumo82 Posted May 21, 2015 Report Share Posted May 21, 2015 It's not the best money if you have hard water. You will blow through the ro membrane filter like nothing. Too spendy for me. I've lived in a hard water city before and it was no joke pointless to have an ro system at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maylee Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 I guess it's different at the Walmarts here in Canada. I just purchased a gallon to see if it's any better than the machine at another store. It was $0.93/gallon here compared to $0.34 for you guys. It might have been cheaper at higher volumes but I didn't bother checking at the time. I was only carrying a 1 gallon container with me. They also told me I wasn't supposed to use my own containers because the price is apparently "discounted" for refills had you purchased one of their containers. Lame. Either way, the water seems much better. I was getting 30-40 TDS at the other store whereas with the Walmart Culligan machine, I got 4 TDS and a pH of 6 I don't know if the "ultraviolet" thing makes a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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