What is reverse osmosis?
Reverse osmosis is a procedure designed to retain the contaminants that may be contained in the water that reaches our homes. We should not forget that “drinking” water is treated with chemicals, so that it does not contain any type of bacteria.
Through the treatment with reverse osmosis, we get a water totally free of any chemical impurity (chlorine), mineral salts, bacteriological and free of residues of heavy materials, such as iron or copper.
How does reverse osmosis work?
To explain what reverse osmosis is, we must take into account that it is a technology that takes advantage of something that occurs between two liquids separated by a semi-permeable type membrane.
The osmosis water is cleaned by using several filters between the liquids with different densities.
Pressure is applied to the liquid with the highest density to force it into the area with the lowest density. By doing this, it is guaranteed that only the molecules of less weight and size are able to pass to the other side.
The greater the number of filters in the reverse osmosis equipment, the less impurities the water will have.
Advantages of reverse osmosis treated water for the aquarium
The use of reverse osmosis has become almost indispensable in aquatics.
The water that comes directly from the tap is not the most suitable for the fish to live in. Why?
Because it contains substances such as chlorine, salts and heavy metals. All this causes havoc to both fish and plants, as well as to snail and coral species used in fish tanks.
To solve the problem, reverse osmosis equipment for aquariums has been manufactured.
Their membranes are designed with the ideal micron thickness to retain sediments and substances that harm fish. In addition, they usually have a special addition, which manages to remove chlorine.
Reverse osmosis equipment
An equipment for reverse osmosis has two chambers, both separated by the filtering membrane. The duration of the filters is between 3 and 5 years.
Afterwards, the filter membranes have to be changed, so that they work properly again.
A reverse osmosis unit usually consists of the following parts: a pressure source, a water pre-treatment zone, the water containers, the carbon membranes for the osmosis, a regeneration system, the controls, as well as the water outlet ready for consumption.
Types of reverse osmosis equipment
For the realization of the reverse osmosis process there is a great diversity of equipment. However, there are three main categories:
Standard equipment
They are the most common and most economical equipment, as they offer the best value for money.
The designs available in the market offer different stages of filtration, the most complex ones having 6 different stages, plus an additional stage, which includes ultraviolet light, for the total elimination of bacteria.
Compact equipments
They are small, complex and maintenance has to be carried out by a professional.
This is not exactly the type of reverse osmosis equipment we are looking for for our aquarium, which is much simpler and more economical.
Reverse osmosis equipment with ultrafiltration
They are considered to be the most ecological, because they do not waste any water.
The big difference with the previous equipment is in the last generation filters, which are much more expensive to maintain, although the quality of the water is much higher.