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About RO Water Filters

How do I know which type, and size, of RO Filter to choose?

• All RO water filters are rated in gallons per day, so think of how many gallons of RO water you will need in any 24-hour period.
• If you have un-chlorinated tap water you must use a TFC, HiF, or HiS membrane.
• Think about how pure you will require your aquarium water to be.
• Vivid Aquariums suggests the TFC, HiF, or HiS membranes for aquarium use.

Membrane Descriptions:

CTA (Cellulose Tri-Acetate) membranes are organic membranes and have a typical removal percentage of 88-94%. Since the CTA is an organic membrane, it requires chlorine to purge itself of damaging molds and bacteria. The CTA membrane MUST be run with chlorinated water and cannot be run on non-chlorinated water systems (wells). The CTA is highly recommended if you have chlorine in your tap water and want to make great tasting, healthy filtered water. The reason the CTA gives great tasting drinking water is that it is an organic membrane and with the 88-94% removal, there are still some trace minerals left that give the water its great taste.

TFC (Thin Film Composite) and HiF membranes are synthetic membranes that have a removal percentage between 94-98%. TFC / HiF membranes will become damaged by continuous exposure to chlorine. Since chlorine damages these membranes, TFC/ HiF units are ALWAYS equipped with a carbon pre-filter that removes the chlorine. TFC/ HiF membranes can, therefore, be utilized on ANY tap water system.

Hi-S or High Removal membrane, like the TFC, is a synthetic membrane and has removal percentages between 97-99.5%. Like the TFC, the Hi-S membrane can be used on ANY water system because it has a carbon pre-filter to remove the chlorine to prevent membrane damage.

Maxxima’s deionization (RO/DI) of the water after passing through the membrane polishes the water to remove those trace elements still remaining and results in typical removal percentages of up to 99.9%.