Buy RODI or use tap & filtered water?

[icejam]

I have been getting my RODI water from work but that might not be available any more.
So here is a question: would I be OK using tap water?
I have a water softener and Kinetico Kube filter http://www.kubewater.com/discover/kube-system/
If I decide to use that water what should I test for?

RODI units here in Canada are $250+ which I would prefer not to spend now.
Also there is a place in town that sells RODI water for $0.5/gal (i do not know how much I trust them with water quality). With my current tank setup $250 buys me 4 years of RODI water changes.

What do I need to test tap water for (or store bought RODI) and is Kube filter enough?

Thanks

 

[NY_Caveman]

Drinking filters are not adequate for reefing. Chlorine is number one. In my experience tap water has high Phosphate (mine is 2 ppm). A simple TDS (total dissolved solids) meter will tell you where you stand. My TDS is 35 which is pretty low. I still use RO/DI. Most reefers use 0 TDS water.

It all starts with your water quality. It really is the last thing you want to skimp on.

 

[NY_Caveman]

BTW, $0.50 is a decent price. What size is your tank? Remember to keep extra on hand for emergencies. Also, a TDS meter is about $15-20 and you should be testing any water you purchase to assure it really is 0 TDS.

See here
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/poll-do-you-know-your-tds.349288/

 

[LouisianaReef]

I personally bulk RO/DI (Supposedly) from a machine from a local big box store. I have never tested the TDS of it, but it is .27 cents a gallon and I have never had any problems using it.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

So here is a question: would I be OK using tap water?

Unfortunately, it's not possible to know this for sure. Not without a detailed water report from your water authority. Even that isn't a guarantee. Utility work between the water company and you could cause the water to have a contaminant that's safe for humans, but harmful for reef tanks. The utility also may change sources or change treatment procedures without notifying you so long as the water still meets government guidelines for purity. You might have copper or lead in the lines between the utility and your house. If any one of these happens, the stuff coming out of your tap can go from good to not good instantly.

$250 for a water filter sounds expensive, but it's really not if you amortize the cost out. It's hard to find numbers for Canada, but in the US, tap water costs about $3 USD per thousand gallons. That works out to be $0.003 per gallon. Even if you waste 4 gallons for every gallon of fresh you get, you're still only paying a cent and a half per gallon of deionized water. True, you'll have to amortize the cost of the RO/DI unit, but after the first thousand gallons, your water only costs you about $0.25 per gallon. After the first 5,000 gallons, your water is costing you an average of $0.06 per gallon. That doesn't include the cost of filters, but the longer you're in the hobby, the more sense it makes to get an RO/DI filter.

Plus, you can use it for drinking water too. I have a tee before my DI stage and make RO water to drink.

 

[icejam]

According to Kinetico chlorine is being removed. Also leaving water standing for a couple of days evaporates most of it.
According to city website our water is as good as it gets
Ammonia 0.05
NO2 0.005
NO3 0.08
Phosphate 0.008
Ph 8 (but my water softener lowers that to about 7.7)

My tank is 28gal.
I will get TDS meter.
I ma still getting water from work just looking into other options.

Thanks.

 

[Crabs McJones]

According to Kinetico chlorine is being removed. Also leaving water standing for a couple of days evaporates most of it.
According to city website our water is as good as it gets
Ammonia 0.05
NO2 0.005
NO3 0.08
Phosphate 0.008
Ph 8 (but my water softener lowers that to about 7.7)

My tank is 28gal.
I will get TDS meter.
I ma still getting water from work just looking into other options.

Thanks.

What about heavy metals such as copper and lead?

 

[icejam]

Copper 0.001 with average of 0.0006.
Max allowed limit is 1.0

Lead <0.0005 with max limit of 0.01.