I've also have test strips I've been using they have been reading well
Test strips as well as API test kits are notoriously known for false reading results and likely your levels may be higher. The way to tell is to take a good water sample to a trusted LFS that does NOT use API kits and see what readings they come up with.
While tap water is not the end of the world, even with dechlorinator used, not all water treatment plants are the same. They don’t use the same chemicals to treat water. They basically do have the same procedures though. There are several compounds that are used. In these compounds are heavy metals, ammonia, nitrates, phosphates, silicates, fluoride, Chlorine and various other compounds. Don’t get me wrong, these are great for us humans as far as water treatment but they are not good for our Saltwater tanks especially our saltwater reef tanks. Ammonia, nitrates and phosphates are also excessive nutrients that help to fuel algae issues in the tank. We all know what ammonia will do to fish in our saltwater tanks. Many a times folks will make their own partial water change water and are wandering where these compounds are coming from when all the time they were adding them themselves by using tap water in their partial water changes. Silicates are famous for fueling diatoms in the saltwater tank.
There are several items on the market that claim to help get rid of these compounds in our tap water. They really don’t get rid of them but just bind them so they are not as lethal as they were. They are still there. Things like the heavy metals are always there and we then wonder why the ICP test shows metals. In the beginning there is not much harm but as the tank gets older the tank accumulates more and more of these harmful compounds until finally the tank crashes and then the next thing you know someone is posting a thread asking " why is my reef dead" .
The best bet is to get an RO/DI unit. These units can filter out 99 -100% on these compounds. They contain pre filter units and then the water goes through a reverse osmosis membrane and then though a deionized unit. There are other types of water like RO and distilled that are not as effective as an RO/DI but still better than using tap water.
I had a 360g in which I used my well water with the belief that a whole house and water softener was adequate. The tank worked but I lost things here and there and since using RODI - I see the
B I G difference.
