Salinity Issues help

[ritter6788]

Its fish-only tank. So tap waters fine as long as it has no chlorine in it. And I waited a day after it was mixed and stuff to test it to make sure all of the salt was dissolved and mixed in right.

Hello Jordan.

The comments about the RO/DI are correct. You are planning on keeping a Mandarin correct? Tap water can contain all kinds of nasty stuff like copper that will kill your pod population for the Mandarin. So it's not really a fish only tank if a Mandarin is involved.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Hello Jordan.

The comments about the RO/DI are correct. You are planning on keeping a Mandarin correct? Tap water can contain all kinds of nasty stuff like copper that will kill your pod population for the Mandarin. So it's not really a fish only tank if a Mandarin is involved.

Good point about the copper. It can also kill other inverts such as snails and shrimp.

 

[Jordan Siehr]

There is no copper in my tap water, I have had several fresh and brackish tanks. With MANY different speices, including snails, frogs, shrimp, and much more. I have NEVER had an issue. Also I have decided to not get the mandarin seeing as how the refugium would have to be much larger than my main tank. Not much point to that (Just get a larger tank). Also I was told specificly by a Marine Biologist that tap water was just fine! I'm starting to doubt your advice. All of you are trying to make it much harder and expensive than it has to be. LOTS of people on a buget have s.w. tanks without half of the things you all say are "necessary" If it was that expensive to keep a saltwater tank than most of the young guys that work at my petco, that live at home and ONLY have petco (min wage) as an income, would NOT have them! And the pet stores in my LITTLE BROKE town would not be able to sell enough s.w. stuff to keep theyre fairly large supply. There was a resturaunt called Dr. Dawg That sold really expensive hot dogs. They closed in like a month or two. SO WOULD PETCO AND COLONIAL. So no, I don't NEED a ro/di thing or half the stuff you say I do. One of the men that works at petco has a 175 s.w. reef and has had it running for years! And does NOT use all that! He has kids and works at only petco! There is NO way he could afford all of that! You people are purists.This is supposed to be a fun hobby, NOT an obsession. I have a LOT of experiance with so called "expensive difficult" pets. Sugar Gliders are supposed to be extreamly Expensive and difficult! I have 2 of them and the vet which I took them to (an exotic animal vet) said most of the expensive crap people online said I needed was ********. I'm assuming this is the same, because experts like marine biologist that I have spoken with said so. And they acctually went to collage. Sorry but thats the truth. This isn't my first RODEO! Buh-bye.

 

[ritter6788]

I'm not here to sell you anything Jordan so you don't have to buy it.

Everyone here is just trying to offer some friendly advice. I spent the first year of this hobby not knowing about great forums like this one with helpful people that are sharing knowledge learned from experience. If I had known about R2R in 2008 I would have saved a ton of time, money, and livestock loss.

Take all this for what you'd like but no one here has given you a bad piece of advice, that I've read and if someone at Petco tells you differently then I'd ask yourself who is making money off you in this hobby? You have a marine biologist at your disposal then you don't need advice from me.

Best of luck with your new tank and please post pics of your new setup.

 

[Jordan Siehr]

No People that dont' even work at petco any more. And they sell all of the things you want me to use. If they wanted to make max money they would say that I NEEDED them so would the marine biologist. I'm not saying its bad advice. Its just unecessary. Thats all.

 

[kschweer]

I think everyone was just trying to help. What works for one person may or may not work for another. There is more than one way to skin a cat. This is a very fun hobby and you will learn a lot as you go along. The advice given is just what people have learned over time that has worked for THEM. This may or may not work for others. Being a reefer on a budget as well I can totally understand wanting to put the money I have for the tank into livestock rather than a piece of equipment I will most likely never see. Saltwater tanks can and are done on a budget. My only advice which I have learned in the hobby is to never settle on something because it is cheaper. Hold off and spend youre money on what you want. Expensive is not always better however I have found its better to pay more money for something that is "better" than buy 2 or 3 "cheaper" things that will break. Good luck with your tank.

Enough talk lets see some pictures,

-Kevin

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Jordan,

We are all here to help fellow hobbyists. We are giving you our experiences. Can you use tap? Sure. You just need to weigh the pro's and cons based on the research you have done. You cannot simply rely on a marine biologist, employees of a pet store or people on a forum. You have to do the research and do what you feel is best for your system. Everyone that has posted here was just trying to offer advice about what you can do to avoid issues down the road.

I started my 55 with tap water and ran into nothing but problems. I had sky high nitrates, high phosphates, dinoflagellates, cyano, turf algae and all other kinds of nasties. My corals looked horrible. I decided to do something about and switched to store bought distilled water. My tank has completely turned around.

Everyone that posted is just trying to help you so you do not get frustrated with the hobby and give it up before you can truly enjoy it.

 

[Jordan Siehr]

With all of your "requirement" you make it sound like theres no choice but to shovle out a ton of money that no normal mid class person can afford! You people are making me frusstrated and want to give up. Not my tank. And yes I Should listen to a Marine Biologist. They are experts, the same reason I want to be one. I love the Ocean and want to know as much as possible and study it. Same as vet with pets. You people make it sound impossible for the normal person to have a succesful tank. I highly doubt it it as hard and expensive as you say other wise NO ONE would have one. Are all of you rich? You have no kids, pets, or bills? How do you afford these ridiculously expensive pieces of equiptment???And how old are all of you? I'm sure that effects things

 

[Loki]

I am by no means rich, I have a 5 month old baby girl, and three dogs. This hobby takes time. I'm sorry you feel bad enough about what we said to make you want to stop already. That is in no way our intention. Most of the equipment we have done without for years. It took me 4 years before I got my RODI. I used culligan water from a vending maching because it was the best/cheapest water I could get. I have had to do less water changes because I wasn't able to afford salt. When I got into this hobby I took the advice of a lfs that was selling me stuff. I paid $300+ for a set of lights that I later found out wouldn't keep coral alive. I paid $250 for a filtration system that wasn't enough for the tank I had it going under. In all honesty I have less money in my current 120 gallon system than I had in my 75. I wish I had known about forums like this when I started. I would have known not to use tap water, get better lights (that were cheaper), better filtration, etc.

We are here to try to help by offering our suggestions through experience. Just because your a marine biologist doesn't mean you keep a reef tank. I work with doctors all day and some of them I wonder how they remember where the hospital is.

I still maintain that RODI water is better for a tank than tap water. Tap can and has been used. The people that use it may say that it's fine. I would invite them to try using RODI and see what problems go away.

This thread was started to answer a question about salinity. You are currently using a hydrometer. There was advice given to upgrade to a refractometer. They run about $30-50. You then said you were going to get the digital one that is over $100. I think a couple of us said it wasn't necessary (including myself) to try to save you money. We don't have a bet to see who we can get to spend the most money. I hope you haven't been turned off of the hobby by us suggesting things.

 

[Loki]

And they acctually went to collage. Sorry but thats the truth. This isn't my first RODEO! Buh-bye.

I'm not sure what you are implying here. We have some highly educated people here that are more than willing to share their knowledge.

I saw you ask how old we are. There was a thread started recently with a poll and a lot of people voted.

I am 25

 

[Tabasco1]

I think that the advice you are getting is to help you not be frustrated. I don't think anybody who has posted stands to make any $ off the purchase of an rodi filter.

There are a wide range of hobbiest on this forum. Some ballers and some on a budget. I myself definitely have a modest aquarium compared to a lot of folks on this site. I have limited resources so I want to make sure what I spend $ on has the most impact. I read forums for about a yr before setting up my tank. Countless threads about issues that could very easily been fixed by using an rodi filter. If you read any tank of the month threads on this or other forums you will not find a single one that does not use an rodi. If you look through tank builds of systems that really thrive, they all have different lighting, skimmer or no skimmer, different pump configuration, use a fuge or not use a fuge. But they all use rodi. There has to be something there.

My rodi was the first piece of equipment I bought. You can find fairly affordable new ones from Brs or I think you can sometimes find the base model spectra pure for $139. Another good resource is Craigslist or if you have a local club. Just make sure if you buy used that the filters are pretty new. Not a deal if you pay $70 for the rodi but have to spend $40 for new filter media. I'm sure it is possible to be successful wo an rodi, but it sure improves your odds . And that is what it is all about. Improving your odds. If you are considering a $100 refractometer, I do think it is sound advice to forgo or get one much cheaper and get an rodi. In my mind it is the base piece of equipment.

Fwiw I use a hydrometer. Never had any issues.

Go slow. Don't get frustrated. You don't have to take the advice. Clearly everything is not an absolute. But, I'm fairly sure that while many people on this site did or are going to college, there are many very experienced reefers that do not hold a degree. Studying marine biology does not make one an expert on home aquaria.

Happy reefing!

 

[Jordan Siehr]

No I mean a biologist like francise on Fish Tank Kings. That is the kind of place I want to work. Or for an Aquarium.

 

[Tabasco1]

And ps. I'm a girl too

 

[Loki]

Francis was the one I liked the most.....or the only one.

 

[Jordan Siehr]

Okay it comes down to this, I have already basicly used a whole bag of expensive salt with tap water. It is sitting empty and you people are making me terrified to put anything in it! Can't I try and filter the tap water I currently have of something cause thats a lot of salt wasted... And I agree Loki, Francise is the best. lol Especially his comment "OHHhhh Octupus deflinie" Like a kid in a candy shop. You are just making this seem like something I wont be able to handle. And try to put prices on EVERYTHING you suggest! Like I said I'm on an Extreame budget.

 

[gmoney243]

Honestly though a lot of marine biologist only know what they were taught and not what really works. I've heard that marine biologist on fish tank kings say things about the hobby and keeping corals and such that just isn't true. That being said Jordan you can run a fowlr tank just fine with tap water providing there's nothing harmfull and has high phos/nit. You can also never have to do a water change if you have a good export for nutrients such as algae turf scrubber or good refugium these are the cheapest ways. I personally only use algae scrubber and gfo on my 180g mixed reef lots of sps. I have kids and am poor my system is very cheap and works great.

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[Loki]

Go ahead and use the salt. There shouldnt be any problem using what you have mixed up. Most of the time when we give advice it is for long term success with a reef tank. We arent saying that you should run and buy these things now. Trust me if that was the case we would all be reef broke and have 6 of everything. It may be a good idea to go and get some water containers and get at lease RO water. I know Wal-Mart sells it for $0.37 per gallon (I have used it lots) its back where they keep all of the water bottles. This will be better than tap water and will be better for a reef. If you are running a fish only tank your lights are less intense and hopefully wont grow algae like crazy like my lights tend to.

 

[Raistlarn]

If it is dechlorinated and has no copper then you can put fish in. I wouldn't try corals, clams or any touchy animals until you have had your water tested by a local fish store to see what the levels of your water are. The RODI/refractometer advice that all the other posters gave is good. The RODI is there so you know pretty much whats going into your tank. The refractometer will give you pinpoint salinity levels. Just make sure the refractometer is for salinity because they make refractometers for almost everything, including oil density(or something like that) and wine acidity(or something like that too.) Also a non-digital one will save you more in the long run due to battery costs.
On a side note, reef crystals are not one of the more expensive salts you can use. I'm using stuff that costs 2-3 times more than reef crystals, but its made for SPS dominated coral tanks, so you don't need it. Also a marine biologists advice is usually good but if he hasn't lab tested your water to see whats in it or seen your setup then he can't really tell you what you need for your tank or not, just like me or any other poster. All we can do is suggest things that you might need, but it is up to you to pick and choose what you will need or whose advice you will take.

 

[Loki]

Don't filter the saltwater you have mixed up. I would have to assume that whatever you run the SW through will try to remove the salt as well. It could ruin the filter quickly

 

[gmoney243]

Also for a fowlr tank I would use cheapo Instant Ocean. I ran a 150 fowlr with tap water IO salt and chaeto algae in sump. Then I added an algae scrubber and nvr had algae issues after or did WCs. So yea just use what you have and I would try to get some export method. Chaeto can be found free from local reef club members usually.

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