Tap? RO/DI? Help

[Mike Meriwether]

Hello reefers, I am relatively new to this hobby and have been using tap water mixed with salt and prime for my tank water. For one reason or another, I have lost a few fish. I know my water here in Fort Collins, CO is considerably clean, but with the issues I have been having, I am now considering switching to either reverse osmosis or distilled water. Can anyone give any insight on whether the switch is worth it for the price and what ya'll use?

 

[Propane]

Hello reefers, I am relatively new to this hobby and have been using tap water mixed with salt and prime for my tank water. For one reason or another, I have lost a few fish. I know my water here in Fort Collins, CO is considerably clean, but with the issues I have been having, I am now considering switching to either reverse osmosis or distilled water. Can anyone give any insight on whether the switch is worth it for the price and what ya'll use?

Yes absolutely 100%. RODI.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Yes it's worth it. You can get a cheap rodi unit. About $60. Put it on a hose bib outside for maximum pressure and cooler water in.

Keep the prime for an emergency batch of "oh darn I have to do a 50 gallon water change now and don't have 50 gallons ready."

 

[Cichlid Dad]

+1for rodi. It is a must

 

[Thumbster]

Devils advocate here.

I believe that you should be able to get a fairly detailed report on your water through your city. I would call the city water dept and see if it’s as clean as you think.

Plenty of people on this forum with ro/di who’ve had dead fish, dinos, cyano, hair algae etc.

 

[bakbay]

I’ve started all my tanks with tap water and Prime — no issues here. I’m in SoCal. Yes, I have RODI but takes forever to fill up so there! I’ve been doing this for more than a decade for no issues. YMMV.

 

[TinyReefObsession]

I use distilled (6mos reefing lom) but I was given a 8yr established tank by someone reefing for 45years- all tanks on distilled water. Distilled also has 0 tds like RODI & VOHCs removed by carbon filtration I am planning to install a RODI once I have more space, for convenience.

EDIT: i also have a very small tank so don’t need much water now.. not the case for most

 

[Netotek]

Hello reefers, I am relatively new to this hobby and have been using tap water mixed with salt and prime for my tank water. For one reason or another, I have lost a few fish. I know my water here in Fort Collins, CO is considerably clean, but with the issues I have been having, I am now considering switching to either reverse osmosis or distilled water. Can anyone give any insight on whether the switch is worth it for the price and what ya'll use?

I use a 4 stage RODI filter with a booster pump, pressure gauge, auto flusher, and inline TDS meter. The RO/DI unit is definitely worth it, I was buying my water from my LFS and driving to the LFS to buy water got old really quickly. I picked up my unit used for a great deal, and then bought new filters. It's great having the ability to produce water at will that you know will be great for the tank. And it adds some peace of mind knowing that if something went wrong and you had to do a massive water change, you'd be ok.

They say that when you are having issues, start with the water first and figure it out from there. So you're doing the right thing by addressing your water first.

Good luck, Welcome to R2R, and Happy Reefing!

 

[Roatan Reef]

RODI 100%