Tap water analysis, help needed

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have heard of plenty of people keeping reef tanks with tap water. while tap isn't ideal at all, and I wouldn't use it or ever suggest it. I thought the larger issues based upon the tap is the OP is running his tank using Triton.
that means no W/C right? so anything that may be in his water accounting for just topping off his tank all the time would be compounded over time to exceedingly high levels. Vs using Tap with a W/C schedule where the contaminates would be there always but normally in much lower concentrations.

or I may be completely wrong. that happens also.

What do you see in his tap water analysis that would cause an issue? I think that is hard to answer.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

edit: wrong thread

 

[Mandelstam]

I have heard of plenty of people keeping reef tanks with tap water. while tap isn't ideal at all, and I wouldn't use it or ever suggest it. I thought the larger issues based upon the tap is the OP is running his tank using Triton.
that means no W/C right? so anything that may be in his water accounting for just topping off his tank all the time would be compounded over time to exceedingly high levels. Vs using Tap with a W/C schedule where the contaminates would be there always but normally in much lower concentrations.

or I may be completely wrong. that happens also.

You are correct, I'm planning to run Triton. And I also see the potential problem with accumulating "bad things" over time. But also that with regular Triton testing I could monitor those things and get fair warning maybe if something starts to rise? I'm new to reefing and not a chemist so just I'm just speculating.

@Randy Holmes-Farley , the copper level shown in the analysis, is that level above recommended levels?

 

[corey01]

What do you see in his tap water analysis that would cause an issue? I think that is hard to answer.

Im sure it is hard to answer, and I am certainly no chemist nor would act like I know the pros and cons of everything in the water. was merely commenting on the posts above saying tap water cannot be used.
not sure I would use it personally, but I think that is a long way from saying you cannot use it. I like the fact for for the most part RO/DI limits many outside variable as far as water goes.
my concern at this point has nothing to do with tap itself. simply that everything in the water good bad or indifferent, would slowly build up over time I would think in a reef system that does not get W/C. and instead relies on chemical and organic means of nutrient control. if your just topping off those elements minerals or other chemicals in the water wouldn't they build up like anything else?
unless some of them perhaps would boil out during evaporation, once again not an expert so I don't know. just an opinion.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You are correct, I'm planning to run Triton. And I also see the potential problem with accumulating "bad things" over time. But also that with regular Triton testing I could monitor those things and get fair warning maybe if something starts to rise? I'm new to reefing and not a chemist so just I'm just speculating.

@Randy Holmes-Farley , the copper level shown in the analysis, is that level above recommended levels?

It is high enough to be a warning. My tank had about half that level once when I tested it years ago and was fine. We don't really know what levels of copper are a real problem.

Note that some is consumed all the time in a reef tank, so if you top off 1% daily, you are boosting copper by 0.3 ppb each day. It would take 100 days to double the level if you started at 30 ppb and it all accumulated. since it doesn't, I'm not sure what would happen.

Note that foods and additives also contain copper. I discuss its sources and sinks here:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rhf/feature/index.php

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

if your just topping off those elements minerals or other chemicals in the water wouldn't they build up like anything else?
unless some of them perhaps would boil out during evaporation, once again not an expert so I don't know. just an opinion.

Water changes are not the only, and in some cases (iron, iodine, silicate, certainly, likely many more) water changes are not even the primary way many elements are exported. Organisms take up a lot of them, as does GAC, GFO, skimming, growing macroalgae and bacteria, etc.

 

[Mandelstam]

It is high enough to be a warning. My tank had about half that level once when I tested it years ago and was fine. We don't really know what levels of copper are a real problem.

Note that some is consumed all the time in a reef tank, so if you top off 1% daily, you are boosting copper by 0.3 ppb each day. It would take 100 days to double the level if you started at 30 ppb and it all accumulated. since it doesn't, I'm not sure what would happen.

Note that foods and additives also contain copper. I discuss its sources and sinks here:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rhf/feature/index.php

Thank you!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

As a preventive for mostly the copper, you could put some cuprisorb or other metal binder (polyfilter, metasorb, etc.) in the tap water and let it do its thing for a day or two, if RO/DI is too prohibitive.

 

[corey01]

Water changes are not the only, and in some cases (iron, iodine, silicate, certainly, likely many more) water changes are not even the primary way many elements are exported. Organisms take up a lot of them, as does GAC, GFO, skimming, growing macroalgae and bacteria, etc.

learn something every day!
thanks.

 

[Mandelstam]

As a preventive for mostly the copper, you could put some cuprisorb or other metal binder (polyfilter, metasorb, etc.) in the tap water and let it do its thing for a day or two, if RO/DI is too prohibitive.

Would you use that binder on the top off water before adding it to the tank instead of running the actual tank water through it? Could it also remove good trace elements that you would want in the tank?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Would you use that binder on the top off water before adding it to the tank instead of running the actual tank water through it? Could it also remove good trace elements that you would want in the tank?

Yes, it will be more efficient on the top off water. Yes, it will remove things whether you want them removed or not. Even copper is a needed nutrient.

 

[Mandelstam]

Yes, it will be more efficient on the top off water. Yes, it will remove things whether you want them removed or not. Even copper is a needed nutrient.

Thank you!