Tap water cycle

[Darsh]

What are the risks of cycling my tank with tap water and then once cycled doing a 100% water change with RO water?
I'm only asking because I have to buy my RO water and my car is broken hahah.
If I start with tap water, then I can start sooner

 

[PYRU]

Depends on your tap. If its prestine you'll be ok. If not you're going to fuel every bad thing you don't want and your rock possible leaching it back in your system when done. That's my theory anyway I don't know anyone that's tried it. It took me just a second to look at my water report and decide tap would be a bad idea. Take you're time do it right nothing good is going to come from rushing it.

 

[Mical]

+1 taking your time and doing it right. Do you want to risk fighting Dinos & red algae for months?

 

[SeaJay]

I started mine with distilled and RO water from the grocery store before I got my RODI. It worked fine, but if I had it to do over again I would have gotten the RODI before I even bought the tank.

 

[Medic58]

I did but I cycled my 90 gallon tank totally in the dark so it wouldn’t promote algae growth. I was not going to waste good rodi water on my cycle because I knew I was going to be doing multiple water changes before I added any livestock. Now my tank has been running its 100% rodi water now. I have 60 gallons of rodi water stored and 30 gallons of salt water on hand just in case.

 

[theMeat]

Depends on what’s in your water.
I’m in and around ny and have started many tanks on tap water with zero issues

 

[Darsh]

Thanks for the replies. This will be I think my 7th tank and I've always started with RO, but now I'm sitting looking at my system without water and it's literally the only thing I need.
If my rocks are going to leech something, they will anyway, They're kuring in tap water haha.