Tap water for starters

  • Thread starter Thread starter basile
  • Start date Start date
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what would you use.

  • Tap water

    Votes: 3 10.3%
  • RODI water

    Votes: 26 89.7%

  • Total voters
    29
  • Poll closed .
If it is worth doing, it is worth doing RIGHT the first time. Why take that chance? Water is the single largest ingredient in a reef system and everything depends on its quality and its stability. Key word Stability. Tap water changes, what may appear good today can change tomorrow or the next day, or this afternoon when a big storm blows through and the treatment plant changes their treatment method and chemical additions because they were innundated with high particulate raw water.
Or Joe Contractor digs up the main down the street and causes a cross connection now knwing the sewer main was parallel to the water main. Or a bus hits the fire hydrant on the corner and while shutting it off they experience a backflow of nasty water.
I have real life photos and documented stories on every one of the above and more, it happens every day. You have no control over it and you will not know it until it is too late and have lost your entire reef system unexplainably. Sad but true.

An RO/DI system is the cheapest insurance you can buy for your Reef and worth every penny. On average it costs about 5 cents a gallon to produce RO/DI and it should be the absolute first thing you invest in, even before rock, fish, corals, lights or even the tank.
 
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And what if the tap water has copper in it? Nutrients are not the only concern.
Actually before i went full blown salt water i use to have a Biocube 29 , and i used only tap water at the time and kept all my stuff growing really good. So i know the tap water in my area is not bad, but anyway i'm doing RO this weekend. Its taking 6 hours for 30 gallons , only 36 hours to go lol.
 
Luckily, we have great water here in Ottawa. I ran my first tank for a few years with nothing but tap water and Prime. The best LFS in the area uses tap water in their main SPS tank (and have been for 20 years)

The main reason that I switched to RODI is because of the fear that the city will add something extra to the water to kill off something nasty. It happened to PaulB a number of years ago and he lost a number of fish (IIRC, it was a zinc compound that made it through his RO filters.)

Copper comes from your own pipes. It does not depend on the water supply "quality".
 
Copper comes from your own pipes. It does not depend on the water supply "quality".

Well i'm pretty sure their's no copper because i had a biocube with corals and inverts for 2 years and they all survive. So i'm good for copper , but that's all academic since i'm doing my RO now. another 34 hours to go lol. I'm good for the weekend lol.
 
Some of the water conditioners "neutralize" copper doesn't it or no?

API tap water conditioner contains EDTA. That binds to many metals, from calcium to copper. While the toxicity of the complex is less than free copper, it doesn't remove it, and the EDTA complex will break down in the tank. SO I'm not sure it accomplishes "detoxifying" long term.
 
API tap water conditioner contains EDTA. That binds to many metals, from calcium to copper. While the toxicity of the complex is less than free copper, it doesn't remove it, and the EDTA complex will break down in the tank. SO I'm not sure it accomplishes "detoxifying" long term.

Hi there
IMO That's where I believe a good protein skimmer and maybe even some active carbon Will help move it at that stage. that's how many of us that have used or is using tapwater have proven It can be done successfully, and let's face it look how many that use RO run into problems with algae issues bacteria problems you only have to read through the forum to see this.

All this said that I've used both types of water over the years yes RO water is the safest route but can definitely be done with tapwater you just need to be aware it may have harmful things that you need to neutralise first/get rid of.
 
Hi there
IMO That's where I believe a good protein skimmer and maybe even some active carbon Will help move it at that stage. that's how many of us that have used or is using tapwater have proven It can be done successfully, and let's face it look how many that use RO run into problems with algae issues bacteria problems you only have to read through the forum to see this.

All this said that I've used both types of water over the years yes RO water is the safest route but can definitely be done with tapwater you just need to be aware it may have harmful things that you need to neutralise first/get rid of.


Well i'll be running biopellets and GFO during the cycle to reduce nitrates and phosphates.
 

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 32 45.7%
  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%
  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%
  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%
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