Water Chemistry

[GiannisK]

Hello, it's nice to meet you all! I have kept freshwater tanks for many years now and I'm finally setting up my first saltwater tank, a 20 gallon.

I live in Boston, MA, and I have a tight budget. I've seen the praise for RO systems but this is something I simply can't afford.

Having said that, How do I ensure my water is in the right conditions? With freshwater tanks, I never had to worry about this stuff because the tap water, after using a dechlorinator, would be ready to add straight to the tank. Will the sand and rock naturally buffer the pH to the appropriate levels, or do most people use chemicals to adjust it? I have a Brita walter filter I use for my drinking water - would this be better than only a dechlorinator? The company says it removes mercury, copper, zinc, and cadmium.

Thank you for any help!

 

[gbroadbridge]

Welcome.

Water is the single most important thing in your tank, and a RODI filter is pretty much essential for success, especially with a small tank.

If a RODI unit is not in your budget, you will need to budget for buying ready made saltwater or RODI water from a store every week.

The cost of a filter is insignificant compared to the other expenses you will experience with a saltwater tank.

Fair warning - this is NOT a cheap hobby.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

The next best thing after a rodi is to buy bottles of distilled water from the grocery store. I would not use tap water, even through a brita filter. Especially if you intend to keep corals later on.

 

[GiannisK]

Thank you for your replies. While I understand this is an expensive hobby, I would really like to make it work. I plan to use only the hardiest fish and no corals. I've seen many other experienced fish keepers here that use dechlorinated tap water and I want to know, assuming I'm going to use tap water, the best way to mitigate any issues it may have. Any tips would be appreciated.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thank you for your replies. While I understand this is an expensive hobby, I would really like to make it work. I plan to use only the hardiest fish and no corals. I've seen many other experienced fish keepers here that use dechlorinated tap water and I want to know, assuming I'm going to use tap water, the best way to mitigate any issues it may have. Any tips would be appreciated.

Fish keepers, or reef keepers?

I have MWRA water, as you likely do. I do not believe it is suitable for a new reef due to high silicate, and possibly copper from your own pipes.

 

[GiannisK]

Fish keepers, or reef keepers?

I have MWRA water, as you likely do. I do not believe it is suitable for a new reef due to high silicate, and possibly copper from your own pipes.

Fish keepers. I understand for coral and sensitive fish, RODI will be essential. However, I'm only planning to keep a few hardy beginner fish.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If you are in mwra water, a dechlorinator is not sufficient as they use chloramine.

 

[GiannisK]

If you are in mwra water, a dechlorinator is not sufficient as they use chloramine.

Most dechlorinators, including the one I’m using, also remove chloramines.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Most dechlorinators, including the one I’m using, also remove chloramines.

And release ammonia

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Most dechlorinators, including the one I’m using, also remove chloramines.

As stated above, they can leave ammonia.

Chloramine and the Reef Aquarium - Reefkeeping.com

 

[GiannisK]

Yes but it also removes ammonia.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Yes but it also removes ammonia.

No, I promise you, it does not. Idc what the manufacturer says.

 

[Reefering1]

As stated above, they can leave ammonia.

Chloramine and the Reef Aquarium - Reefkeeping.com

 

[GiannisK]

No, I promise you, it does not. Idc what the manufacturer says.

I don’t see how this makes any sense. Thousands of aquarists around the world use products like seachem prime all the time to treat chlorine and chloramines and protonate ammonia. What about all the people with freshwater tanks who use tap water and not RODI water, why don’t all their fish die every time they do a water change from all the ammonia caused by the dechlorinator?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I don’t see how this makes any sense. Thousands of aquarists around the world use products like seachem prime all the time to treat chlorine and chloramines and protonate ammonia. What about all the people with freshwater tanks who use tap water and not RODI water, why don’t all their fish die every time they do a water change from all the ammonia caused by the dechlorinator?

It may not make sense to you but it's proven science. And the amount of ammonia may not be enough to cause fish death.

Prime in particular has been proven by scientists on this forum to not have ANY ammonia reducing properties.

The best thing to do is use an RO filter with carbon that you know removes the chlorine.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yes but it also removes ammonia.

What does? Some claims of ammonia removal appear to be incorrect. Prime, for example.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don’t see how this makes any sense. Thousands of aquarists around the world use products like seachem prime all the time to treat chlorine and chloramines and protonate ammonia. What about all the people with freshwater tanks who use tap water and not RODI water, why don’t all their fish die every time they do a water change from all the ammonia caused by the dechlorinator?

lol
Thats exactly why so many people get scammed. You are led to believe false claims, and every time fish live, the false myth builds despite the fact that they likely wouldn’t have died anyway.

I’ll bet more people believe the earth is flat than believe Seachem Prime binds ammonia. Neither is true when looked at closely.

 

[mosreef]

Have you seen this 50 gpd 4 stage for $70

RO Buddie Plus DI

or this

50-100 GPD - 4 Stage Inline RODI for $72​

50-100 GPD - 4 Stage Inline RODI (Entry Level) SEA-RODI-100 - SaltwaterAquarium.com

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

That said - 40 years ago I started my first saltwater tank using dechlorinator that supposedly eliminated chloramine also, I didn’t even know Rodi existed. I had a blue hippo tang, a flame angel, a clownfish, a royal gramma, and a blue damsel. Dead coral skeletons, as was the custom back then. They all thrived for years.

But I would not do that today, knowing what I know now - I mean water is what my pets breathe and I want to give them the best existence possible. I don’t feed my German shepherd gravy train kibble like we did back in the 70’s either, right?

 

[GiannisK]

It may not make sense to you but it's proven science. And the amount of ammonia may not be enough to cause fish death.

Prime in particular has been proven by scientists on this forum to not have ANY ammonia reducing properties.

The best thing to do is use an RO filter with carbon that you know removes the chlorine.

I have seen the posts you refer to. As far as I know, prime works by protonating ammonia to ammonium, which is not harmful. Furthermore, tests like API detect ammonium as well, which is why there would be no reduction shown.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have seen the posts you refer to. As far as I know, prime works by protonating ammonia to ammonium, which is not harmful. Furthermore, tests like API detect ammonium as well, which is why there would be no reduction shown.

No, and Seachem specifically says that is not the case. While they are not a trustworthy source of chemical info, in that regard they are correct, as is easily verified by measuring the pH.