Water Conditions?

[Derek C]

Is it ok to use tap water to set up a new aquarium? I will be using prime as the conditioner but I wanted to know if it is OK to use tap water for a marine aquarium (no corals, 1-2 clownfish and a cleaner shrimp in a 10 gallon tank - if anyone can give me tips on this as well or if this is ok). I also bought bio-spira so when should I add that?

Thank you guys!!

 

[Old Fritz]

Its okay to use tap water, but not what a lot of people on here would recommend. However if its just for fish I don't see any problems. You'll want to add the bio spira and then add something that produces ammonia (or just add ammonia but if you're new I don't recommend this) stuff that produce ammonia is fish food which is something you could put in the tank every day. Another thing some people do is add a piece of frozen shrimp. You would then test your waters until your ammonia and nitrite are zero and you start getting nitrate readings.

As for your fish and inverts of choice thats a pretty good setup for a ten gallon, you'll maybe even want to throw in something else like a firefish as well just to add something a little different.

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

best not to. prime will only take care of chlorine but what about other elements like phos nitrates copper etc in tap water?

 

[Old Fritz]

best not to. prime will only take care of chlorine but what about other elements like phos nitrates copper etc in tap water?

there shouldn't be any nitrates in tap water? At least in chicago I test the tap water and they've never contained even a trace amount of nitrates. As for copper if its well water then there is cause for concern, and erosion of copper pipes does happen, but typically trace amounts are very low and if you want to be safe you could get a copper test kit. As for phosphates he will just have some algae growth which is basically unavoidable, he said he doesn't want to do corals so phosphates aren't a big deal

 

[Old Fritz]

Okay so i looked it up and most cities have nitrates in there tap water. Some cities like the one i like in don't have any due to the treatment process and what they add

 

[WVNed]

The fish will do fine in tap water but the shrimp will die after a few months and you will never be able to add any invertebrates like snails to the tank.
The nitrates and phosphates in tap water will cause algae to grow but it is the metals which accumulate in the tank that kill the inverts.

For small tanks it is best to use distilled water that can be purchased at places like Walmart cheaply.

 

[Old Fritz]

The fish will do fine in tap water but the shrimp will die after a few months and you will never be able to add any invertebrates like snails to the tank.

For small tanks it is best to use distilled water that can be purchased at places like Walmart cheaply.

Some lfs sell ro water for 60 cents a gallon versus a dollar for distilled

 

[WVNed]

I purchased water at Walmart and from the LFS too. My LFS wsn't a very reliable source. They never had water when I needed it. I also used Walmart green cap drinking water at times. It might grow some algae but it wont kill anything.

 

[ihavecrabs]

Spend the $1 per gallon at a LFS or buy distilled water if you must.. A lot of local cities put chloramines in the water that will be hard and sometimes deadly to fish and inverts. There are many other additives that are not very kind on our pets as well.

Keep in mind, if you have a 100 gal system, instead of spending that $100 on water, it might be worth investing in an RODI which should give you much more output for the $$

 

[Derek C]

Its okay to use tap water, but not what a lot of people on here would recommend. However if its just for fish I don't see any problems. You'll want to add the bio spira and then add something that produces ammonia (or just add ammonia but if you're new I don't recommend this) stuff that produce ammonia is fish food which is something you could put in the tank every day. Another thing some people do is add a piece of frozen shrimp. You would then test your waters until your ammonia and nitrite are zero and you start getting nitrate readings.

As for your fish and inverts of choice thats a pretty good setup for a ten gallon, you'll maybe even want to throw in something else like a firefish as well just to add something a little different.

Thank you so much! I found this really helpful One quick question though; how much food should I use? I added just a pinch of flake food today. Is it a good amount? Thanks!