Water

[Bobothegreat]

ok so. I have gotten most everything figured out heaters and all except for one big detail. Water. So I do not have anything to make to/do water and the store is quite a walk a way. And I’m pretty sure 40 gallons of water is going to be a lot of trips. Is there a way for me to be able to get tap water to be able to be usable. Different chemicals or something. Or will I need to build a Rodi unit somehow. I do want to be able to have corals not just fish. Just not really trying to carry 40 gallons lol.

 

[hijinks7]

Some people have success with treated tap water. It varies not only town vs town but you're neighbor could have 10x cleaner water then you.

This is an expensive hobby and one slip up can cause you to end it and sell everything for pennies on the dollar. At 40g I'd get a 50gph RODI for like $80ish and make my own water. At least if things start to go bad you know it isnt your water or whatever chemicals you are dumping into the water to attempt to clean it.

 

[Jesterrace]

Tap water is a real gamble. Generally speaking at best it's a source of phosphates, minerals and nitrates which breeds nuisance algae (ie green hair algae and others) and can make it uncontrollable over time. I also recently heard of someone who started with tap and then moved to a new house in a different part of town and ended up with dead fish as the tap water in the new area did have small trace amounts of ammonia in it. You can test the TDS of your tapwater and then test the ammonia, nitrite and nitrates of the tap as well but you still won't know what all the minerals/solids are in the water. I would agree that unless you have access to a vehicle that you should get an RODI system and do a mixing station. This ensures your fish and corals are getting the best possible water source for their health.

 

[Bobothegreat]

I have been doing research and I can’t even get people to ship them to me. It says it requires special handling and unable to ship. “ japan” lol. Makes things difficult

 

[Bobothegreat]

I guess I will be trying to get there and get it from them.

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

Was curious if your local fish store sells rodi units, and or, possibly a store like Home Depot or Lowe’s aka hardware home improvement store. If not you could always buy a water conditioner unit for the entire home. These are almost a little better than rodi, depending on which one you get. Just make sure it produces water like rodi first.

Worse case you could do a separate tank completely, maybe just an empty 40 long or a 55 gallon. Then add the tap water and add fresh water tap water safe chemical to it. Now the important part is to have two things, a carbon canister filter, along with a phosphate reactor. Then let the water run for a week or so etc. When your ready for a water change you have that water in that other tank. Important, TEST the WATER FIRST before you add it and or mix it. Make sure it doesn’t have any copper, ammonia, phosphates, nitrates, nitrites etc. this is absolutely necessary. This is how a co worked of mine does her water and has been very successfull with it. I haven’t tried it yet, I just buy five gallon jugs and fill them at my lfs. Yes I have like lol 20 of them, because I normally have 10 of rodi and 10 of saltwater on hand at all times. I really hope this helps.

Sincerely
Sarah

 

[Bobothegreat]

Yes we do have a hardware store called homes I can check and see what they have

 

[PatW]

It is really best to make RODI water at home. If worse comes to worse, you can hook an RODI unit to a faucet temporarily. All you need is a grey Brute trash can to store it in. Bulk Reef Supply has a pile of videos on the various options. Check them out. It is usually the best solution. The basic systems are not that expensive just over $100. Usually salt water will cost you about $1 to $1.5. I figure my all,in cost is $.5. It adds up quick.

If you are doing a fish only system, you can usually make it on tap water.... unless your water is terrible. The big problem is copper and your local water utility should have the water analysis as public info. On tap water and using it for top off, you will have to do more and bigger water changes to keep things in check.

With corals, getting along with tap water is problematic. Every time I go to the LFS, I see people bringing in 5 gallon containers to get filled. I don’t think they would go to the bother if it was not necessary.

The problem with corals is they can be really fussy until they aren’t. Once you hit a sweet spot, you stick with it. There are so many variables to jigger.. light spectrum, light intensity, flow, nitrates, phosphates, ALK, Ca, Mg, and more. Wondering about impurities in your water is something you don’t need.