What to look for in water quality...

[incept]

As a beginner to the hobby I am learning and learning and learning some more. One of the things I have come up against mow is some questions about water quality I can't seem to find answers for and was hoping people on here can help me out with. I know most people swear at using tap water in a marine tank. I have yet to purchase a RO machine to make water. I filled my 90 gallon tank and 30 gallon sump with tap water the other day just to run and make sure there are no leaks as I am just setting it up. It is currently operating with no issues other than my skimmer pump keeps cavitating. I need to reduce the air venturi size to make it stop. Other than that things are working well. I think. So here is my question, I understand that the goal of using RO water is to use as pure water as possible with 0 TDS. Some people say they use tap water with no ill effects. So in my quest to learn as much as possible about water quality I am asking for assistance in learning what to look out for in tap water and what is bad. I went to my local town and they emailed me a copy of the annual water testing they do. It seems very comprehensive with wayyy more material than I know what to look at or understand. From what I can see the results look like our tap water is quite good actually, there does not seem to be much in the way of additives or excess metals, but again, I'm not sure what I'm really looking for....

On another note, what are the downsides to filling a tank like what i have done and setting it up with the sand bad and rock and allowing it to cycle and start using RO water for the changes? I have been cycling a 25 gallon tank now for about 3 1/2 weeks with all my rock in it and was planning on putting it all in this 90 providing it passed the leak test which it so far has... So, I would like to start the transplant soon. As I understand, once I switch it all over the cycles will need to start over again to balance the new system and water.... Thanks in advance.. I can post the results of the water test if anyone is kind enough to break it down for me and help me learn what I'm looking for.. Thanks...

 

[AZDesertRat]

The down side is you will never ever get rid of the effects of the tap water now mater how many changes you do, its there to stay.

If its worth doing, its worth doing correctly from the start. Start out with RO/DI and stick with it from then on. This eliminates the possibility of bad water completely from the very beginning, you have quality, consistencey and stability which you will not have with tap water which has too many variables. I am a water treatment plant operator and supervisor by profession and would not hesitate to drink tap water anywhere in the US or Canada but I will not even consider putting it in my reef tanks.

Tap water can and does change without notice. A storm blows through and treatment methods and chemical additions change. Joe Contractor digs up the water main down the street and causes a cross connection, the water could have been perfect from the treatment plant but now something out of their, and your control changed that quality. The City decides to do away with free chlorine as a residual disinfectant and goes to chloramines. The water pH in your area is found to be low and you have a low Langlier Index so they start adding phosphates as a form of corrosion control. The idea is you have no control over its quality or its stability, it can change at a moments notice without your knowledge or consent. You could be drawing a bucket of water to do a major water change when that backflow incident happens and your neighbor had his garden hose in a horse trough or in a tree well full of fertilizer or was making up a batch of pesticides to spray.

I think you get the idea.

By investing $130-$200 in a reef quality RO/DI system you alone control the quality of your water and you decide what maintenance is necessary or not. There is no guessing and you know the salt mix you make up will have the precise levels of everything you are looking for since your water started out with nothing it it but pure water.

 

[mike007]

I made the mistake years ago using tap water with no ill effects. Then one day my tank look like the rain forest with algae growing so fast i could not control it. Most cities have lots of phosphates in their water supply to help perserve their pipes. This can raise havoc on a tank. We have water stations here where you can buy rodi water for $1 per 5 gallons. Do you have a source for ro water?

 

[Damon]

Lol, Mr Spectrapure is right!

You only get one, single shot with that initial setup. And it's critical to do it the right way or don't do it at all.

It's such a headache and disappointing chasing something that could have been really avoided. There is a learning curve to all of this, and all you can do now, is, as you know, try and learn from it and go on. But RO DI, it's pretty essential as salt with these systems. But we've all made mistakes and its not the end of the world. You will just know for next time.

Note2 on Tap Pro