Tap water

[bluetang22]

what do i need add in if i mix salt with tap water. Please help

[andrewarrington]

Using tap water will only cause you problems. If you don't have RO/DI unit, look for the Ozarka bottle refill stations. Worst comes to worse buy water buy the gallon.

[jflick345]

Lots of algae pads and elbow grease...I know. From experience.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

What sort of livestock do you have in the tank? What brand of salt mix are you using? What are the levels like on your tap water?

[kac01]

Buy the RODI it is worth the money.

[HKAVR45]

Using tap water isn't really recommended in this hobby. Unlike freshwater there isn't a de-chlorinator product to make tap water "acceptable".

Most of us are using RO/DI units to remove unwanted nutrients/phosphates/metals which are present in tap water.

RO/DI units run around $150, but its money well spent. It will save you lots of algae related problems.

If that isn't within your budget, depending on your tank size you can use distilled water from the food store, or some Local Fish Stores will sell you RO water.

[bluetang22]

thank you for your info, i know its bad just try to cut corner due to i can't hook up RO/DI, my filter not close by water source.my tank is new setup there is no water.

[reeflord]

patience, young grasshopper, if you have a rodi unit, wait till you get a chance to hookit up.... also there are many places you can buy ro water, lfs, walmart... a little patience will savalot of headaches

[aquadonkey]

On this topic..... what about a lesser filter? Will that be beneficial at all? I have been using tap water filtered through my brita filter in my tank (about 5 weeks into cycling) on the recommendation of my lfs. Does this small filter help at all?

[Merkurfan]

if you need massive amounts of RO water to get the tank up and running, most LFS sell RO and even salt mixed RO water by the gallon. The ones around here also have jugs and up to 65 gallon tanks to haul the water home with (They rent the 65 gallon tank)

Tap water only in the most dire of reasons.

[dedecv3]

I use well water for mine and couldnt figure out why my calcium and alkalinity levels were always so high when I wasnt adding anything for it. I sent a sample off to be test and just got the results yesterday and found out that my well water has very high calcium, phosphate and alkalinity levels. My next purchase in this hobby will be an RO/DI unit.

[Chris27]

If you absolutely have to use tap water right now, you'll want to use Instant Ocean Salt, as it's specifically made to be mixed with tap water. Using a salt that was developed for RO or DI water with tap water has a chance of being ionically imbalanced. Meaning that, your calcium and alk could possibly be out of whack due to the large amounts of calcium found normally found in tap water - this can lead to pH problems and premature calcium precipitation on pumps and heaters.

Additionally, use of a product like Seachem Prime, will detoxify metals, and break down chlorine. I would also recommend that you employ some sort of Activated Carbon that is changed out every week - it will help keep the bad stuff at bay for a little while.

[HKAVR45]

patience, young grasshopper, if you have a rodi unit, wait till you get a chance to hookit up.... also there are many places you can buy ro water, lfs, walmart... a little patience will savalot of headaches

I couldn't agree more. Since this is a new setup, there's even more of a reason to use RO water. Think about how long it will take to "replace" all of that tap water doing weekly water changes.

If you do have the RO/DI, set it up. There are a number of creative ways to set it up even though your tank isn't near a water source. Some people are using a faucet adapter because they're in an apartment and don't want to put any holes in the plumbing.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

thank you for your info, i know its bad just try to cut corner due to i can't hook up RO/DI, my filter not close by water source.my tank is new setup there is no water.

Many RO/DI system vendors sell adaptors made to be temporary for situations where you don't want a permanent install - they just screw on to a sink aerator or hose barb. Then you can make a few buckets of water, carry them to the tank, and break the filter down.

On this topic..... what about a lesser filter? Will that be beneficial at all? I have been using tap water filtered through my brita filter in my tank (about 5 weeks into cycling) on the recommendation of my lfs. Does this small filter help at all?

It'll help, but minimally. It'll probably remove some of the chlorine and particulates, but much of what we are concerned about as reef keepers will still be in the water (nitrate, phosphate, etc.)

In the end, tap water can work fine for some people in some cases, but it's absolutely like gambling, since quality can change from day to day, and it's hard or impossible to test for EVERY single contaminant that might be harmful to your tank. Hence, it's preferable to use RO/DI water, because it gives you far more control over what is or isn't in the tank's water.

[arredondojason]

thank you for your info, i know its bad just try to cut corner due to i can't hook up RO/DI, my filter not close by water source.my tank is new setup there is no water.

I have the same problem what i did was drilled a whole in the floor and ran a long line from my kitchen to my tank in the living room under the house or you can run it and cover it with area rugs. You can get the longer line at HD or lowes and it is only like $.012 per ft.:thumbsup:
it is the 1/4" line like they use to hook up ice makers on friges.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

If you absolutely have to use tap water right now, you'll want to use Instant Ocean Salt, as it's specifically made to be mixed with tap water.

Have a source for that? I've never heard it mentioned, after using IO for years.

Though, I understand the logic of your argument, since IO is slightly lower in some major minerals that may be present in tap water. Still though, it's only a generalization, since some tap water is very soft. If someone were to use tap water, rather than suggest a particular approach for salt, IMHO it would be more prudent to suggest that the person test major elements in their tap and mixed salt water (calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, etc.) and adjust as necessary, regardless of which brand of salt was used.

[EllieSuz]

I purchased a RO/DI unit from a RC sponsor, Air, Water, Ice. It's called the Mighty Mite and it's fully portable and can be used on a kitchen or utility sink and removed and stored when not in use. Click on the sponsor forum and look this unit up. Works like gangbusters. If memory serves me, it was $109.00 plus shipping. Worth every penny.

[bluetang22]

Have a source for that? I've never heard it mentioned, after using IO for years.

Though, I understand the logic of your argument, since IO is slightly lower in some major minerals that may be present in tap water. Still though, it's only a generalization, since some tap water is very soft. If someone were to use tap water, rather than suggest a particular approach for salt, IMHO it would be more prudent to suggest that the person test major elements in their tap and mixed salt water (calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, etc.) and adjust as necessary, regardless of which brand of salt was used.

what i meant was water pipe, sorry Der Wille i thought you mean me.

[lighthouze08]

+1 with the ro/di unit, you can get one on bulkreefsupply for a very reasonable price

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If you absolutely have to use tap water right now, you'll want to use Instant Ocean Salt, as it's specifically made to be mixed with tap water. Using a salt that was developed for RO or DI water with tap water has a chance of being ionically imbalanced.

I disagree. Any salt mix is equally good, as long as you deal with chlorine or chloramine in the tap water. IO is not specially "designed" for tap water, and even if they once claimed that, it makes no sense since what is in tap water varies drastically from one place to another.

[mehaffydr]

what do i need add in if i mix salt with tap water. Please help

Its not what you need to add to the Tap Water Its what you need to remove thats the proper Question.

[motoms]

Defiantly use a RO/DI you can find them used usually for half the price

[vames]

All the advice about RO/DI is certainly good advice, and all these guys are way above my paygrade, but I thought I'd add that if you are just doing FOWLR, you can probably get away with using treated (de-chlorinated) tap water. If you are on city water, your local utility will have a water report, frequently online, that will tell you typical ranges for things like phosphates and nitrates. I personally am about a month into a FOWLR tank using treated tap, and my nitrates seem very acceptable to me (<10) (not testing for anything else other than pH, NH3 & NO2).

But in the long run, RO/DI is certainly the way to go, and it's in my budget for the new year!

[rfalvey89]

i agree..I would never use tap water...get distilled from wal-mart if need be.

[locust]

I seem to be on my own on this site, but once again, i've been using tap water for 6 years without any issues. Mix your salt, let it stand for at least 2 days to remove any chlorine, then it's ready to use. There are no problems using tap water. I think some people just need to find something to blame apart from bad tank husbandry.

Incidentally, to answer your question, you don't need to add anything at all to the water, as long as you let it stand before use.

[brewski4u1]

any local food store sells RO all you have to do is read the label and see how its filtered and its pretty cheap .50 a gallon where I'm at! I'm fighting algae problems now i couldn't imagine what it would be like if i was using tap!! ugh :sad2:

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I seem to be on my own on this site, but once again, i've been using tap water for 6 years without any issues.

There is no doubt that some folks have acceptable tap water. If you are one of those, that's great. Many reefers on Reef Central do it. But many folks clearly do not. So it is a crap shoot. Even if you next door neighbor’s water is OK, yours may not be due to copper from your own pipes, etc.

So the question every potential tap water user should ask is simply this:

"Is it worth the risk for me?"

It may well be worth the risk for some folks, but bear in mind that it is not always easy to correct certain problems (like copper in the tank) once they happen.

[baldwinaquaman]

If your doing FOWLR, your good with tap water, RODI is def. better, but it's also more expensive, more wasteful, and more hassle. A reef tank def. needs RODI in my opinion. I use tap in my FOWLR because I like to have more than avg. algae growth on the rocks for my tangs and other herbivorous fish. They graze all day, and they love it. It really is up to you even if your doing FOWLR. Im just not into wasting all that water, so if and when I go into a cleaner water source I'll be getting a kold sterile unit. You should check into that, it does'nt produce any waste water, from what i understand not quite as good as RODI water, but pretty dern close.

[BongoSolo3]

I'm in Cleveland, and heard from a local reefer that our tap water was ok enough to do the initial fill, but to go RO/DI after that. So I went for it....

I did my fill about 6 weeks ago and have some green hair algae... but it has been slowing down as I do water changes...

[der_wille_zur_macht]

If your doing FOWLR, your good with tap water,

Referencing Randy:

So the question every potential tap water user should ask is simply this:

"Is it worth the risk for me?"


IMHO it's dangerous to make sweeping statements like "Tap water is OK for FOWLR."

The bottom line is this: Tap water is an unknown. It may work for some people, some of the time, for some types of tanks. But even for those people, it's still a gamble - the treatment plant supplying your water system may change their processes without any notice, and suddenly your fish are all dead. Even on wells, your groundwater may suddenly become contaminated with something harmful.

I'm not trying to be a scare monger, just being honest. I ran tanks off tap water for years before RO/DI was common in the hobby. There were ups and downs. Given the availability and relatively cheap cost of an RO/DI unit compared to the investment in even a simple FOWLR, I don't see how it's worth the risk these days, though of course it's a decision every person has to make on their own.

[baldwinaquaman]

Referencing Bob Fenner:

In the concientious maine aquarist, Bob states that it is his opinion that the use of tap water is not as big of a concern as the person setting up the tank equipment, and doing regular maintenance the way they should. I believe he said something to the effect that, often times people who don't know what their doing will blame their tap water.

Having kept up with my regular maintenance, and properly maintaining my tank, I have been using tap water for 5 years without any particular happenings or losses I can blame on the tap. It is a gamble I'm willing to take until I can afford a unit which will not waste more water than it produces. This is just my experience. It has been a good one, maybe it couldv'e been better. I however feel though, than new people to this hobby should be scared into thinking that they have to have this, or thy have to have that. It can be overwhelming especially to someone who has no idea what many of the pieces of equipment are. Just my opinion, as I stated before, of course RODI is better, but I believe you can get good results with tap as well.

[Frick-n-Frags]

the no-brainer is just to RO. but i'm glad the distinction has been clrearly and repeatedly made that it all depends upon the tap water source.

the folks in AZ with the land locked, minimal rain water supplies have 700+tds with lots of crap like Si

well, that is something i can't fathom being on the north coast and having nearly pristine lake erie water on tap. the detailed chemical assay from clevo water was really amazing. when i first started, and when i was even really rockingthe coral, i was using tap water. i would just run it out of the hot water tap to air off the chlorine by the time it cooled.

this water has nasty things like a few ppm of magnesium, calcium,:D
and traces or unmeasureables of heavy metals and pesticides (my really main concerns)

and when doing lots of waterchanges while growing lots of coral, vs only lots of makeup water, i would not really had a buildup.

maybe minimal water changes would have been a disaster, IDK, i never went there.

just to be clear here,now i use an RO unit anyway. why f around?

[dawaterboy]

A few supermarket r/o units that claim to be up to date on filter changes were tested by reefers in my area. Let's just say not all of them really change thier filters like they claim to. If your buying water from a supermarket be sure not to take thier word that it is as clean as the sign says. Be sure to test the water before you throw it in your tank thinking it's clean.

[Haxsaw]

I'm definitely not claiming to be an expert here (my tank has just been set up as of Wednesday) but from reading this site for months now; I was convinced that making the investment for a R/O unit was the right thing to do. To be fair, I did hear from folks in the area (including the LFS) that it wasn't necessary to get one. It just felt like good insurance to start with from day 1.

[mehaffydr]

Referencing Bob Fenner:



Just my opinion, as I stated before, of course RODI is better, but I believe you can get good results with tap as well.

You believe this because in your area the Tap water is apparenttlly OK. but in many areas of the country that is not the case. It is loaded with silicate phosphates and much other crap that is not good for the reef. Often it is not directtly bad for the reef but it is fertiliizer for excess alge growth which is BAD for the reef.

[cloak]

I've been using tap water for almost thirteen years now and have never had any problems. It is a crap shoot, don't get me wrong, but over the years I've seen far too many threads where RO/DI was being used, yet the aquarist is plagued by problems. Some people have a blue thumb, others don't. Not exactly sure if tap water deserves all the flak that it gets these days.

FWIW.

[daddy'sgirl]

Starting out I used tap water, and it didn't kill anything; but I agree with everyone else, either buy RO water or get a RODI. Oh, and I know that some LFS sell RO water, make sure you ask to make sure its RO. I bought saltwater from Petco for months before I actually asked if it was RO water...it wasn't. It was just tapwater they added salt to.

[TRichardson79]

IMO I wouldn't use tap water. My first purchase after my tank and stand was a RO/DI filter. Picked it up from BRS for less than $150