Startup water, all RO/DI or can you do tap with the treatments?

[inetmug]

Hi folks,

I have 300G of RO/DI made up in brute cans mixed and ready to go. But I was wondering, when setting up an initial tank, can you do tap and the treatments for the initial cycles? Just wondering if I am making things harder?

[whosurcaddie]

If you have well water its OK to start a tank with tap water if not use RO/DI.

[Silvergryphon]

If you have well water its OK to start a tank with tap water if not use RO/DI.

Negative, if you're planning a reef you'll get tons of minerals resulting in high TDS from well water. Stick with the RODI.

[whosurcaddie]

Negative, if you're planning a reef you'll get tons of minerals resulting in high TDS from well water. Stick with the RODI.

I used to live in a place with well water and ran a reef tank on nothing but well water. Since when did minerals become bad for a reef. Don't we add copious amounts of them to our systems anyways.

All the same you already have the RO/DI unit and the water made it is the better choice.

[Silvergryphon]

I used to live in a place with well water and ran a reef tank on nothing but well water. Since when did minerals become bad for a reef. Don't we add copious amounts of them to our systems anyways.

All the same you already have the RO/DI unit and the water made it is the better choice.

Two words: Phosphates & Silicates

[whosurcaddie]

Two words: Phosphates & Silicates

Three letters GFO.

[Silvergryphon]

Three letters GFO.

One word: Money

LOL Yes I admit it can be done, but you have to look at the time and money spent to handle associated problems with not using RODI.

[whosurcaddie]

One word: Money

LOL Yes I admit it can be done, but you have to look at the time and money spent to handle associated problems with not using RODI.

Your right man I was just messing around. It did cost me a lot of money which is one of the reasons I had to take down my old tank. I wasn't able to put up a new tank until I moved. One of the problems I had with my well water wasn't pollutants but CO2. CO2 kills DI filters and DI filters certainly cost more than GFO.

Trust me I always recommend an RO/DI unit to anyone in the hobby but it can be done other ways.

[shifty51008]

A degasser should almost be standard on any rodi unit if useing well water.

As for the op question, always use rodi water if possiable.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Since when did minerals become bad for a reef.

Copper? It can be present in potable water in concentrations far higher than are OK in a reef.

[tmz]

Depends on what's in the tap or well water or results from residue in the plumbing. Free heavy metals, most notably copper can be deadly in a reef tank at about 30plus parts per billion.Zinc, nickel etc can also do damage.

[thegrun]

Iron, copper, nitrates, God only knows what else. Then again maybe it's fine. "Do you feel lucky? Well do you punk?"

[whosurcaddie]

Since when did minerals become bad for a reef.

Copper? It can be present in potable water in concentrations far higher than are OK in a reef.

Didn't have copper in my well water. Didn't have copper in the house.

[disc1]

Didn't have copper in my well water. Didn't have copper in the house.

Yes, and we aren't talking about your water at your house either. Unless the OP is coming to your house to get water then all this talk about your water is all irrelevant.

[shermanator]

Also keep in mind a lot of wells have high levels of arsenic (which leaches from bedrock). Mine does.