setting up a fowlr with tapwater ?

[00nothing]

i am going to be setting up my 135 gallon in the new yr and instead of going reef i am jsut going to be sticking to a fowlr

what is everyones thought on setting it up only using tapwater that is treated
my fish list is going to include a bamboo shark and i read somewhere that sharks can be copper sensitive

and also i will have some hermit crabs and snails which while i have heard can have issues a friend of mine who has had his 20 gallon fowlr running for over a yr has never lost a single hermit

I do plan on running a copper test on my tapwater to see what the levels are like

just in case anyone asks heres my fish lists all fish will be juveniles and yet i am aware this tank is to small for the life term of some of the fish

Blue throat trigger pair
Kole tang
Naso Tang
Dwarf Zebra Lion
One angel - not sure about this one might go with a CBB instead
baby bamboo shark

[stevebydac]

Hi, good luck on your new tank!

Some thoughts...please do Mother Nature a favor and don't get the shark. I know they are cool -- a lot of us would like one, including me -- but that is too small a tank. The fish will grow quickly and within a year or two be too big for the tank. At that point, if you are responsible, you'll trade him in, but god knows if the next person will be a good carekeeper with a bigger tank. Just don't do it.

Re: tapwater, you need to test it not only for copper, but also for nitrates and phosphates. You don't want a hair algae problem. If you are lucky, like I was, you'll be able to use the tap water. It's a great break if your tap water is ok, so hopefully it will work out for you. You'll need to check your Ph too once it is made, but you likely will be ok after mixing salt with it.

The tank is also too small for adult bluethroats and the Naso. For most angels as well.

A suggestion, considering the types of fish you like:

A snowflake moray or (if there are no small fish) a jewel moray or green wolf "eel"-- all very cool, trust me, to replace the shark. And they can live their life in that 135.

If you love triggers, ONE bluethroat or (cross your fingers) a Picasso trigger. The tradeoff with the Picasso is that it may get more aggressive than the bluethroat but is not an open-water trigger and thus needs somewhat less swimming room. Both are a bit cramped in the 135 but doable. I'd go with the Picasso because of the swimming room issue.

A yellow or purple tang instead of a Naso. A Naso needs a HUGE tank -- a 135 is not even close.

One of the few angels that gets about 8 inches or so would be ok -- don't get one of the ones that reaches 12"+.

Please understand I'm not trying to ruin your day. I want you to enjoy your tank, but you need to be a responsible caregiver too. We all have fish we want to put in our tanks but can't believe me. I just gave up two of my dream fish, a big clown trigger and the puffer in my avatar, because they were getting too big for my 180g. I wanted to keep them, but I knew in my heart it was wrong ,so they went (luckily) to a really big tank and a great owner. You don't want to go through that after bonding with fish you really like a lot but realize your tank is too small -- trust me it sucks to feel like I felt when I gave them away.

Best of luck to you! Do some research, there are a lot of fish that would make a nice mix in your tank.

[aquaman67]

I set up my 70 with tap water, but use RO/DI to replace evaporation. I didn't have any problems, but your mileage may vary...

[ACBlinky]

I use tapwater conditioned with SeaChem Prime in my 65g FOWLR. My tapwater tests 0ppm for both NO3 and PO4 - if there were readable results for either I wouldn't want to use it; the algae headache just wouldn't be worth it.

[markandkristen]

i had the algae problem with mine when i used tap water. its annoying.

[MONK_11]

Just moved and filled my 300 with R/O DI water, no problems at all. Takes a while to fill but other than that everything is great

[zemuron114]

i use tap water for my reef and fowlr.. no problems thus far. Readings are always good.

i agree on everything stevebydac said...

nasos get so big, i dont think anyone should have one... (honestly) ever seen a 2 foot naso in the wild??? crazy...

pair of bluethroats would work if you had less fish.

pair of bluethroats
dwarf lion
and purple tang would be sweet if everything was purchased small :) bluethroats and purple tangs are slow growers

[Petstorejunkie]

everyone has had really great sugestions!
i agree, with steve about the shark, let it stay in the ocean.
nasos do get huge and the even look cramped in a 300 when they are fully grown.
i have a purple tang and absolutely love it! not to mention when those guys are kept in medication free water with good parameters , they practically glow in the dark!
for an angel i would condider a flagfin (10in),golflake(10in), grey poma (7in) or a magestic (12in) i just love the flagfin's neon blue lips!
as far as the pair of triggers, yeah nice thought but why? they arent going to display any unusual behaviors and they arent going to spawn, IMO i would just do the male.

[Petstorejunkie]

oh, good greif i didnt even answer your question!
i use tap water in all of my tanks with instant ocean, prime, and kent's super buffer dkh without ever a problem, but definately check to see what is in your tap water some areas are purdy scary!

[warren4066]

yeah i do the same thing, i use tap water to set up and use tap water and mix salt for evaportion top off, nothing wrong with that, just make sure you water source is good.

[buldog]

When everyone is talking about problems with algae, are they talking about excessive growth or just the light film that gets on the glass with time. I have never had any excessive algae with regular tap water.

[mitzel]

If your going to get a shark then please use RO/DI water sharks are supper sensative too water problems. I'm not going to jump on you for wanting a shark but insted try to help you to understand the complexities of owning and keeping them.
Just a few things that are not an option when housing sharks.

no copper in the system. you must run a ground probe, stray voltage will cause the sharks to get LLD and stop feeding .The smallest of fluctuation in the water will stress the shark out .sharks can detect a lot of things other fish can't . sharks can even detect "new" water being added to the system. this means smaller more frequient water changes. An auto top off is almost a must to keep SG from fluctuating too much.and water test must be done more frequently . Feeding a new hatched pups is a chore . some will feed and some won't.

And triggers are a big no no with sharks or ray's

[finntyla]

Please believe me when i say that i am not 'having a dig' but i can't see the problem with purchasing and using an RO/DI unit!.

Surely,after going to all the trouble and expense of putting together your system you wouldnt want to risk dumping all the untestable rubbish that the water companies put in water to save a few $s.

Tapwater= chlorine,chloromines,nitrate,phosphate,rust,heavy metals,flouride and plenty more = nightmare

RO/DI unit = pure water = peace of mind

IME this is not an optional extra,it should be regarded as an absolute must have when considering a marine enviroment,despite what others say.

[00nothing]

hey guys this post was from quite some time ago looks like someone dug it up and the tank is already filled using tapwater and i also ended up having to put my corals into it the tank has been up and running for about a week all is doing well

I had my water tested and the TDS was pretty low for tapwater and no high signs of any phosphates thanks for any and all advice

fish list sits like this right now
kole tang
snowflake moray
blue throat trigger
pair of half perc/ocellaris clowns
4 as of yet unidentified chromis/damsels the big als i purchased them from were calling them purple lyretail chromis but i have in the past seen them advertised as yellow tail damsels they are grey boddied with yellow tails if i ever get pics of them i will post them for ID but they are very peaceful

Yet to come for the tank
Female Blue throat
Copperbanded butterfly
Naso Tang