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markcerm
08/20/2006, 05:55 PM
was just wondering how many use tap water for there water changes? im still using tap water dont really see any problems with it. but was thinking about getting a ro unit. i have a 180 reef and have mostly soft corals. how important is a ro unit for just keeping mainly soft and a few lps?
thanks
mark

goda
08/20/2006, 06:01 PM
waterin your area may be good enough for soft anf lps. but most areas it isnt and should atleast be carbon block filterd/ but for sps i think it is wise to have a ro

rsxs1212
08/20/2006, 06:05 PM
i know in my area it is really bad.. i use RO/DI

yoboyjdizz
08/20/2006, 06:07 PM
Yea RO/DI all the way..When i finally made changes after spending countless dollars on additivies for my tap water it made a big difference in my water qaulity algae problems and fish health!

davocean
08/20/2006, 06:10 PM
For most of us tap contains phosphates, nitrates, silicates, and other junk we don't want.
Usually it shows up later by means of hair algae, cyano, or the green film algae you have scrub off your glass all the time.
Test your water to see what's in it.

slevesque
08/20/2006, 06:18 PM
Good article about tap water in our tank: link (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2004/chem.htm)

scarter
08/20/2006, 06:24 PM
I used tap water for years. I never noticed any ill effects, I lost a coral here and there but I am not sure if I can blame it on the tap water. anyway, it was allways in the back of my head, "maybe theres something in the water" so long story short I got a typhoon III and now I never have to wonder about the mystery metals in the tap water. I would recomend buting one just to relieve stress, its cheaper than a shrink..

markcerm
08/20/2006, 06:57 PM
thanks for your replies, i am prolly going to get one just for peace of mind. i do have a little problem with cyano, so hope a ro unit will help a bit. im not familiar with the units. should i get a combo ro/di or will a ro unit do ok?

rsxs1212
08/20/2006, 07:11 PM
just get the full ro/di youll be much happier than with just the reverse osmosis..

scarter
08/20/2006, 08:43 PM
I like my typhoon III, so easy to hook up.

ACBlinky
08/20/2006, 09:30 PM
I used tap water for a long time -- our water is fairly good, TDS 125-160, Ca ~35ppm, NO3/PO4 undetectable. There are chloramines though, which means that during a water change I was adding ammonia to my tank. I never had algae blooms as a result, but I bought an RO/DI so the tanks would have higher quality water and I wouldn't have to worry about the city making sudden changes to the water supply that might result in any number of unwanted chemicals entering my tanks. Our water pressure is always low (35PSI or so), but recently has become SO low (15PSI yesterday) that my RO filter can't keep up with the demand for topoff water. I'm adding tap when needed, but I don't really feel comfortable about it. During the summer our city tends to add extra chlorine/chloramines to counteract algae blooms in the lake, and that's the last thing I want to add to my reef.

Andrew
08/20/2006, 09:39 PM
I've used tap water since I've started my first tank and no major problems so far.

Thefilterguys
08/20/2006, 10:44 PM
I think using tap water is one of the biggest reasons we have so many people fail in reefkeeping in the first six months. If your using tap water and don't have algae problems your very lucky. It just makes good sense to use RO/DI and provide ultrapure water for your fish and corals.

Jim

pufferpoison
08/21/2006, 01:08 AM
typhoon 3 here all the way. Since day one. Still have had some algae outbreaks but pretty mild. I am having a problem with the green algae on the glass though :(

outy
08/21/2006, 02:10 AM
running without ro/di is not the smartest thing and no one who has been doing this a long time will tell you any different. your in the wrong hobbie without it.

the problem is not NOW its not next week or month but it will catch up as all the junk starts building up inyour tank. if you have great water it may take a year but you will have a hair algea problem and then the possability of a crash weighs heavy

short term tap water = possible problems
long term tap water = hair algea/tank crashing

mleinart
08/21/2006, 03:51 AM
I used Chicago tap water for the first few months my first marine tank was running. I never had any tests run, but Chicago's water has a great reputation (in a drinking context) and so I worried little about it. Never had any algae problems.
I ended up buying a RO/DI unit for the same reason as scarter though.. there's always that nagging thought in the back of your mind when something bad happens, "what if it was the tap water?"
The consistency argument is fairly powerful too.

There are plenty of legitimate concerns over using tap water so I dont it'd be hard to justify a small unit.
One tapwater concern to add: some municipalities vary their chlorine/chloramine levels based on outside temperature. In Chicago during the summer months the levels will increase enough that it can be smelled when the water is running. This could be a concern when dosing a dechlorinator.

thor32766
08/21/2006, 07:31 AM
i use a carbon drinking filter I got for 25 bucks off ebay and have had great results with it.