[nematode]

This hobby is constantly changing. For many years there has been the idea that one wants pure low nutrient (low phosphate, low nitrate, etc) water of "pristine quality".

However, look at the newer systems. The NOPOX low nutrient stage of reef keeping is moving toward people who add nitrates to increase color, and feed huge amounts of food that has lots of phosphates.
The triton method advocates not changing water, and instead adding solutions that contain trace amounts of Strontium, molybdemun, vanadium, Iodine, Iron, etc.

I am out of reefing for the moment, I moved to Germany for 6 months and tore down all my tanks.
I live in St. Louis MO and my water comes from the missouri river. Our water company provides a detailed statement about what is in the water- at least on the day they test.
According to the 2015 report (2014, and 2016 are very similar) in the testing 1.3 ppm nitrates, 26 ppm calcium, 0.08 ppm Boron, 26 ppm chloride, 16 ppm Mg, 1.7 ppm Potassium, 47 ppm sodium, .2 ppm Strontium, 151 ppm sulfate, 2.7 ppb (billion) vanadium, 2.8 ppb (billion), molybdenum, and a few organic pesticides 0.04 ppb (billion) 2-4,-D (an auxin plant hormone mimic), 0.2 ppb (billion) atrazine - a herbicide widely used in the midwest).
They list hundreds of chemicals that were not detected.

Why add back strontium, vanadium, Iodine, molybdenum as people using the triton method are doing, when we can just not RODI the water. The main reason I think people use RODI to is reduce phosphates and nitrates. BUT many reefers are now adding nitrates and feeding tons and wanting to have low levels of these nutrients in their tanks.
So the only thing we really want to remove is chlorine and chloramine, heavy metal contaminants, and other organics like pesticides. Most pesticide organics will be removed by carbon. Some metals like copper are effectively removed by carbon.
So I am coming to think that RODI may actually, in cases such as mine where the water comes from a source that is mineralized by running over old ocean deposits, "cause" more harm than good.

So upon my return I will use tap water rather than DI water to start my tank. I will filter it through a 1 um particulate filter, and several carbon filters. This should remove all the chlorine, chloramine, copper, and the residual levels of organic pesticides.

After all I drink several liters of this water every day. So if it is good enough for me, it should be good enough for my corals... i hope