Aquarium Pharmaceuticals tap water filter...

footbag

Active Member
Let me first say that my luck with saltwater has been mediocre, to say the least. Thanks to this board, ove the last year, I have tied up the loose ends(added Fuge, upgraded Skimmer, made better decisions) to the point where I am happy with the way my tank looks. After using Aquarium Pharm filters for over 12 years, I finally decided to test the quality of the water out. I have tested for the basics before(Phosphate,Nitrate, etc...) but upon my recent aquisition of a TDS meter I got an opportunity. The box of these tap water filters implies that they are as good as RO/DI, and frankly they are similarly priced ($ per G)after the initial investment. So I tested the tap water at my house and got a TDS of 63. (Not so bad for tap) Then I tested the filtered water off of the same tap; 99 TDS. The filter is contaminating the water. I always knew that the Aquarium Pharm filters were junk, just never had any evidence.
Now I am doing as many small water changes as I can without shocking the tank.(10g per week on my 90) BTW my Kent Maxxima RO/DI puts out 0 TDS water. It tests out at 0 in the holding tank. When I put it into my mixing bucket, the little bit of residual salt brought it up to 13 TDS.
Just a warning for those filter users.
 

cprdnick

Active Member
Yeah, I retired mine about a month after I started using it, it was a piece of junk, and mine, no matter how many filter replacements I did, shot a bunch of black stuff into the new water. I finally just stopped using it, and decided it would be better to just start buying RO water from a local water service.
 

komet

Member
I used mine for about 3 months before deciding it was useless junk. I now buy steam distilled water for all water changes and top-offs.
 

bobbravo2

Member
Total Dissolved Solids
The measure in parts-per-thousand (PPT) of stuff other than water, in the water. 0 is optimal for reef topoff water.
TDS for a RO/DI:
1000-100 TDS tap water
~100 after prefiltering
~25 after RO
~0-1 after DI
HTH
Bob
 
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capschamp

Guest
"Any filter is capable of doing that. RO/DI also and especially filtered water at wallmarts where changing the filters is only an expense.
Much better to use tap and let the plant life do the filtering. "[/B]
Do you use tapwater for everything? I am new to this and it seems like using tap water is a cardinal sin.
 
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capschamp

Guest
Any possibilty you still have those instructions?:thinking:
 

footbag

Active Member
Remember guys, tap water can vary in different areas. So If your recommending tap water changes and top-off's, then remind the newbie that his tap water might not be so good. I've always assumed that my tap water was 200TDS. Now I find out that it is 63. I also tested the water at work and it was 69.
 

dburr

Active Member
I started my first tanks back in the late 70's before all this water processing was in vogue. FAMA and others were advising that new saltwater tanks encourage all the algae to grow. They also had instructions on how to use tap water.
Bob; this is 2004, we come along way since the 70's. Try it you may like it.
Then I tested the filtered water off of the same tap; 99 TDS.
2 things: How old is/was the filter and was your collecting bucket clean. Stuff builds up in the bucket that the TDS meter will pick up. I checked mine last weekend, I had twice the TDS in the bucket than out of the tap after my ro/di.
 

reefnut

Active Member

Originally posted by beaslbob
no reason to change what works. and you are correct. tap water has progressed from the 70's

40ppm nitrates in your system tells me it's not working.
 

footbag

Active Member
2 things: How old is/was the filter and was your collecting bucket clean. Stuff builds up in the bucket that the TDS meter will pick up. I checked mine last weekend, I had twice the TDS in the bucket than out of the tap after my ro/di.
The Tap-water filter was replaced about 2 months ago(est 120g). It is supposed to change colors as it is being used. It is half expired by the color method. My RO/DI is only a few weeks old. I let it run off of the the same tap I tested the tap water off of, with the same glass jar.
Actually when I put 10g of my 0 TDS RO/DI water into my saltwater mixing bucket, the residual salt brought it up to 13 TDS.
 

rbmount

Active Member
Originally posted by beaslbob
no reason to change what works. and you are correct. tap water has progressed from the 70's
Tap water has progressed from the 70's--backwards. Pipes are older, the water quality feeding systems is worse due to pollution, heck, they don't even recomend swimming in some creeks in the lake near here. So in my opinion, if it's getting in, some of the crap is getting thru the system, some places I've lived, after running the dishwasher, you had to "dust off your glasses to take a drink. I never had problems with kidney stones until I moved to these locations, and since I left, I have not had a stone. Until I get a ro/di unit, it's distilled water for me.
 

mobikobeyob

Member

So I tested the tap water at my house and got a TDS of 63. (Not so bad for tap) Then I tested the filtered water off of the same tap; 99 TDS. The filter is contaminating the water. I always knew that the Aquarium Pharm filters were junk, just never had any evidence.
Just a warning for those filter users.
I used the Tapwater Purifier for a year before I Went with the RODI, which is way cheaper to maintain. It made excellent water for me although I never tested it with a TDS meter. If I remember correctly they use carbon before and after the DI. Perhaps that was what threw your TDS meter off. Just like when you change your final carbon on a RODI, you always test before it.
From my experience with this product I would highly recommend it.
Mobi:D
Love that Avatar rbmount. LOL
 

dburr

Active Member
Tap water has progressed from the 70's--backwards. Pipes are older, the water quality feeding systems is worse due to pollution, heck, they don't even recomend swimming in some creeks in the lake near here.
Don't forget the chemicals they put in their now like floride. Theirs a whole bunch of companies stating their "filter makes your drinking water safe".
So how safe can it be to swim in it 24/7?
Well water sometimes is not much better with stuff leaching in the ground.
The Tap-water filter was replaced about 2 months ago(est 120g). It is supposed to change colors as it is being used. It is half expired by the color method.
Yeah, thats kinda alot of gallons for that filter. One color could expire before the other and you wouldn't know it. I used one for three years but I have well water which I don't believe it to be as bad as city water.
Dan
 
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sebae0

Guest
dont forget to mention if you dont harvest the plant life it will release it back into the tank or your fish will consume it when they eat it. also on your tap water purifier dont run the water flow to fast or it doeasnt have enought time to remove the impurities.
i have in my experiences tried tap,twp, and now for the last year and a half used ro/di, and the latter is the best. with the tap to start and macros no good consistent reports, then with the twp better but not as consistent as i would like, then the ro/di unit and my tank has taking off with corals splitting no nussaince algae and haven't lost a fish in that whole time, you decide which is better........hmmmmmmm......
 

reefnut

Active Member

Originally posted by beaslbob
0.0 ppm in culture tank for over 8 months. down to 20ppm in display with a direct correlation between plant activity and nitrates.

Down 20ppm from Saturday? Sounds fishy to me :rolleyes: unless you started water changes. 0ppm in a macro culturing tank is not that great of an accomplishment there Bob...
BTW, mine have been at 0 for mnths now and my tank is younger than yours
. Must be the RO/DI water, skimmer, water changes,,, along with the refug :thinking:.
 

cincyreefer

Active Member
Tap water has progressed from the 70's--backwards. Pipes are older, the water quality feeding systems is worse due to pollution, heck, they don't even recomend swimming in some creeks in the lake near here.
Umm, i don't know i can agree at all here. Being a consultant for water treatment/wastewater facilties in metropolitan areas, I think tap water has come a real long way. Most new or large water treatment plants are now implenting large UV sterlizers in hopes to help control cryptosporidium as well as break down unstable ions in water. Many facilities also use certain fish as bio-indicators for water quality.... where do you think the glo fish came from? As far as the old pipes, I hope you aren't paying very much at all for your water then. And tap water really doesn't have much to do with creeks and lakes in the surrounding areas, unless it is your source of water. The lakes are probably loaded with CSO's and/or SSO's, which would be the reason they don't recommend swimming in them.
Don't forget the chemicals they put in their now like floride. Theirs a whole bunch of companies stating their "filter makes your drinking water safe". Well water sometimes is not much better with stuff leaching in the ground.
How is fluoride bad? Since the addition of fluoride to tap water, dentists are seeing far less kids with cavities.
I can agree with well water to a certain extent, although that mainly depends on the well. Water is actually filtered by the soils in the ground as it seeps through, but how well it filters varies greatly depending on soil type and if the ground is polluted at all. Why do you think that "Mountain spring water" is suppose to be so great...
I can't say I would recommend using tap water in a saltwater aquarium, however tap water can be pretty darn good in some areas.
 

cincyreefer

Active Member
I wonder why the Bang Dude doesn't have much input on water sources... :D I realize his system is not your normal system, but didn't I read somewhere that he uses well water? Just a thought for all the people who say RO water is the ONLY way to go... Just figured I would throw that out there. :thinking:
 

cincyreefer

Active Member
Bob- Your welcome... I guess. I wasn't really trying to defend using tap water for use in saltwater aquariums, just wondering how people get the conception tap water is "bad" overall. Yes, you are right about the pipes... Most treatment plants shoot for a pH of 8.4ish. The biggest problem i have with using tap water is the amount of heavy metals and chlorine... Some heavy metals are strong oxidizers, and although some are easily brought out of solution from calcium carbonate, I prefer not to have them at all. I have never read a study or done an experiment about whether or not tap water will make the ORP fluctuate more, but my guess is it would. While many people believe ORP to be irrelevant to reef aquariums unless ozone is used, I have found it to be helpful in giving advance notice of possible problems.
 

stapler

Member
Im going to take a real random shot at a different idea....but is there anyway you can put water into a bucket, and put carbon or something into it and let it sit for a few days, using a PH to move the water around?
Just wondering.:notsure:
 
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