New Tank & RO water?

[leheath]

When you fill a new tank (with LR) for the first time with salt water to cycle, do you have to use RO water? I have a RO system in my house, but my guess is that it is not designed to put out 65g in one day! If I used regular tap water to start with, could I 'condition' it with something? I can use the RO water for subsequent water changes, I am just wondering how important it is for the main filling at the beginning?
Thanks in advance:thinking:

 

[johnny5]

I think its very important to start with RO water, even if you treat the water.. there is still stuff in there that you may not want (copper for one). You cant control or even know exactally what is in the tap water. If you use RO water, which is stripped of almost everything.. then you can control what is being added later.
Some people may have a different opinion on this tho. There are studies that suggest anemones survival rates are actually better for people that use tap water. But it seems that coral do much better with cleaner water. Its suspected that anemones fair better with "dirty"water due to trace elements. Even if you do believe this, you could always do some changes with treated/aged tapwater or just dose with some trace additives.
I'd just let that thing fill up all day. Just keep an eye on it, watch for leaks and such (normal stuff when filling a new tank). ALSO, triple check this one... make sure your tank is level in all directions while filling it up. If its leaning just the slighest, it could put pressure on one side and you could be swimming with the fishey (literally).
good luck and WELCOME to the board!
:happyfish :happy:

:happyfish

 

[nm reef]

I'd also suggest waiting for the RO water to fill the tank...its my opinion that a quality water source is a high priority and well worth the wait. But...if you must use tap water at least request a water quality report from your local utility...they are made available to the public on request.

 

[leheath]

Ok, thanks for the advice...I guess I will just fill over a couple of days if the system can't handle it all in one day!