No tap water?

[mlwoods007]

What problems will i have if i use tap water instead of store bought? Will it be ok for fish only. How about for anenomes? The people in the LFS said id be fine. Im in Columbus, Ohio and our water comes from a river that runs through the town and i was told it was fine as far as ph, and metals and everything goes. They said it's just a little hard.

 

[mlwoods007]

pretty much what im asking is if i can get away with using my tap water?

 

[mlwoods007]

bump

 

[blemmy_guy]

Yes you can use it, but your probly going to have some problems with Algea if you do. A hint if you use it put it in a big bucket, or trash can ( clean) and add the chemicals for removal of the all the bad stuff in the water, cant think of the name of the stuff, sorry long day anyway add a air pump with a airstone and let it run for a few days, this will help get rid of most of the bad stuff in the water. and go ahead and mix your salt in it too. . good luck todd

 

[mudplayerx]

Tap water is VERY unreliable. Depending on where you live, there can be all sorts of additives in it. For instance, we have a lot of limestone in TN so they use chemicals to counter that.
Most tap water contains phosphates and silicates. The phosphates will cause abundant growth of hair algae and the like. The silicates will support a diatom bloom everytime you do a water topoff. Diatom blooms are characterized by ugly, brown scum growing on your glass, sand, rocks, etc.
Tap water may also contain dissolved copper from the pipes in your area, and this is just a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[mlwoods007]

i heard copper is bad but don't know exactly why. How would i know if it got in my tank too. What's the best way to rid tap water of the phosphates and silicates too? Chemicals, or would a good size clean up crew take care of the diatoms? My tank is overrun with them right now (my first cycle) and i definately don't want this to happen everytime i add more water.

 

[bseth90]

You will learn what to add or take out overtime. You can get a city read out of your water if you call the water department and ask for one. They give you the levels of everything, etc. I use my tap water everytime and everything is great (reef tank). I learned we were high in iron and calcium...so I adjust for it. It's really pretty simple.

 

[bseth90]

PS. How old is your home? Copper piping is rare for anything very new. But that could really effect things...some ways good, but mostly bad.

 

[mudplayerx]

Originally posted by bseth90
PS. How old is your home? Copper piping is rare for anything very new. But that could really effect things...some ways good, but mostly bad.
Really depends on your county's building codes and how much money your contractor wants to spend.
As to the person asking why copper is bad... copper denatures proteins. Inverts have metabolisms and anatomy that allows heavy metals easy access to the proteins in their bodies.
Almost all of the single-celled organisms in your tank (including the beneficial ones) have cells walls made of lipids and proteins.

 

[plumbjohn]

so if you are storing water in a Large trah can than you need to have an air stone in it? This is what im doing but without the air stone. I top the trash can off after doing a water change every week then adjust my salinity. then put the lid back on it till next week. Oh ya i have a P.H. and heater in there. I am using ro water. anything else I should do? Tanks for the help.

 

[reefnut]

Do not use tap water... IMO it's just not worth it.

 

[shep77]

I never even thought of my pipes

I have a brand new home, finished last August, all copper piping!!! :scared:
I know some of you will say never use it, BUT... Would you think for those optomists out there, that I would be good for a while until I can afford other techniques?

 

[cveverly]

I have been using tap water in my reef tanks for over a year. So far so good. I live in Ohio and my water is pulled from a river feeding Lake Erie and purified by the city. Only problem I have is PH. I am not sure it is the fault of the water or inside environment but I can not get it over 8.2. Normal PH for me is 8.0. I treat the water with a chemical to remove chlorine. I add a couple of drops to a half gallon container and pour that into a 2.5 gallon holding tank that I drip 24/7 into my sump. I do not get an algae bloom or any other side effects with top offs or water changes. Maybe I am just lucky.
Having said that I do have RO/DI unit ready to install when I get time. I guess I am a little concerned about the heavy metals long term and phosphates from the fresh water.
BTW, I have copper pipes too.

 

[reefnut]

Originally posted by shep77
Would you think for those optimists out there, that I would be good for a while until I can afford other techniques?
What about using distilled water?? IMO, and no... I'm not an optimist I wouldn't chance it. Copper in even small amounts can be harmful. Other chemicals in tap water will only cause problems. I just don't see any reason to risk it. One of the most frustrating thing for new and veteran hobbyists a like is algae. Using tap water you're taking a chance of fueling algae growth, introducing heavy metals, and what ever else is present in the tap water.

 

[kiharaconn]

Yesterday I was in Home Depot looking at RO units. Of course I couldn't find anyone to help me but in looking around I found a water quality test kit. It tests for ph, Alkalinity, chlorine, iron, copper and nitrate/nitrite. It only cost about 10.00 so I bought one. My tank should be up an running in about 2 weeks. I'm having to wait for the carpet to be installed. Anyway I ran the test last night and came up with
Ph 7.5
Alkalinity 240
Chlorine 0.2
Iron 0
Copper 0
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
By the results chart they give my ph is safe, for humans of course, and my Alkalinity is high. What are any of your thoughts on how these will be for my tank? I was hoping to be able to use tap water to top off with since the closest place to get ro water is an hour away. That is until I can purchase my own.