Stupid question about water
- Thread starter hallzy
- Start date
alabama reefer
Member
Reverse Osmosis/ De-Ionized Water.
Conditioned tap water does not come close to the quality of using RO/DI water, IMO.
By the way the only stupid question is the one you don't ask.
Conditioned tap water does not come close to the quality of using RO/DI water, IMO.
By the way the only stupid question is the one you don't ask.
jackri
Active Member
If you buy it from Walmart you still don't know what quality you get.
Using tap water and treating it can work for fish only --- don't try and keep corals but if you're using tap water with a saltwater tank you're really asking for problems.
RO and RO/DI filters out everything bad that causes nuissance algae to grow, can harm fish and easily kill corals --- heavy metals, phosphates, nitrates,etc.
Your water treatments treat mostly for chlorine which the RO process takes care of anyways if you buy the filter.
I always suggest airwaterice (just google it) as I've always been pleased with their units but theres a ton of good places out there.
Using tap water and treating it can work for fish only --- don't try and keep corals but if you're using tap water with a saltwater tank you're really asking for problems.
RO and RO/DI filters out everything bad that causes nuissance algae to grow, can harm fish and easily kill corals --- heavy metals, phosphates, nitrates,etc.
Your water treatments treat mostly for chlorine which the RO process takes care of anyways if you buy the filter.
I always suggest airwaterice (just google it) as I've always been pleased with their units but theres a ton of good places out there.
vishnuborg
Member
My tank used to run on tap water, and all the corals were thriving. When we add salt to RO/DI water, we are adding negatively charged impurities to the water
. It works perfectly fine with corals, people are just paranoid. If you have a high TDS rating in your tap water, its worth the money, but other that that if you can't afford it, don't buy it. Seriously, my corals were doing great on tap water with a high TDS rating!
vishnuborg
Member
No, but seriously, get the RO/DI unit, or these people are going to murder you. It is also beneficial to the tank.
vishnuborg
Member
Oh, and one more thing: I couldn't keep shrimp in the tank because the high levels of copper in the water killed them, but my corals really were thriving! They are not as delicate as you think!
natclanwy
Active Member
Originally Posted by vishnuborg
http:///forum/post/3006403
Oh, and one more thing: I couldn't keep shrimp in the tank because the high levels of copper in the water killed them, but my corals really were thriving! They are not as delicate as you think!
Not all corals are the same some are not very tolerant to toxins found in water copper being one of them, copper can also cause higher mortality in some fish. Not all tap water is created equal, the house I used to live in had a community well and the water quality was excellent and I did use it for a couple of years. The water that I am on now is supplied by a mountain lake so in the spring and summer it has a tendancy to have high phosphates and nitrates but during the winter it is fine. So I use RO/DI most of the time but I still use tap occasionally when I don't have time to get down and get water.
http:///forum/post/3006403
Oh, and one more thing: I couldn't keep shrimp in the tank because the high levels of copper in the water killed them, but my corals really were thriving! They are not as delicate as you think!
Not all corals are the same some are not very tolerant to toxins found in water copper being one of them, copper can also cause higher mortality in some fish. Not all tap water is created equal, the house I used to live in had a community well and the water quality was excellent and I did use it for a couple of years. The water that I am on now is supplied by a mountain lake so in the spring and summer it has a tendancy to have high phosphates and nitrates but during the winter it is fine. So I use RO/DI most of the time but I still use tap occasionally when I don't have time to get down and get water.
alabama reefer
Member
We spend hundreds or thousands on our saltwater systems so why risk potential problems by cheaping out on water. My goal is to have the most beautiful and healthy aquarium I possibly can and enough goes wrong when doing the right things. I know there are people who use tap water and have no problems but honestly the risks far outweigh the rewards.
pezenfuego
Active Member
This hobby is a lot like car buying. If you make a big down payment, the future will be cheap and beautiful.
Don't skimp on it because it isn't "necessary," just buy one
Are we paranoid? Probably. Should we be? Absolutely.
This hobby is basically the recreating of the most complex ecosystem in the world. Snot water and sodium chloride won't cut it.
Don't skimp on it because it isn't "necessary," just buy one
Are we paranoid? Probably. Should we be? Absolutely.
This hobby is basically the recreating of the most complex ecosystem in the world. Snot water and sodium chloride won't cut it.