tap water start up

[timidshrew]

Im curious if it would be a big problem to start a 55 with just tap but after start up just put in ro water i dont have alot of money to spend on 55 gallons of ro water plus i live on the 3rd floor of a dorm
thanks

 

[pikapp168]

no tap water....RO/distilled at publix will run you 50-60cent per gallon. I have a 75G and hicked that crap up 3 flights of stairs, so I feel your pain. Just do it and get it over with.

 

[navyguy]

I am not saying it is a good idea, but when I first started my tank I used tap, along with a chemical that got rid of chlorine. I did not add my live rock for about two weeks though. I did not have any problems, just a little bit of hair algae in the begining.

 

[j-ro]

is hair algea a result of tap water being added?

 

[navyguy]

Phosphates that were in the tap water.

 

[ifirefight]

Originally Posted by timidshrew
Im curious if it would be a big problem to start a 55 with just tap but after start up just put in ro water i dont have alot of money to spend on 55 gallons of ro water plus i live on the 3rd floor of a dorm
thanks
Yes it would be a big problem in the longrun. You must be a college kid if you live in a Dorm and money is tight....SO....you should be in pretty good shape for carrying water up 3 flights of stairs.Suck it up ...and do it right from the start....Im sure you know better.

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by timidshrew
Im curious if it would be a big problem to start a 55 with just tap but after start up just put in ro water i dont have alot of money to spend on 55 gallons of ro water plus i live on the 3rd floor of a dorm
thanks
To start out, it will be fine...problems will DEFINATELY surface from starting that way...we're talking hair algae, red slime, etc., etc.
These things will show up months and months later...after doing RO changes and you're thinking that you're out of the woods...happened to me...twice...I would never start a tank with tap again, the fall out is just too hard to deal with and clear up...not impossible, but very difficult.
Lisa :happyfish

 

[iamjoshieg]

What do you guys think the outcome would be if a tank was filled with tap water?

 

[socal57che]

Is my tap water the only stuff delivered through iron and copper plumbing? Not to mention the possibility of chlorine, phosphates, flouride, etc., etc., etc.
I vote no on this issue.

 

[ifirefight]

I vote no on this issue.[/QUOTE] Yup

 

[reef46]

I started with tap and I had nothing but algea outbreaks. I finally switched to RO a few weeks ago and almost instantly I have had clear water and a cleaner tank!

 

[socal57che]

Originally Posted by timidshrew
Im curious if it would be a big problem to start a 55 with just tap but after start up just put in ro water i dont have alot of money to spend on 55 gallons of ro water plus i live on the 3rd floor of a dorm
thanks
I'm guessing you have a LFS where you are buying some equipment. Ask them to step up to the plate and give you a discount on pre-mix water since you need 50+ gals and are spending a chunk of change on supplies. Never hurts to ask, just be nice and sincere in your efforts.
Gerbers in Dayton, OH used to sell us pre-mix for 65 cents/gal.
It wasn't worth my time to mess with it when I could bring them buckets to fill for that price.

 

[uberlink]

The problems may only surface in the longer term, and particularly if you start adding delicate creatures like stony corals. If you were doing hardy fish, you might be okay. But I'd really shoot for 100% RO/DI water.

 

[timidshrew]

thanks for responding so quickly. The only LFS is about an hour away but oh well you all are right i should be able to do it
Thanks

 

[myrtle beach]

I used tap water for same size tank, ran filter for a few weeks with chlorine remover and bacterial addative to start cycling. LR after a week or so, had some die off, damsels after three weeks, then swapped them for clowns after two weeks. Everything went fine for me.
It seems a bit crazy to be lugging 55g of RO water up three flights of stairs, even if you had an elevator how are you gonna transport all that water? And what happens when you have to move out of the dorm? I'd get a nano cube for dorm life, 55g is like having another roommate.

 

[baloo6969]

Dude, trust me. I just graduated in may...and i had a 55g...what a HEADACH MOVING!
go with a smaller(2~29g), it's sooo much work moving it AND your appartment. But if your up to it, go for it, but you have been warned.
as far as tap water goes. it will work fine to "Start up" just dont top off or do water changes with it.
use chemi-pure, phospate sponge, and throw some de-clore in there and let the tank run for at least 2 days before adding LR.
i lived on the 3rd floor too, it was a headach, and a workout...but well worth it.
good luck.

 

[flcandy]

Originally Posted by socal57che
Is my tap water the only stuff delivered through iron and copper plumbing? Not to mention the possibility of chlorine, phosphates, flouride, etc., etc., etc.
I vote no on this issue.

In south FL you can't have copper. It is all PVC down here and if you have any repairs done and have copper they make you replace the copper with PVC or you get in trouble with the Housing Code.
SO we do have the chemicals but not the copper in most houses.
So any distilled wated from Publix would work? The only probblem I have had with tap water down here is Algae growth. So if this would eliminate that I would be a happy camper. (50 Gal Hex)

 

[lexluethar]

I just started my SW aquarium, and i used R/O water. If cost is an issue then you should NOT be going into the SW hobby with a 55 gallon tank. I have not bought fish yet and the R/O water was the least expensive thing that i have bought, aside from small things like thermometer and powerhead.
If you can't fork out the 30 dollars to fill up your tank w/ R/O you shouldn't be going into SW - IMO.

 

[prk543]

You are wanting to start up a tank a month before the semester ends? I would wait until you are back at home or next semester, unless you are going to summer school this summer, and you are going to be in the same room. Your tank will just be coming out of its cycle, or still cycling if your semester ends in May and you have to go home.
You might also want to see if your school's dorms have any restrictions on fish tank size, especially before you go lugging a 55 up 3 flights of stairs.
Good luck,
-prk543

 

[whodini6]

LexLuethar where did you find and RO system for that cheap of money. the cheapest one i have found is like 79 bucks and thats for one that does 25 gpd. I have a 75 that i am getting ready to setup and well am in the need to buy an RO so information on them is awesome. Also definately wait til you leave school to start the 55 up. The most you have at school has to be a month and well thats end or cycle area.