fish n ont
New Member
What should I be using? Currently just treating tap water with Prime and Stress Zyme.
tap water?
- Thread starter fish n ont
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ocellaris_keeper
Active Member
Tap water has many more issues that just trace elements such as copper - Heck if it's a FOWLR tank the copper elements would be great. the unfortunate part of tap water is all the other stuff (germs, parasites, NITRATES, Ammonia, other toxic chemicals like trace levels of paint, gasoline, etc.)
Your best bet is to pay less than $200.00 and get a RO/DI filter and ensure you are providing the best environment possible for yor animals. You are ultimately responsible for their ecosystem and betting on your local water is not very wise.
Or you could just go for it and watch the algae bloom.
Your best bet is to pay less than $200.00 and get a RO/DI filter and ensure you are providing the best environment possible for yor animals. You are ultimately responsible for their ecosystem and betting on your local water is not very wise.
Or you could just go for it and watch the algae bloom.
yas2903
Member
I think u should go with ro/di water im trying to start my self but it take lots of work because i use tap now and to start i need 2 do a 100 percent water change so that meens letting tank cycle again.that's your best bet if u go with ro/di like fishy tim said i went the same as him thats because when i frist started the hobby the guy who should me the way said tap is what he used 
dskidmore
Active Member
Simple Test:
Put your tap water in a glass jar.
Set it in a warm, sunny windowsill for a month. (Around here that's not going to be possible until spring.)
If the water turns green and icky without having added anything to it, you may want to reconsider using tap. Most people will get green water from this experiment. The brighter the light, the more impressive. I left some freshwater plants in a container on the patio last summer, and I ended up with a few plants and alot of green foam. Some places have high quality well water or good procesing and will be fine.
As for yas2903's contention that he would have to do a 100% water change, I'd rather do a slow change. Sure it's going to take forever to get all the trace elements that came from the tap water out of your tank, but as long as nothing was dying from it, what's the hurry? Excess nutrients will get absorbed by any algae you have, then after passing through some fish it will get pulled out by your protien skimmer. If I obtained an RO/DI unit after having filled the tank with tap, I'd just use a normal ammount of RO/DI for topoffs and routine water changes.
It's almost always better to do everything gradually in aquariums, unless you're trying to solve an extreme crisis.
Put your tap water in a glass jar.
Set it in a warm, sunny windowsill for a month. (Around here that's not going to be possible until spring.)
If the water turns green and icky without having added anything to it, you may want to reconsider using tap. Most people will get green water from this experiment. The brighter the light, the more impressive. I left some freshwater plants in a container on the patio last summer, and I ended up with a few plants and alot of green foam. Some places have high quality well water or good procesing and will be fine.
As for yas2903's contention that he would have to do a 100% water change, I'd rather do a slow change. Sure it's going to take forever to get all the trace elements that came from the tap water out of your tank, but as long as nothing was dying from it, what's the hurry? Excess nutrients will get absorbed by any algae you have, then after passing through some fish it will get pulled out by your protien skimmer. If I obtained an RO/DI unit after having filled the tank with tap, I'd just use a normal ammount of RO/DI for topoffs and routine water changes.
It's almost always better to do everything gradually in aquariums, unless you're trying to solve an extreme crisis.
nas19320
Active Member
Originally posted by Tina
I like my free tap water
You all act like RO/DO water is a cure-all. It's has everything to do with how you maintain your system and less to do with your water source.
Why not eliminate many of the problems where they start. RO/DI is not a cure all but it can make a huge difference. Its just one less thing to worry about. Tap water can change also, especaily if your water is coming from a well. I sure would hate to put a lot of money into livestock only to have it all die because my water source unknowingly changed. With RO/DI you can assure pure water, no heavy metals etc.
dskidmore
Active Member
Originally posted by Nas19320
Why not eliminate many of the problems where they start. RO/DI is not a cure all but it can make a huge difference.
It all depends on how much money you have to spend. If you only have $200, better lights may be a better investment than RO/DI for you.
I'd say RO/DI if you can afford it. If you can't, then test your water to see if it's all right to use.
I
ivanfj
Guest
Glad you have success using tap Tina. Fish-only tanks, IMO, can get away with just tap water, but I am not saying tap water is good. If you wanna reef tank, then I would highly suggest you use RO/DI water. I started with tap as well and algae was everywhere in my tank. And now I've switched to RO (just RO, no DI) for about 5 months and my tank has made a complete turnaround. I would still doubt the minority success though
