Tap Water?

[adroitmind]

I know that RO/DI is the best choice but i am new too and have been using tap for the entire two months my tank has been up and running. Fish for like six weeks. Everything is fine with zero fatality rate. You should test your tap water befor you use it IMO. That is what i did and when everything tested at zero except nitrates which are at 10 i decided to use it. I did have a nitrate problem in the very beginning but i also have a deep sand bed that is finally starting to work it's magic on those trates.

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by AdroitMind
I know that RO/DI is the best choice but i am new too and have been using tap for the entire two months my tank has been up and running. Fish for like six weeks. Everything is fine with zero fatality rate. You should test your tap water befor you use it IMO. That is what i did and when everything tested at zero except nitrates which are at 10 i decided to use it. I did have a nitrate problem in the very beginning but i also have a deep sand bed that is finally starting to work it's magic on those trates.
As stated above in a very well written post you can't test for everything in tap water..... and everytime you add to your tank you're adding more junk.

 

[slugg3r]

Please don't use tap water in your tanks. Over time you will create a very polluted system that is not fair to all the animals in your tank and will cost you more in the long run as you try other "quick fixes" to stop algea problems, etc.
This is an expensive hobby, and to be honest a pretty decent RO unit is a very minor cost compared to everything else in the hobby and it may actually be the most important thing for your chance of long term success.
An average tank probably loses about 2% of water due to evaporation per day. That means the first 50 days (less than 2 months) you double the pollution in your tank. After 150 days (5 months) it has quadrupled. You can see how fast your water becomes unsafe for life. (Yes water changes bring it down but it will always increase faster than you can keep up.)

 

[seek]

I've had to use tap water when i was snowed in before. I keep a bottle of Amquel Pro handy to neutralize most of the tap water contaminates.
Good Luck.

 

[blackburnd]

How effective is something like this? https://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...ot_parent_id=6
Or what the other "water prification" filters that go right on the faucet. They are usually used for drinking water. I think Brita is on of the ones out there. i am sure they are better than normal faucet water, but how effective are these things?
P.S. I have made the switch. I have been buying my water at wal-mart, but still looking for other options. Thanks for all the advise.

 

[sign guy]

Originally Posted by BlackburnD
How effective is something like this? https://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...ot_parent_id=6
Or what the other "water prification" filters that go right on the faucet. They are usually used for drinking water. I think Brita is on of the ones out there. i am sure they are better than normal faucet water, but how effective are these things?
P.S. I have made the switch. I have been buying my water at wal-mart, but still looking for other options. Thanks for all the advise.

I have that unit and its ok but if you switch out to a RODI unit you will see leaps and bounds in your coral and algea groth will drop. If you search the web you can build your own for very little and you can get a sink adapter