Tap water

[slider101]

Quick question. I filled my tank up originally up with tab water, 55 gal. After that I started using RO water. My tank is a little low about 2 1/2 gals and need to add some but I am out of RO until I get to the store. Is there a problem with adding only about 2 1/2 gals to top it off. Got people coming over and want it to look full. I have never had any adverse reactions in the beginning with my tap water.

 

[usirchchris]

Originally Posted by slider101
http:///forum/post/2888927
Quick question. I filled my tank up originally up with tab water, 55 gal. After that I started using RO water. My tank is a little low about 2 1/2 gals and need to add some but I am out of RO until I get to the store. Is there a problem with adding only about 2 1/2 gals to top it off. Got people coming over and want it to look full. I have never had any adverse reactions in the beginning with my tap water.
IME no. I would recommend a conditioner such as Prime, but besides that you should be fine. My personal opinion, and this is mine only...RO units are a waste of money. I guess some cities have really bad water...phosphates, silicate, metals, nitrates, lions and tigers and bears, but in 15 years 3 states and multiple cities I have never had a problem. If you are under frequent boil advisory I would advise against it, otherwise IMO it's a gogo

.
Forgot to add...mind you I have only had FOWLR tanks...no reefs for me.

 

[slider101]

Originally Posted by usirchchris
http:///forum/post/2888930
IME no. I would recommend a conditioner such as Prime, but besides that you should be fine. My personal opinion, and this is mine only...RO units are a waste of money. I guess some cities have really bad water...phosphates, silicate, metals, nitrates, lions and tigers and bears, but in 15 years 3 states and multiple cities I have never had a problem. If you are under frequent boil advisory I would advise against it, otherwise IMO it's a gogo

.
Cool thanks. I figured it would be ok. The only reason I use RO is becasue there is a vending machine where I can get it for $1.50 for 5 gals otherwise I would take my chances with tap water and condition it because I am cheap like that lol. Thanks again!

 

[t316]

Of course you CAN do it, and no, it's not going to nuke your tank, but in general I would strongly advise against it. And you doing it this one time, in a crunch, is only going to reinforce your beliefs that it's okay the next time, until you start having all kinds of algea problems, etc. Go ahead and do it this time, be the man with the killer tank for the party, then get in a habit of keeping RO water on hand at all times. Good tank husbandry will pay off in the long run...

 

[t316]

RO units are a waste of money. QUOTE]
Disagree 100%
Originally Posted by slider101
http:///forum/post/2888933
Cool thanks. I figured it would be ok. The only reason I use RO is becasue there is a vending machine where I can get it for $1.50 for 5 gals otherwise I would take my chances with tap water and condition it because I am cheap like that lol. Thanks again!
Being cheap in this hobby will actually cost you BIG TIME in the future. Just my .02

 

[usirchchris]

Originally Posted by usirchchris
http:///forum/post/2888930
RO units are a waste of money. QUOTE]
Disagree 100%
Being cheap in this hobby will actually cost you BIG TIME in the future. Just my .02
120 gallon aggressive...all tap water, Two puffers and one trigger, and this tank has alot of hair algae (too much bioload). 125 peaceful all tap water...no algae. 75 gallon with rock from a 55 gallon all tap water...no algae. Feed your fish correctly and do maintenance and you will not have issues IME. It is not the tap water. Just my experience, that money is better spent elsewhere.
Certainly there can be special circumstances, but I think overall, RO's have been marketed very effectively.

 

[jp30338]

I have tried both tap water and RO/DI water in my 125g aggressive fowlr set-up, running a 20k 175w metal halide pendant, with a heavy bio-load (porc puffer, radiata lion, emporer snapper, snake eel, blonde naso, choc. chip star, black spine urchin, some snail that was attached to the urchin that wouldn't come off, and a few mushroom corals). The only difference I have noticed is that with tap water I do tens to get more diatoms on my substrate, other than that NO difference, in fact if I do get a small patch of hair algae it never lasts more than a few days before its dead and gone by itself.
My .02

 

[blacktop pete]

what about boiling the tap water u think that would do it

 

[nordy]

Nope, boiling won't change the tap water (unless you collect and condense the steam and use that) issues that would make RO/DI water preferred.
I used tap water for years and years in my fowlr tank and all I ever got was tons of algae, all the time. But, the fish did fine, and it wasn;t until I went to a reef setup that I got the ro/di unit.
I do agree that your "city water" quality is a determining factor in whether or not a ro/di unit is really needed-there can be a huge difference in the source minerals. I just prefer using it because since we are using technology in trying to create SW enviornments that are as contaminent free and as close as possible to natural SW as possible, we need to do everything possible to get as close as we can, using all the technology available to us and a ro/di unit is just one piece of that technology.

 

[jp30338]

Just curious, anyone know how long ro/di units have been used in the hobby, and what was done prior to their introduction using tap water?

 

[slider101]

Originally Posted by T316
http:///forum/post/2888939
Of course you CAN do it, and no, it's not going to nuke your tank, but in general I would strongly advise against it. And you doing it this one time, in a crunch, is only going to reinforce your beliefs that it's okay the next time, until you start having all kinds of algea problems, etc. Go ahead and do it this time, be the man with the killer tank for the party, then get in a habit of keeping RO water on hand at all times. Good tank husbandry will pay off in the long run...

Yeah, going today to fill up my 4- 5gal jugs. I just got busy and happened to run out and couldn't get to Publix where the machine is. I am going to add a phosphate filter to my system to try and help with what cyano I am getting.