Tap water??

hiredgun18

hiredgun18

New Member
I don't have a ro/di unit yet. Should i still do water changes with tap water? I've been using tap water for almost a year now witha 55 and 20 gallon fuge/simp. And have just been filling up when water evaporates. My parameters stay good. But i do get a bit of a algae problem.
 
ryancw01

ryancw01

Member
I would buy RO/DI water from the LFS or get drinking water from the grocery store. Having the unit in house is always better, but that will do for now. It is well worth the cost in the long run.
 
hiredgun18

hiredgun18

New Member
I dont know,but i never have any ammonia. I test weekly. lights on,lights off,upside down,etc. i was more worried about the metals in the tap water. would regular bottled water suffice? because we have tons of that!
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
It can vary by area and even time of year. So it is possible to have ammonia in tap water.
I would take your water to an LFS - or test it yourself - just to see if you are adding any ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, etc. IMO, it is not the end of the world to use tap water. It is not typically ideal - but at least in many areas it is not horribly bad either.
 
mkroher

mkroher

Member
i started a 55gal with tap water, it's almost finished cycling.
my ro/di unit should arrive today... time to start over
 
nofishnplease

nofishnplease

Member
Originally Posted by hiredgun18
http:///forum/post/3051768
I don't have a ro/di unit yet. Should i still do water changes with tap water? I've been using tap water for almost a year now witha 55 and 20 gallon fuge/simp. And have just been filling up when water evaporates. My parameters stay good. But i do get a bit of a algae problem.
i have used tap water for 6yrs now...never had a problem...120g..FOWLR...some mushrooms
 
swfein

swfein

Member
Originally Posted by mkroher
http:///forum/post/3054143
You'd rather have traces of tap water in your tank for the life of your tank?
I dunno.. I guess I'm anal.
IDK I figure it would go away sooner or later. And for the record no I wouldnt use tap water I just probably wouldnt change all the water out.
 
mkroher

mkroher

Member
Originally Posted by SWFein
http:///forum/post/3054147
IDK I figure it would go away sooner or later. And for the record no I wouldnt use tap water I just probably wouldnt change all the water out.

Well, I also have a 30gal SW tank,and I used tap water.. and I'm currently fighting a diatom outbreak.
I don't want to use 'conditioners' to make tap water "safe" either.. it just seems unnatural.
 
swfein

swfein

Member
Originally Posted by mkroher
http:///forum/post/3054151
Well, I also have a 30gal SW tank,and I used tap water.. and I'm currently fighting a diatom outbreak.
I don't want to use 'conditioners' to make tap water "safe" either.. it just seems unnatural.
Ahh ya now that would make more sense.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
I would see no reason, apart from something catastrophic (eg high levels of copper) to completely start over after using tap water to begin. There are so many sources of impurities - including food and additives - that in the long run this is negligible, IMO, in most cases. Blaming so much on tap water, though an issue, may be turning a blind eye to other significant issues. I probably wouldn't use tap water long term as in my area we get chloramine spikes, but I wouldn't panic about using it to start either. Even tanks started with RO/DI will face various "blooms" of algae, etc, as the tank matures and stabilizes, IMO.
Again, if you have significant copper in your tap water, that could be a problem. I would say a lot of public aquaria do not use an RO/DI to mix up tens of thousands of gallons of water at a time (what, with a 3g to 1g rejection rate or something?).
 
littlej2455

littlej2455

Member
Originally Posted by mkroher
http:///forum/post/3054035
i started a 55gal with tap water, it's almost finished cycling.
my ro/di unit should arrive today... time to start over

How did you find the right one to buy. I have a 125g and I have just been buying my RO water from my LFS. Would I need one that is greater than 90 GPD (gallons per day)? I dont't really understnad how the unit really works, this is the first time I have heard of this.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by littlej2455
http:///forum/post/3054206
How did you find the right one to buy. I have a 125g and I have just been buying my RO water from my LFS. Would I need one that is greater than 90 GPD (gallons per day)? I dont't really understnad how the unit really works, this is the first time I have heard of this.
Go to Airwaterice and look up their units....you want and ro/di maker....
Attachment 225803
COMPACT (5) Stage R.O.D.I.
Fully featured, small size, fits under most sinks Now with clear filter sumps
The Compact is a five (5) stage RO/DI (Reverse Osmosis/De-Ionizing) Reefkeeping system using a 75 GPD (Gallons Per Day) FilmTec membrane for truly great water quality and production rates.
The Compact uses five (5) stages of filtration and purification.
Stage 1) Heavy duty, standard industry size 10 Micron Poly Pro sediment filter.
Stage 2) Genuine Gem coconut 5 Micron carbon block *Acid washed.
Stage 3) Genuine Gem coconut 1 Micron carbon block filter*Acid Washed. This removes the remaining chemicals and chlorine. This filter is rated for 9,000 gallons. It's used to strip any remaining chlorine missed by stage 2.
Stage 4) FilmTec TFC membrane 75 GPD (TW301812-75).
Stage 5) One Mixed bed in-line DI cartridge 2.5 X 11" mixed bed DI.
And our complete high quality installation hardware kit with instructions.
This is the one I have
 
littlej2455

littlej2455

Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3054214
Go to Airwaterice and look up their units....you want and ro/di maker....
Attachment 225803
COMPACT (5) Stage R.O.D.I.
Fully featured, small size, fits under most sinks Now with clear filter sumps
The Compact is a five (5) stage RO/DI (Reverse Osmosis/De-Ionizing) Reefkeeping system using a 75 GPD (Gallons Per Day) FilmTec membrane for truly great water quality and production rates.
The Compact uses five (5) stages of filtration and purification.
Stage 1) Heavy duty, standard industry size 10 Micron Poly Pro sediment filter.
Stage 2) Genuine Gem coconut 5 Micron carbon block *Acid washed.
Stage 3) Genuine Gem coconut 1 Micron carbon block filter*Acid Washed. This removes the remaining chemicals and chlorine. This filter is rated for 9,000 gallons. It's used to strip any remaining chlorine missed by stage 2.
Stage 4) FilmTec TFC membrane 75 GPD (TW301812-75).
Stage 5) One Mixed bed in-line DI cartridge 2.5 X 11" mixed bed DI.
And our complete high quality installation hardware kit with instructions.
This is the one I have
The GPD, does that matter in the size of tank I have?
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by littlej2455
http:///forum/post/3054292
The GPD, does that matter in the size of tank I have?
IMO...No....I have a 10g container that I keep made up of ro/di....you can order a float for auto top off in your tank or in a seperate continer....I have never had to make up 25g's quick....I am sure you know when you are going to do your w/c's Just plan for it
 
littlej2455

littlej2455

Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3054298
IMO...No....I have a 10g container that I keep made up of ro/di....you can order a float for auto top off in your tank or in a seperate continer....I have never had to make up 25g's quick....I am sure you know when you are going to do your w/c's Just plan for it
Oh ok I get it now. So you just make the amount that you need.
 
mkroher

mkroher

Member
Originally Posted by littlej2455
http:///forum/post/3054206
How did you find the right one to buy. I have a 125g and I have just been buying my RO water from my LFS. Would I need one that is greater than 90 GPD (gallons per day)? I dont't really understnad how the unit really works, this is the first time I have heard of this.

My RO/DI unit arrived yesterday. It's a 75 GPD unit. (~ 3 gal per hour) It doesn't matter what size you buy, it matters how long you want to wait for the water to be 'made'.
I have a 55gal tank. My goal is to have a 20gal rubbermaid garbage can to hold the water i prepare with the ro/di unit. In the can, i will add the salt, a powerhead, and a heater. This way I will always have water ready for water changes.
Right now i have a bunch of 12-18gal rubbermaid bins on the floor collecting the water from the ro/di unit. I'm just trying to make enough for my initial tank setup. When that's complete, I'll perfect the design the 20gal and add all the bells & whistles :)
hope that helps
 
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