This sucks

oneradtek

oneradtek

Active Member
so i was doing a water change on my 30 and i use a glass hydromoter...better accuracy....and i had everything ready to go, salinity was there but i had to make the water a tad warmer so i put about 5 cups of hot water in and then mixed some more salt....i picked up my glass hydrometer to put it in the water and it slipped outta my hand and into my bathtub....CRACK....oh well...my water was pretty much ok so i went ahead with the change....
oh yeah im semi-new...had my tank for 5 months and its finally got a ocean smell to it...haha love it
 
unleashed

unleashed

Active Member
that kinda sux.I used 3 differnt types of hydrometers for the last 4 yrs I kept getting different reading from each brand I used I finally broke down and paid for a good refactometer.much more accurate than any hydrometer.easier to use too
 
promisetbg

promisetbg

Active Member
Originally Posted by oneradtek
so i put about 5 cups of hot water in and then mixed some more salt:
You're not using tapwater are you?
 
oneradtek

oneradtek

Active Member
amen tommie...im not that serious enough to use the expensive stuff
and it all comes down to preference from what ive notive around this place....its always put "IMO" , so IMO tap water from the bathtub has been working just fine even though ro/di or whatever it is ...is alot "healthier" or what not
 
unleashed

unleashed

Active Member
tap water contains chlorine and other harmful chemicals that ro units remove.as for the dos and donts of tap water I have been on both ends of that after 4 yrs of using tap water with no problems finally broke down and added a ro/di unit to my home for tank water.has it stopped algae blooms ? NO it hasnt made that big of an impact other than I now have to buffer my water regularly to keep the ph levels up.in 4 yrs of sw keeping I had one case of hair algae bloom and it just so happens that it was after I used ro/di water.so whether its best or not I have mixed oppions and yes you will see alot of IMO JMO and other MO's.we are not experts we are hobbiest all we have is or experiences, knowledge from reading,and oppinions,there are many dos and don'ts to this hobby.the one DO that we all agree upon is DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. the major DON'T is DONT BE IRRISPONSIBLE.if your given bad advice and it fails to work, whos fault is it? the one who gave the bad advice or the one whos used it?use this forum as a tool to find what to research not as your research.welcome to the hobby its addictive
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
In addition to the above...
Don't use hot water. The salt mix will precipitate many of it's major and minor trace elements if you use hot water. Cold water will mix up a lot better.
 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
Imho using tap water is crazy.
Here's not my opinion: Tape water, depending on municipalities, contains all kinds of dissolved trace goodies; chlorines, florines, metals, etc. Ever notice those copper fittings your plumbing supply store has? That stuff goes into your tank and doesn't leave it.... it just slowly builds up.. kind of like aquarium DDT.
 
puffer24/7

puffer24/7

Active Member
by the way the newer homes dont use copper and just to let you know here in florida it is illegal yes illegal to plumb a house with copper so copper was used in old old homes
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by puffer24/7
tap water is fine just as long as you are on well water
Typically well water is far worse that Tap water for reef aquariums because of Zinc, Tin, and other metals along with Phosphate.
It depends on the area. If you want to be safe use purified water, if not then expect unusual problems with your tank.
 
maeistero

maeistero

Active Member
Originally Posted by puffer24/7
by the way the newer homes dont use copper and just to let you know here in florida it is illegal yes illegal to plumb a house with copper so copper was used in old old homes
interesting to know. probably 90% of new homes in kansas use copper. it's especially dangerous to use tap water in a recently built house due to the "leading" used to join the fittings. it takes about 5 years for all of the trace elements to disappear from them. most new houses here are particularly dangerous to babies btw.
i did a research term paper on household water a few years back.
 
harndog

harndog

Member
it's done up north a lot due to the temp range. Copper is a lot less likley to freeze and bust during the winter months. Has nothing to do with being smarter. That said most new house in okie land are also done with copper/pvc combo. Just spend 200 on a good ro/di and be done with it. You will spend tons more on livestock if you don't. Unless you are fish only. then you will just have to worry about alge breakouts
 
maeistero

maeistero

Active Member
Originally Posted by puffer24/7
thats up north buddy down south people are a lot smarter

hey i'm very smart. i just don't use tap water.
 
payne66801

payne66801

Member
puffer24/7 said:
thats up north buddy down south people are a lot smarter[/QUOTE
I hope you are not talking about the people that build houses on the florida beaches to get knocked over by hurricanes every yr. Now that takes alot of smarts. And the whole country has to pay higher insurance because of all the people in the south that are SO smart lol!!!
Click to expand...
 
sjgsm

sjgsm

Member
funny how anywhere you go you find people to talk crap... anyways grow up... "thats up north people down south are much smarter" lol whatever thats your opinion the same people who live in florida also live in other parts of the world you guys dont have a special blend of the human race... lol whatever claim your smart but the crap talking is rather stupid if you ask me
 
symon

symon

Member
LOL this is funny it went from an opions to personel slams!
Again, this is a forum to learn how others have succeded and or failed!
If you don't like the info you are getting, then try it your way, Everyone needs to learn from thier mistakes!
So enjoy, take what you can from the information you see here, and let us know what worked and didn't!
And for the record, Tap water has alot of elements in it that you do not want in your tank, it may not show up right away but over time as these elements build up they will cause problems!
But ro/di units take out alot of beneficial elements that you want in your tank, so you end up using buffers to add these back!
IMO< LOL < You have to decide what is best for you!
Good Luck and Enjoy the Hobby!
 
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