water changes

sandcarrot

sandcarrot

New Member
can you use tap water for water changes if not what do you use?
55gal
start up 8/17
60#live rock
cc
no fish yet
no lighting
two eheim canisters
600 powerhead
 
clarkiiboi

clarkiiboi

Active Member
You can, but please test the water first, most contain things you dont want in your tank. Its not the best type to use and if you do, dont forget to dechlorinate. Most here use a RO/DI unit or store bought water that has been put through that process.
You can use it and dechlorinate it for your initial set up I believe, please correct me if I am wrong. Also I see you have CC. There are very mixed opinions on that. I'll let others explain that, since I am no expert on that subject. But since it looks as though you are just starting, you may want to get some opinions on the CC and then go from there. HTH
 
pc fisher

pc fisher

Member
I use RO from one of the U-Fill-it stations, it's only .25 a gallon. Wal Mart has them in their store also. I have seen great improvement in the quality of my tank after switching from tap water.
 
E

eipappas

Guest
Many questions: What does RO/DI stand for exactly? How do you buy it? How do you change from a tap water tank to RO/DI once its already set up? and (last question, promise) How do you test the quality of your tap water and what should you be looking for? (I know I know, it was two questions... sorry!)
 
rick58

rick58

Member
RO/DI stands for reverse osmosis, de-ionized and is very pure. Some super markets and walmarts carry. I purchased a 20 gal per day RO filter for $89 to make my own. At a minimum I would test your tap water for pH, nitrates and phosphates befor using it, though it wouldn't hurt to bring it to your LFS for a full test.
 
E

eipappas

Guest
What do I do if I am currently cycling my tank using tap water? Can I slowly replace with pure water as I do my water changes once the tank has cycled?
 
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