water for water changes ?

keith gray

keith gray

Member
:happyfish How does everyone feel about using regular "city" water in your tanks. Someone at the LFS told me about a deionizing system that "cleans" your water before you put it in for water changes. I have heard from others that they have had good experiences from regular water as long as you use fresh start or something else like it that reduces chlrine, etc.
What does everyone think!
PS: The guy at the local fish store sells these systems for about $400 !
 
xjayx

xjayx

Member
I used tap for my initial fill up but use RO water for water changes.
Hopefully I'll be able to buy my own RO DI unit soon.
I'm sure you can find a good RODI unit for cheaper than 400 bucks if you shop around and it can definitely do more for your water than just de-ionize it.
 
jjlittle

jjlittle

Member
Dont use city water you never know whats in it and most who use end up with huge algia problems big time. Buy distilled water or ro/di filter. City water if use you do need to declorinate it .
 
chypriss

chypriss

Member
I used city water and i had diatims all over the tank. Ever since i switched to RO/DI water i have noticed a MAJOR difference in water clarity and also no more diatims. I dont have an RO unit yet, but i head down to winn dixie and get my water for 25cents a gallon. Just buy 2 5 gallon containers and you should be set.
 
rstiles

rstiles

Member
get an r.o unit on line a pure-flo 2, three stage 24 gpd will run around 120.00 (looking at the doctors catalog as I type)
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Its easy to search for those units, even on big auction sites.
Do not pay $400 for one.
You can, in the mean time, buy RO water and many stores - most LFS sell it as well.
 
jjlittle

jjlittle

Member
this web side & [LINK VIOLATION - out of respect for the owners and operators of this site, please do not post links to competitors, thanks]
 
nyyankeees

nyyankeees

Member
I use water from Wal-mart labeled drinking water, in fine print the label says it's RO water. .58 a gallon. :yes:
P.S.
Chypriss, where do you get your fish, corals,supplies?? There is not even a pet store in St. Marys and I jus got a 12G nano cube yesterday, so I'll have to go to Jax for stuff, know any good LFS?
 
keith gray

keith gray

Member
What are diatoms ? Also, is RO water and distilled water the same thing ? What about the temperature difference when adding it ? I usually try to keep it the same
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
RO and distilled are not the same though both can be used.
Diatoms are a type of algae if you will, that have a silica based shell. Silicates in the water can help contribute to a bloom of them.
You shoud let new saltwater mix with a pump and heater in order to equilibrate with the tank. Generally about 24hours. Temperature, pH and specific gravity, at least, should be roughly the same. Rapid changes can be fatal to tank inhabitants.
 
keith gray

keith gray

Member
I will begin using Ro water since everyone says you can find it anywhere. I will then look into buying an RO unit. 1 more ?
I know of course you add sea salt when youdo a 20% waer change, but when I "cap off" water due to evaporation, I assume the salt is not evaporating so do I add water only so the salinity does not rise ?
Thanks to all for your suggestions on this .
 
king bubba

king bubba

Member
Here's how I got my wife to support the need for a ro/di unit. Pure drinking water first. Fish tanks second. I do about 100 gal water change per month. At .25 / gallon from local RO outlet I would spend $200.00 in just 8 months! That's not including gas and time to get water. Push the benefits of clean, clear, healthy drinking water and casually mention the benefit to your animals.
 
kona

kona

Member
I think that some of us that live in the city don't have many options. For instance, I live in Chicago and don't have a car. Taking a cab, bus, or train to a fishstore, and then lugging water back home, and up into the apartment is practically impossible and impracticable.
On the other hand, an RO/DI unit is too much for my budget. Currently, I'm using tap water that has been dechlorinated and aerated and salted. No diatom problems at all - but that may be specific to where I'm located.
 
trainfever

trainfever

Active Member
If you do use tap water, make sure you use something like Phosguard which will remove the phosphates from your water. There are most likely phostphates in your tap water and phosphates are what causes unwanted algae.
 
kona

kona

Member
If I could use RO/DI water, I would definately do it. But, I did want tell those of you that are in my area (chicago, west loop) that I have been using tap water for 1 year now, and I have not had any problems with algae or diatoms or anything of that nature. My corals, fish, and invertabrates are all doing fine.
I am still somewhat of a newbie when it comes to reef tanks; however, thus far, things have been doing great.
 
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