water treatment

[u571]

i heard alot of people talk about using ONLY RO or the other type of water, what exactly is the difference, and how do they work. Also i have just been using tap water. I have a 100 g. tank can i start using the other type of water? and why is it beneficial to use it. (any other advise would help, cost,types,how they work ) thanks , ive only been using this forum for a couple of days but im always on it now, wish i would of heard about it before i got my tank

 

[calvindo]

tap water contains unwanted metals. do a search on ro/di or ro, there are tons of posts regarding this topic. i'd used tap water to initially filled up my tank, but been using ro/di since. it's a good idea to purchase a ro/di unit and make your own water. will save you time and money on the long run. check out ----... i purchased a 6 stage ro/di unit for $120.

 

[nacl-man]

I originally used an RO/DI filter and then it broke, I couldn't afford to replace it and used tap, after two months of that I broke down and bought a new RO/DI... it makes a huge difference IMO my tank looked MUCH better after switching back... I don't even know how to describe it, just looks 'cleaner' I guess, and the fish are much happier and healthier looking. Not to mention that my phosphate levels and pretty much everything else I measure became much more stable after switching back... of course it took a month at least because I did small WC's w/ new water, thats beside the point.
RO/DI is one of the best decisions you can make IMO.