why should i use ro water vs tap?

biotank14

biotank14

Member
what harm would it cause to use tap? thats all i use in 14gal biocube and never had i problem. just getting some info.. thanks allen
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
Tap water can contain harmful metals as well as Nitrate and Phosphates, which can lead to nuisance algae and bacteria growth. Maybe the tap in your area is fine though, its tough to know w/o testing it.
 
drtito

drtito

Member
At 25 cents a gallon give it a try with you next water change. A salt mix and wait a day or two then add. Your fish and coral will look healty-er for it. If your determined not to use ro/di water check your local water with your testing gear post your findings here,try to get a TDS(total desloved solids)reading.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
The EPA will most likely have done a study on your tap water unless you're on a well. There are places with good tap water but you won't know unless you look for the EPA tests. Using bad tap has no immediate effects but over the long term Crustaceans, Snails and other inverts may fail to thrive because of Tin, Copper, and Zinc building up on rocks and substrate. You may experience difficult to treat algae and/or cyanobacter outbreaks from excess Phosphates. Over 4+ years it may begin to affect corals and fish which will slow their growth and become less disease resistant.
If you don't actually know what's in your water then it's worthwhile to purify it using RO or RO/DI.
 
luca brasi

luca brasi

Member
Yeah, you have to know about your water first. My TDS is over 400, which is really bad. If you can find your water report and also check your TDS, you'll have a better idea of if you can use tap. If it's so far so good, with no algae problems, you may be OK.
 
biotank14

biotank14

Member
ok well i had my biocube setup for over a year and half with no problem. but im setting up a 75gal reef.. so just wondering
 
jawdubb

jawdubb

Member
I don't know how it will be in your area, but when we set up our tank we used tap water. The amounts of algae we had to fight for months was sickening. I went to a great lfs and he explained the benefits of R.O. water to me and didn't even try to sell me his equipment but instead showed me a semi-inexpensive unit on the internet that would work well for us. After using the R.O. water for a month or so after our 4 month battle with hair algae it all dissapeared. I do have to say through experience it can make a difference, but I am sure that also depends on the water source as well.
 
rort

rort

Member
to go off of this post... what are the steps to purchasing an RO/ID unit? I am also interested in getting one but just dont know the first thing about setting it up?
sorry to take from your thread! Just trying to add!
 
rort

rort

Member
Originally Posted by rort
http:///forum/post/2698467
to go off of this post... what are the steps to purchasing an RO/ID unit? I am also interested in getting one but just dont know the first thing about setting it up?
sorry to take from your thread! Just trying to add!
Sorry I will just start another thread!!!
lol
 
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