morganrules

ok im getting close to setting up the tank for SW i got the stand and everything to go with it im trying to decide if i should go with RODI or tap water and i know it gets expensive with the RODI. Just tell me if i could use tap water.

sgould

I have been keeping 1 tank with tap water for well over a year, and a 2nd for nearly a year now. So, yes, it can be done. But RO is better, as it eliminates phosphates and other algae friendly nutrients from the water. If Santa doesn't bring me an RO filter, I'll be investing in one early in the new year.

morganrules

where do you put the ro filter and where exaclty could i get the water if need be. and how do you remove your phospates in your tap water.

Angela_96

I will have to say this, I started with tap water OMG! it was the worst. My phosphates were high and nitrates.
Then I switched to distilled, still not great. I had issues for a month w/ distilled. No nitrates with it, however def had phosphates.
So, since I cannot afford an RO/DI unit yet I decided to buy water from my fav fish store, its ro/di salt pre-mixed.
When I figured the cost of the pre-mixed water and my not having to buy salt mix or conditioner for that tank its actually cheaper for me. (at 50 cents a gallon, and buying 5g at a time, I only change 1 gallon a week in my 14g nano).

My tank is brighter with the premixed water, and my corals bloomed twice as big immediatly.


BTW, if you do use the tap water there is poly filters, chemicals you can use to reduce the phosphates. My phosphates were so high in my tap water the filter went from white to brown in 2 days, and the polyfilters are the ones you have to change w/ color change to keep them active.

morganrules

so rodi is better. ok

Angela_96

Def better. With our FW tanks we can get by w/ nitrates being up to 20ppm, and some phosphates so our tap works just fine.
W/ sw especially reef tanks nitrates need to be as low as you can keep them, right now mine are 5ppm down from 10ppm and I panic at 10ppm. Then the phosphates need to be untraceable.

cerianthus

RO/DI is not cheap to buy and run. Check your local Water Co or DEP for tap water analysis report. If tap seems OK. go ahead. If not, use cheaper product called Tap Water Filter by API which is about $40 from online store. How long cartridges last, it will depends on tap water but cart changes color when exhausted. It might be easier for now and for nano. When ready for bigger reef, should invest in RO/DI then.

Angela_96

RO/DI will be the least of your worries money wise with a SW tank. Nothing for a sw tank is cheap. That is quoating someone off of a sw forum that I use.
There are other pollutants in the tap water like floride that they ad, bacterias, sillica, the list goes on. When I get my ro unit I plan to use that water for all 10 of my tanks fw and sw.

You could also try culligan water if your local store has it, if they are maintaining the equipment properly it is ro water.

Not to mention where we live the same area where our drinking water comes from they have a warning to not eat the fish, go figure! Its extremely high in mercury. So we buy our drinking water.

morganrules

yah ill probably just buy RO water or that premade water stuff

nemo addict

you can buy a ro unit and connect up to a water supply (i have mine by the washingmachine) then you dont have to buy water, the last thing on your mind is buying water over xmas and other holidays so if you get caught short you can always make your own and its on hand ,, my LFS you have to pre order it as they dont like leaving around and you also have to take your own containers so i just bought one it saved 2 trips just for water

morganrules

well i live with my parents and im dead sure they wont let me do that .

Rbacchiega

What size of tank? before I got my R/O unit I would buy 5 gallon buckets of RO water from the store...but save up..get one. The corallife ro unit comes with an adaptro that you can just screw onto your tap when you need to...so it's not all that permanint

Annadvn

I used to use tap water and despite good water parameters straight from the tap i had huge problems with cyano bacteria. Now i spend 33cents a gallon at walmart for ro/di water and i don't have the problem with cyano bacteria.

I would go for a ro/di unit, i'm saving money for mine. I can't wait for the day i get one will be so much easier!

Just my

Anna

morganrules

its a 29 gallon biocube and im gonna be getting an Ro unit when i can afford it for now i will do the 33cenths thing