Solution to water issues?

I have recently set up a tank with live rock, but the live rock has been transferred and has been in a cycled tank for a while. I plan to start a reef tank, but as of yet I have put no critters in the tank.

I have used tap water to fill the tank. I know this is a no-no...and I'm weighing my options of what to do. I live in NYC, which is a blessing and a curse as far as water goes. The water quality is very good here...but there are phosphates in the water to prevent corrosion of water pipes. So here are my parameters:

sg: 1.023
NO2: 0 ppm
NO3: 0 ppm
NH4: 0 ppm
pH: 8.2
Alk: 7
Ca: ~350
PO4: 3.0 ppm

I think the phosphate is keeping the calcium down and alkalinity up.

I don't want to buy a RO unit that installs under the sink or pay a crap-load. I found one single chamber one that has good reviews here: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Tap Water Filter Details

Should I look into this? Anyone familiar with a place in Brooklyn/Queens to get RO water cheap? I don't want to drive my car into Manhattan to get any because that eats up too much time.

I looked at delivery service and it'd be cheaper to get the filter. Maybe supplements would be the best option? Has anyone had success using supplements to keep phosphate and alkalinity down?

 

I think you're going the right route looking at filtering your water if you want to keep a reef in the long term. I'm not sure that the filter you've linked is going to be the best route though.
The replacement filter is $20 and you don't know how long that is going to last you. Have you tested your tap water for total dissolved solids, TDS? That will give you a better idea of how long your filters will last.
If you have to replace that filter multiple times a year you may have been better off getting an RO/DI unit. This all depends on the size of the tank and how often you need to do water changes etc. RO/DI filters are pretty efficient in the long term costs of replacing filters, you may want to consider things in terms of cost per gallon of purified water produced rather than up-front cost, which means figuring out how much water you need and how often each filter will need to be replaced.

Since water makes the basis for pretty much the entire environment for what you're trying to keep alive I think you will end up more successful with a good RO/DI unit, they aren't that expensive, especially compared to all the other costs that are generally associated with keeping a reef. Of course it really all depends what you're looking to keep and how your system is setup. Keep in mind that there are a lot more things in tap water than most people regularly test for and you're never going to know when those will change, they may even change just with the seasons.
An RO/DI unit like this is pretty easy to install and isn't that expensive up front and will give you pure water as long as you maintain it. I would also look at getting the dual TDS meter they sell too so you know when to change your DI and RO membrane.
Bulk Reef Supply

Also just to clarify I don't believe that phosphates have any significant direct relation to the alkalinity or calcium levels in the water.
Here's a link to more info on water chemistry if you're interested.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php

My 2c anyways!

 

Yes, I'm inclined to agree with you screwtape. Oi, I just wish I had the foresight to buy the RO up front before I filled this up with 10 gallon buckets in my bathtub and mixed all that salt in meticulously! Oh well, live and learn.

I guess my plan is this then, see what you think:

Going to buy 2 chromis to put in water now (I want to make sure that everything is cycled, gonna check NH4 and NO2 levels for a while after adding them and see how they make out).

When I get the RO unit I will perform about an 80% water change. Question, with an RO unit you no longer have to add dechlorinator (stress coat), is that right? Is it still a good idea to do it anyways, or no?

Finally, I guess I should buy a calcium supplement and alkalinity supplement based on that excellent article to which you linked me. What does the community recommend as far as these supplements go?

Thanks!

 

Try Fishtown USA in Flushing Queens

 

The RO unit will remove all chlorine so no further additives are necessary.

This is one of the cheapest calcium/alkalinity/magnesium supplement kits that I'm aware of, high quality ingredients and easy to use as well.
Bulk Reef Supply - Bulk Reef Supply

 

This may or may not apply to you. In my house, I have flex tubing connecting all of my sinks to the water source. However, my bathtubs have copper pipes between the faucet and water source.

I am going to hook up my RO/DI this weekend, but up until I get this working, I have stayed away from the bathtub and only used sink water because of those copper pipes.

 

I use this. Awesome stuff.

I use it in this way to keep my daily dosing automated

 

That is an awesome setup!!!! I wish that I had the Space for that. I just got my kit form Bulk Reef Supply and plan on mixing it in the next week. Probably going to have lots of questions