tap water

so i have had my fish tank for almost 2 years and i have always used tap water while doing water changes. now that i am out of high school, have a job and money to spend on more expensive tank equipment and animals i want to get a little more serious about my tank. what is the best thing to do to tap water so it is better for water changes?

 

the best thing to do, would be to purchase your own RODI unit, if you have a reef tank?

they are not that expensive these days, check out the sponsor forums on here
many of them offer discounts for 3 reef members


Steve

 

All I have ever been brave enough to put in is fish becase I know I don't have good enough lighting for corals or anything like that yet. People always ask me if I use tap water when I mention I have a lot of algae so I was not sure if that would also be helped by getting one of those filters

 

it can certainly help Stevie

tap water can contain nutrients that will fuel/ feed algae
and even with a fish only tank (saltwater anyway) a RODI unit will ensure only good quality water gets into the tank

Tapwater can be inconsistent AZ Desertrat (3 reef member who works in waste water processing) could tell you a lot more about what can be in there , than I can

but I think I am safe in saying that even areas with reasonable water quality from the tap can experience occasions when that water, whilst fit for drinking, may not be ideal for use in an aquarium

Steve

 

well thanks a bunch for your advice, hopefully someday i will actually know what i am doing! this is all just trial and error on my part.

 

+1!!

 

I use tapwater as well for my tank but dont have much of an issue with algae, lucky I guess. I would like to someday get an RODI unit though tapwater can leech minerals from pipes such as lead or copper into the water and to the tank as well as carry nitrates and phosphates which is what could be fueling your algae growth.