Tap Water

ok, so I have a 75 gallon SW tank that has 2 clowns, 1 wrasse, and 1 sailfin tank. at this time do not have an RO/DI setup. I am forced to use Tap water. what do I need to do to the water to make it safe? I have been told by my LFS that I can use tap water without a problem. is that true? tap water will also make me have algae problems? if I was to run a refugium under the tank would the macro algae clean the water enough to continue using tap water? any input would help.

 

Generally, tap water is not great for reef tanks, if you have fish only it would be better, but still not great. Tap water can contain chlorine and chloramines, heavy metals, phosphates, nitrates, silicates and trace elements that can be pretty nasty. It can lead to algae issues and diatom issues.
I would suggest getting an RO/DI unit, I got mine, a four stage, 50 gpd, from airwaterice.com for about $100. If you absolutely can't do that right now, at least buy a good conditioner that will neutralize the heavy metals and chlorine.
A fuge will help with the organic compounds such as nitrate and phosphate but won't do much for the metals.

 

I'd find another LFS unless you never intend on keeping corals ? then you may get away with tap water and maybe get really luck with alga's and unwanted minerals that will build up over time.


That city water may well have lead and zinc iron copper no telling what all is dissolved into it then after it leaves the city mails there is copper pipe and lead soldering joints in the house that the water can set still in for hr dissolving the metals into solution .. I have seen homes in need of totally copper replacement because the water had eaten to copper from the inside out and was so thin I could not cut it and it would crumble between my fingers like aluminum foil..

 

I highly suggest not using tap water. At the least, you would need to use a dechlorinater to make it fish safe. But, depending on your city and where you live, tap water can have a ton of other garbage in it that you don't want to put in your aquarium. Algae blooms are a main problem of tap water. Sometimes uncontrollable algae blooms. Other metals and minerals, mainly copper, kill all inverts and corals.

A refugium would help with the algae control, but nothing else really.

I recommend you find a grocery store that sells RO or RO/DI drinking water. It's what we use, and we've never had a problem with it. And we have 2 brittle/serpent stars, 1 skunk cleaner shrimp, 1 tiger pistol shrimp, tons of shrooms, a feather duster, xenia, starburst, and frogspawn. It's clean water. Our Publix has a Glacier water machine that's serviced every 2 weeks right at the front of the store. Just use your own containers to fill up with.

 

Generally, the larger grocery stores have an RO machine from which you can procure RO water at 35 cents per gallon. I keep about forty gallons of this handy in a dedicated garbage can in my garage. Also, I keep about 20 gallons of mixed RO water and salt mix in a nother dedicated garbage can. I have had TDS readings from zero to three from that unit outside the store. 500 is the limit for safe human consumption and 182 is our TDS reading for the local tap water supply.

 

now correct me if im wrong, but doesnt AmQuel Plus neutralize the ammonia, chlorine, nitrites and nitrates, along with chlorinates??? Now I know that doesnt do anything for the heavy metals, but just curious.

 

ok so I can either 1 buy a RO setup, 2 buy it from a store or 3 get a water conditioner? for a short turn solution will the water conditioner do the job till I can afford an RO filter?

 

It helps to neutralize heavy metals too, but there are still a lot of things that it doesn't neutralize. Also remember, that it neutralizes it by converting it into another compound or bonding it with another element that will be inhert, or at least not harmful. These compounds will still build up over time in the tank. The chlorine, copper, ammonia, etc. is still there, just in a different form.

 

hmmm ok thank. another question for ya. what is the most important purchase right now. the RO filter, larger sump setup, lighting or better power heads ( mine are way under powered for my new tank).

 

run it thru a ro/di.

i also have a 75 gal, started up last february (2008 ). i tried for 10 months to run on home water, and now have a fuge and a monster clean up crew. nothing would control the algae. i finally gave in and spent alot less on a ro/di (about 150 bucks) than i had on additives, inverts, and plumbing in the fuge over the previous months.

i've been running the tank with ro/di for about 2 months now and... NO ALGAE!!!

save yourself the headache. and +1 on change your LFS - they just want to sell you additives, that's why they tell you tap is ok..