Testing tap water to determine if RO/DI is needed..

Hey guys! Long time lurker, first post! I am trying to find the root cause of my high phosphate(More than 40ppm) and nitrate(20ppm) spike in my 120g reef(120lbs of live rock), with algae galore. (Don't worry, my 70 gal reef is going great). Anyway, my wife and I are having a disagreement. For about 7 years since I have been doing the hobby, I have never treated my tap water making salt (I will use stress coat and let the water sit so chloride evaporates). But, being a responsible reefer I would like to keep SPS corals, and I am testing my tap water for phosphates and nitrates to see if an RO/DI system is needed.

Base question:

When testing tap water for a pre-mix test that will be going into my salt tank, should I use freshwater color chart or saltwater?

Also, would this be my appropriate action to fix my situation:

Better protein skimmer(mine are not preforming good at all)
Add a UV Sterilizer
RO/DI(maybe)
Vodka Method (if the other two equipment do not solve the issue after a few weeks)

 

you've been using tap water for 7 years untreated? WOW! Congrats! But i'd guess that's a huge source of your problems!

MAXPURE MPDI SYSTEM the best one for cheap

UV sterilizers are a topic of debate, personally i like mine! Just a little band aid to help with algae/bacteria/disease! Not a fix just a little help!

IMO Good luck!

 

Are you on city water or a private well? Some cities add phosphate for corrosion control to their water, if thats the case that would definetly cause high phosphate thus leading to algae problems. Also phosphates occur naturally in some water so even if you are on a private well you may have phosphates. Use the FW phosphate test if you are testing the tap water, and a SW kit if you are testing the water in your tank.

 

IMO, no tests are required here, don't waste your time! You need an RO/DI system. The tap water is the source of your problems. Although the "algae galore" may not seem like the end of the world, the nutrients currently feeding the algae are terrible for tank.. Not to mention the other bad stuff like the copper that is building up in your rock, creating a time-bomb that will one day poison your tank. A skimmer will help reduce the nitrates in your tank... SPS are not fond of nitrates, but algae love it! As a keeper of way too much SPS, I can tell you right now that your tank is inhabitable for this type of coral. Coral is more expensive than a quality RO/DI unit and/or a skimmer. Remember, the quality of an RO/DI unit depends primarily on the filters inside, so do some research before you buy. Good luck!

 

Use a TDS meter to test the water, thats all you need.
Once you do you will be convinced and never go back to tap water almost guaranteed.

 

+1

You can't even test for every individual impurity found in tap water. The TDS meter will give you the combined amount.

 

If you're on city water, you should be able to get a report of what all is in the water.

 

Consumer Confidence Reports, what the EPA calls them, are rough guides only and really just a snapshot in time. They are representative of the water quality on the day and time it was sampled. Sources and treatment changes constantly so the report is to be used as a guide only. The samples may have been taken at the plant or across twon which may not be anywhere close to where you live or represent your water quality.

 

Yes, but it gives a basic idea of what you'd be dealing with.

 

Very basic and not much good unfortunately. I have worked in the water industry for over 37 years and published many of those reports over that time. They also will not give you TDS in most cases since its not an EPA enforcable contaminant, its considered asthetic only. Use a TDS meter if you want any idea of your water condition. It does not tell you specifics such as how much calcium or anything but you can pretty much bet if the TDS is high there are many varied contaminants and if it is extremely low there are probably not as many and not as concentrated. Its pretty rare to have low TDS and have contaminants the EPA considres bad at any noticable levels.

The national average TDS is around 250 which is way too high for our reefing needs. Some areas of the southwest and along the coastline can be in the 500-1500 or higher ranges and other areas like the Pacific Northwest and around Atlanta can be 50 or less.