water

Hi so Im pretty new to the whole salt water tank world and I was just wondering if I have to can I use tap water to top off my tank if I cant make it to the store to get water I wont burn out my filter/protein skimmer? Also what is the best way to stop algae growth?

 

Tap water wont burn out your skimmer/filters. The reason that tap water is not preferred water to use is because of whats in it. The chlorine, phosphates and other minerals arent helpful to your tank. Tap water & the elements there in can cause alot of algae and other issues. So keep that in mind for part 2 of your question. Other ways to control algae is filtration, the use of phosphate & nitrate reducing filter media, shortening your lighting schedule, and reducing your feeding. Excessive feeding is probably imo the biggest culprit. To the question of how much is excessive it really depends on your stocking and is more of a trail and learning art form.

 

You want to use reverse osmosis/de-ionized water,preferably made at home from your own ro/di unit with a 0 TDS(total disolved solids)reading.My second choice if thats not an option would be distilled water from the grocery store.3rd choice would be to buy ro/di from the lfs,but i don't trust there upkeep and maintenance od there ro/di units.