Tap water vs Rodi water

tinman

tinman

Well-known member
So here is the case
I was told no tap water for reef aquariums..... I have a biocube 29 gallon which I initially filled with tap water. I am doing water changes with pre mixed saltwater from lfs at dollar a gallon

It's a lot of work to make trips to lfs and carry water buckets on car into apartment

Now, I'm out of question for getting a Rodi unit as I live in a smaller apartment and it's not really that easy to install one

So, can I use tap water just fine with somekinda additives added or is it absolutely a no no ??


What all do I need to know about using tap water for my reef tank ??
 
Not to be rude, but do a search here on this topic (upper right box). It's been talked about to nauseousness.

For a simple answer. Tap water = no.
 
It's not hard to install one at all...I just put mine under my bathroom sink. It's definitely worth it not having to take buckets back and forth from the lfs. That sucks!
 
Also there are plenty or ro units that offer convenient temporary connections like a faucet adapter or garden hose adapter.
 
RODI filter is super easy to install even in a small apartment. No drilling necessary as you can add a faucet adapter. Also not that expensive considering other expenses to maintain a reef aquarium. I bought one from melevs reef. Can you maintain a reef aquarium with tap water? Possibly, but depends on water quality. Maybe you can have softies and a likelihood of dealing with nuisance algea.
 
AC-WEB said:
RODI filter is super easy to install even in a small apartment. No drilling necessary as you can add a faucet adapter. Also not that expensive considering other expenses to maintain a reef aquarium. I bought one from melevs reef. Can you maintain a reef aquarium with tap water? Possibly, but depends on water quality. Maybe you can have softies and a likelihood of dealing with nuisance algea.
Click to expand...

You could also start with 100% RO/DI from day 1 and still battle issues with nuisance algae, cyano outbreaks and excess nutrients. Responsible maintenance of your tank including proper lighting cycles and feeding schedules, as well as regular water changes and maintaining correct water parameters are just as important or more important than if you get your water from the tap or a filter system. Where you live also makes a difference. Well water supplies benefit more from a filter system than someone on a city water system with low dissolved solids to begin with. There are plenty of people with 100% tap water system reefs that look just as beautiful or moreso than some people using an RO/DI filter for their water.
 
I use a brs ro/di unit and use an adaptr for the faucet. Stick it under the sink when not using it. also live in an apartment. There is a tap water thread on RC with guys that have used tap with their tanks for a long time. Since I have the unit, I will use ro/di.
 
Well thanks for suggestion :) you are not being rude .. That's fine

Thanks for all the inputs.
 
Ok just one more question

I have around 28lbs of live Rock and some 10 pounds of live sand, have a skimmer and mostly doing Softies ...

So if I Plan on getting premixed saltwater from lfs ...

How many gallons am I looking at per month ?? For a 29 gallon biocube ??
 
I know these posts are old but I do have a portable r/o unit for sale. Stick it under the bathroom or kitchen sink and make your own tank water.
 
Ummm until recently ( all the way till last Water change ) I got Water pre mixed from lfs ..

But last week I tested my water with a tds unit from another member here and my tap water shows a tds of 120 before its dechlorinated .l.


So I'm thinking using tap water from now on l don't think 120 tds is such a bad water is it ??
 
I get tap water from lake Michigan. I also use a carbon block filter from DuPont on the sink I get my water from. Just to be safe, I add dechlorinator. I don't know what the quality of the water is, but I haven't had HA in over a year, and I have acros, lps, softies, montis, starfish, and sponges that all grow extremely well. Despite that, I still want an RO filter. I don't trust the city to not add something to our water that will kill everything in my tank. I don't like leaving my tank and its inhabitants in the hands of others, so yeah, RODI water is better than mystery water. :D
 
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