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| How many people use tap water? |
 Nov 7 2009, 10:59 AM
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#1
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Nano Reefer Posts: 22 Joined: 25-August 09 Member No.: 46,743  |
Just wondering if it is actually a huge handicap to use tap water vs RODI or if you just get a little more algae. My local water company's online stats say that TDS <200, nitrates ~5, and they dont use chloramine. Should i try going with tap water for awhile and see how it goes, or do i absolutely need RODI?
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Nov 7 2009, 11:01 AM
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#2
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 Nano Reefer Posts: 240 Joined: 30-June 09 Member No.: 45,593 |
you'll end up with serious algae and cyano issues.
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Nov 7 2009, 11:01 AM
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#3
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 Nano Reefer Posts: 3,924 Joined: 1-December 06 From: Terra Bella, CA Member No.: 24,069 |
Don't use the tap water - my well water is around 25 ppm on the tds and I still use and RO/DI unit to get it down to 0. 200 ppm is a lot.
-------------------- QUOTE (Lalani @ Jun 1 2009, 07:25 AM)  Clearly I was drunk and didn't know where I was.... QUOTE (Lalani @ Aug 10 2009, 02:59 PM) You'll drill my holes? :D |
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Nov 7 2009, 11:04 AM
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#4
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 All your pod are belong to me Posts: 677 Joined: 11-July 09 From: Palm Bay FL Member No.: 45,795 |
It's not a "little more algae" usually. Its more like an OMFG where did this come from it's choking my corals cyano from hell.
There is all sorts of minerals and phosphates and crap in tap. The goal for a happy healthy tank is stability, you aren't going to get that with <200. RO/DI has a 0 TDS Can you do tap? Yep. Will you regret it? Probably. You made an investment and I'm sure you have a vison for the tank you want, why eff it up by using tap? Do a site search. This question is asked a boat load of times, and you will get at least a couple hundred reason's why you shouldn't use tap. This post has been edited by Orphicdragon: Nov 7 2009, 11:05 AM -------------------- Please help out a fellow reefer with a graduate school project by clicking the link below
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=213232 QUOTE (Ahramis @ Nov 5 2009, 01:08 AM) "I SAY GOOD SIR, MY CORAL YE HATH AFFRONTED? WELL THEN TO THE FUGE WITH YOU, HEATHEN! FOREVER SHALL YE LIVE ALONE WITH OTHER RANDOMS I TOLERATE NOT IN MY DISPLAY" There is peace in death, banishment is a full-time ownage. |
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Nov 7 2009, 11:06 AM
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#5
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Nano Reefer Posts: 14 Joined: 6-November 09 From: Maine Member No.: 48,264 |
How does well water compare to tap water?
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Nov 7 2009, 11:10 AM
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#6
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 Nano Reefer Posts: 54 Joined: 7-August 09 Member No.: 46,364 |
QUOTE (Orphicdragon @ Nov 7 2009, 10:04 AM) It's not a "little more algae" usually. Its more like an OMFG where did this come from it's choking my corals cyano from hell. There is all sorts of minerals and phosphates and crap in tap. The goal for a happy healthy tank is stability, you aren't going to get that with <200. RO/DI has a 0 TDS Can you do tap? Yep. Will you regret it? Probably. You made an investment and I'm sure you have a vison for the tank you want, why eff it up by using tap? Do a site search. This question is asked a boat load of times, and you will get at least a couple hundred reason's why you shouldn't use tap. this. i started thinking i could use tap and its exactly it. the corals and fish were fine but i had a horrible algae problem that i traced back to excessive phosphates. chachi |
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Nov 7 2009, 11:12 AM
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#7
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All your pod are belong to me Posts: 677 Joined: 11-July 09 From: Palm Bay FL Member No.: 45,795 |
QUOTE (Syn74 @ Nov 7 2009, 11:06 AM) How does well water compare to tap water? It is impossible to answer that question. Whose well? Whose tap? Do you have a water softener on your well? If so what kind? Do you put bleach in it? (You most likely do) I'm on well water, and it's god awful my TDS in 700ish, city tap water is in the 400's here in some places, go 30 minutes north and its <100. You just have to get your water analyzed. You can "get away" with tap/well, but you are more likely to run into problems, especially if you are keeping corals. my .02 -------------------- Please help out a fellow reefer with a graduate school project by clicking the link below
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=213232 QUOTE (Ahramis @ Nov 5 2009, 01:08 AM) "I SAY GOOD SIR, MY CORAL YE HATH AFFRONTED? WELL THEN TO THE FUGE WITH YOU, HEATHEN! FOREVER SHALL YE LIVE ALONE WITH OTHER RANDOMS I TOLERATE NOT IN MY DISPLAY" There is peace in death, banishment is a full-time ownage. |
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Nov 7 2009, 11:14 AM
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#8
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Nano Reefer Posts: 14 Joined: 6-November 09 From: Maine Member No.: 48,264 |
Thanks, I was just curious. I'm a noob, so your .02 is much appreciated.
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Nov 7 2009, 11:24 AM
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#9
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All your pod are belong to me Posts: 677 Joined: 11-July 09 From: Palm Bay FL Member No.: 45,795 |
QUOTE (Syn74 @ Nov 7 2009, 11:14 AM) Thanks, I was just curious. I'm a noob, so your .02 is much appreciated. No problem. That's another good reason to use RO/DI. When you are new to the chemistry/reefing thing simplicity is bliss. Phosphate's are a real bugger to deal with 
-------------------- Please help out a fellow reefer with a graduate school project by clicking the link below
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=213232 QUOTE (Ahramis @ Nov 5 2009, 01:08 AM) "I SAY GOOD SIR, MY CORAL YE HATH AFFRONTED? WELL THEN TO THE FUGE WITH YOU, HEATHEN! FOREVER SHALL YE LIVE ALONE WITH OTHER RANDOMS I TOLERATE NOT IN MY DISPLAY" There is peace in death, banishment is a full-time ownage. |
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Nov 8 2009, 12:53 PM
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#10
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 Noob Question here ----> Posts: 138 Joined: 22-October 09 From: Aiea, Hawaii Member No.: 47,983 |
$.50/G is a small price to pay for a clear healthy tank considering you probably just spent a thousand on everything else. Don't skimp on the lifeblood of your tank.
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Nov 8 2009, 01:14 PM
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#11
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 Nano Reefer Posts: 185 Joined: 4-November 08 From: Chicago (Rogers Park), IL Member No.: 39,931 |
if your sketchy on making an investment on a ro/di unit you can always grab some gallons of distilled water and use that. monthly cost will be worth it in the long run to get a ro/di unit though. just sayin..
QUOTE (Hawaii_Bio_Cube @ Nov 8 2009, 11:53 AM) $.50/G is a small price to pay for a clear healthy tank considering you probably just spent a thousand on everything else. Don't skimp on the lifeblood of your tank. -------------------- |
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Nov 8 2009, 01:32 PM
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#12
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 HeyLookItsBanned Posts: 2,127 Joined: 22-July 07 From: Huntington Beach Member No.: 29,862 |
my tap tds is only 40-60 apparently the inland empire has good water to quench all the junkies thirsts.
fwiw, youve invested easily hundreds if not thousands getting your tank ready. dont make it a harder investment by using tap when its easily avoidable. -------------------- 29G BioCube
Myspace 22 Acrylic Mantis Tank *dismantled* Caps JBJ 3gal Pico! We are what we Repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a Habit. -Aristotle The future depends on what we do in the present. - Mahatma Gandhi |
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Nov 8 2009, 01:38 PM
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#13
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 Matt Wandell Posts: 750 Joined: 17-December 02 From: San Francisco, CA Member No.: 2,363 |
Although I would never suggest somebody use tap water blindly to save money, I do have to chuckle at comments like "you WILL get algae problems"...depends a whole lot on where you live and what your local tap water is like. Plenty of people in the Bay Area use tap water for their reef tanks and it works fine. We happen to have really great tap water though.
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Nov 8 2009, 01:42 PM
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#14
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 15 year old reefer!!! Posts: 2,873 Joined: 17-December 07 From: South YAY Area, Ca (94538) Member No.: 32,981 |
QUOTE (wombat @ Nov 8 2009, 10:38 AM) Although I would never suggest somebody use tap water blindly to save money, I do have to chuckle at comments like "you WILL get algae problems"...depends a whole lot on where you live and what your local tap water is like. Plenty of people in the Bay Area use tap water for their reef tanks and it works fine. We happen to have really great tap water though. +1 i use carbon block filtered (Brita hang on filter) tap water sometimes to top off my tank even everything's fine with my tank! 
This post has been edited by nanoreefnate: Nov 8 2009, 01:42 PM -------------------- -Nate
BEST WISHES! Nanoreefnate's 75G Half and Half Reef ReScaped + PICTUERZ! 11.17.09 Nanoreefnate's 10G Contest Tank. Nate's Photo-venture/ random photography Norcal Reef Club Captive Aquatics Blog QUOTE (Thomas Edison) It's very beautiful over there. QUOTE (thecowkid @ Nov 12 2009, 06:59 PM) It cost $125,000+ per pound to get anything into orbit. This is the reason that they make all the astronauts go poop before they launch. Talk about a pricy poo. QUOTE (Hank Green) A great example for the "in your pants" rule; Walker Percy's Novel; The Second Coming... In Your Pants. |
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