Anyone use tap water for changes?

[RockinAR]

I am getting sick of having to go down to the store with a buch of empty jugs to get water for changes. Anyone use tap water? I used it with a dechlorinator last time. No fish died. All seems ok. Anyone here use tap water with no major problems?

[SeaMountain]

How many empty jugs do you carry!? ???

 

I picked up two 3g jugs at Wally-World and use the Culligan machine. I think the jugs were $6.95 apiece filled the first time. Refills are only 99cents.

 

I dump one full jug into my pre-mix tub and add salt. So I always have at least 3-5g's of water pre-mixed on hand.

 

The other jug I use to fill a 1g jug for top-offs.

 

For WC's I siphon directly into another empty 1g jug. Empty it. Then refill it with fresh SW from my pre-mix tub and it gooes directly back into the tank.

 

Not a problem anywhere... But if you like to use tap and there isn't a problem. Then use it. My system of 2 3g jugs and 2 1g jugs is no problem at all. And at 99cents for a 3g refill. A deal.

 

[TOgirl]

Hi there.

 

I use tap water with a dechlorinator and have no problems so far. Grant it that my tank is 3 weeks old, I've had no algae problems and my tank was cycled in 2 weeks time with no ammonia, normal ph, nitrates and nitrites.

 

I'm not sure how water quality is around the world. I moved from Toronto to Kitchener and found that the water out here is incredibly hard compared to Toronto.

 

I guess it also depends on how much live rock, type of substrate and dechlorinator is used.

[chufa]

It depends on the tap water quality. Most tap water contains phosphates which will promote algal growth. Some may contain silicates which will likely cause a diatom bloom. And the use of a dechlorinator will build up sulfates in your tank. Furthermore, complete water conditioners add other contaminants such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone and/or carboxymethyl cellullose (artificial slime coat replacers for fish), and chelating compounds like EDTA which may chelate and deplete some important trace elements.

[Ike]

I can't possibly overstate the imporatnce of you NOT using tap water. While it may seem like an unnecessary expense an RO/DI unit is probably the single most important piece of equipment you can own.

 

If you're going to be spending hundreds of dollars on livestock you can't afford to skimp on water quality.

 

Also, how much is your time worth to you? I ask because when you use tap water you WILL have an algae problem and that will cause you to spend many a hour trying to get rid of it when you could have helped avoid the problem by going to the source in the first place...the water.

 

Put up with hauling the jugs until you can go onto ebay & buy an RO/DI filter. You can get one for @ $150. It will be money well spent.

 

Ike

[SAILFIN]

ok well maybe im lucky or maybe im just playin russain roullett, but i use tap water in both my tanks for w/c top off. I have used RODI in the past and have found no difference, i do however use a dechlorinator and water conditioner. all corals are doin great growing, spreading and reproducing at a geat pace. And have yet to lose a fish..

 

here are some pictures of both my tanks.....

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=11802

[RockinAR]

Yeah, I'm starting think that tap water is not that bad. I used it before at the start and had no problems. I switched over to distilled and saw no difference. Nothing died when using tap water, and nothing died when using distilled.

 

I'm going back to treated tap.

[SAILFIN]

dont take my word for it i would first test my tap water to make sure there isint any thing bad in it first then if it all checks out ok then go ahead an use it......