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Distilled/RODI needed for macro tank?


jesseatam

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I'm currently a college freshman and want to keep my hobby going while away from home. I've been in the hobby for around over a year and a half now and have a relatively successful 30 gallon reef tank at home currently so I'm not a complete newbie. I was beginning to shy away from keeping a reef tank while away due to the fact that I'm not sure if I would be able to readily access distilled/RODI water to use for water changes so I began looking more towards the idea of a low-tech planted betta set up. Then it hit me, why not a saltwater macro algae set up? If I did a freshwater planted set up I would just be using tap water, so I'm just wondering would it have to be any different for a saltwater one? Thanks in advance.

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I wouldn't use tap for macro algae. There still is stuff in tap water that can effect their health. The algae that often comes with tap water will most likely cover the macro.

 

 

For a serious planted tank I wouldn't use tap water as it often causes unwanted algaes that the plants can't compete with.

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  • 2 weeks later...

@jesseatam What sized setup were you thinking?  A LFS’s premix or probably buying distilled wouldn’t be much really especially after initial setup for a smaller nano or pico?  Distilled is readily available at grocery stores.

 

I wouldn’t use tap, if you absolutely have to use it, get fast growing macros that would possibly outcompete nuisance algae for nutrients like caluerpa prolifera and dragons breath (mount by a return).  

 

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10 hours ago, Aurortpa said:

@jesseatam What sized setup were you thinking?  A LFS’s premix or probably buying distilled wouldn’t be much really especially after initial setup for a smaller nano or pico?  Distilled is readily available at grocery stores.

 

I wouldn’t use tap, if you absolutely have to use it, get fast growing macros that would possibly outcompete nuisance algae for nutrients like caluerpa prolifera and dragons breath (mount by a return).  

 

The limit in my dorm is 10 gallons so I was thinking a nuvo 10. I haven’t had the chance to scout around for any good LFS near me yet but plan on it soon. I actually used distilled for my tank at home, I would just need to make time for grocery store trips on the weekends but that is a good option. Also thank you for the macro suggestions 😁.

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  • 1 month later...

Tap water is possible. Here's my old college pico macro tank (long gone now) next to my planted shrimp tank that were both run on strictly tap and Seachem Prime. Any questions feel free to ask.

 

27109045538_f67b7ee4e0_k.jpg

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I can't imagine when rodi isn't preferred. Might not be 100% necessary in every situation, but I wouldnt ever use tap in a marine tank. Hell, I wouldn't even use it in my 55 fresh if doing rodi was more practical. 

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12 hours ago, MrObscura said:

I can't imagine when rodi isn't preferred. Might not be 100% necessary in every situation, but I wouldnt ever use tap in a marine tank. Hell, I wouldn't even use it in my 55 fresh if doing rodi was more practical. 

 

I have used both, and still use RO/DI on my seahorse tank and freshwater crystal shrimp tank but I NEVER prefer RO/DI. Not only is it a hassle but it’s wasteful.

 

Chicago has very good tap water for me, never any issues with any tanks (salt or fresh) I’ve tried it on, even discus. Heck, my 2500 gallon koi pond is still tap. But I have to use RO/DI for when I am chasing specific parameters like zero KH for my CBS or low phosphates for my ponies. Too bad tap doesn’t come close or it takes too much to change the parameters otherwise I would have ditched RO a long time ago.

 

At the same time I get it, there are bad tap water sources out there. But if there is a will there is a way. But I still preach new hobbits to use RO/DI to save them the headache while they’re learning, it’s one less thing to worry about. Once you know enough, it doesn’t matter what you use as long as you know how to use it. I could ditch my RO anyday but the time is saves me is why I hang onto it, at the cost of waste water it better than having to “build” the perfect batch of water.

 

 

 

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