what happens if you use tap water?

taillonjohn · 01/16/2007, 11:58 AM

I keep reading its bad, BAD, but I cannot completely grasp why. I use tap water for the FW tank for years no problem (with the anti-chlorine stuff of course). What if I do this for the SW tank.... what would happen. (this question doens't mean I'm lazy, just curious to understand, although it is hard buying and carrying water from the store)

daddypugg · 01/16/2007, 12:01 PM

Mostly because tap water is high in either phosphates and/or nitrates which will feed algae in the tank.

papagimp · 01/16/2007, 12:03 PM

see if this helps ya grasp it a little better: Saltwater has a completely different makeup than does freshwater, different levels of trace/major elements, minerals, ect. ect. ect. When you use RO/DI water and add saltmix, you are essentially replicating natural sea water. You do this in tapwater, then all the crap that was already in the water gets added to this mix as well. makes it unlike seawater then. Plus some of the minerals and heavier metals in tap water are safe for human consumption but deadly to fish and inverts. Freshwater fish and saltwater fish have enough physical and anotomical differences that makes it okay to use tap in a freshwater system (sometimes). In a nutshell, tapwater contains contaminates that you do not want in a marine system. Plain and simple, even if you can get a very low TDS reading on the tapwater, without further kits and testing, you do not know what exactly is in there, may be harmful, may not be. Its a risk that is just "too risky" for all the money you've put into a tank.

sherm71tank · 01/16/2007, 12:22 PM

Yep, great info. You should invest in a ro/di unit. Hauling water around is to much of a hassle.

frederickk · 01/16/2007, 12:32 PM

yeah an ro/di unit is really what you want.

steri · 01/16/2007, 12:40 PM

Also, if you use tap water + conditioners, those conditioners have a great chance of screwing with things like your skimmer, making it unbalanced and unrelaible until those chemicals can be filtered out of the water, which could take weeks.

IMO, you want to add as minimal additives as possible to the water, to make it as close to Natural Sea water as possible. Every additive, while it has it's positives, also has it's drawbacks, IMO.

michaeldaly · 01/16/2007, 12:42 PM

Probably nothing major will happen, over quite a number of months contaminants may build up and you migh experience algae problems.

I have been using tap water in my tank for the past 18 months and the only negative I can see is some algae growth, but I can keep it under control with phosphate medium.

I will add that I plan on getting an RO sometime in the future. I also use natural seawater for waterchanges so tap water is only used for top up.

papagimp · 01/16/2007, 12:48 PM

fwiw, let me add that in the past, I have killed an entire 55g full of guppies by using tapwater.....very bad tapwater where i live. In fact, it's so bad that using an ro/di unit is more costly than me luggin' 40gallons of water home every week from the LFS. But for the most part (and most peoples water sources) and ro/di unit will make a huge difference for ya. Not to mention its better for the tank. And just cause you don't "see" a problem, doesn't mean it's not there, like michaeldaly said, it may take a number of months for the contaiminants to build up. Also, fwiw, check out the hobby experience on all the people claiming they use tap water and it's just fine. The majority of those individuals are newbies who simply havn't learned better. But some do have great tapwater and it's fine to use (provided the tapwater parameters don't change, which they have a habit of doing)

MCary · 01/16/2007, 12:49 PM

Like everyone said. Summarizing.

Tap water is different everywhere. It may be perfectly fine or may be full of phosphate, nitrate and or heavy metals and salts. Phosphates and nitrates will cause nuisance algae problems. Iron, copper, and other metals don't evaporate out, so as you top off with tap water, if you have them, they will concentrate.

The biggest reason I like RO water, is that I know whats in the tank. If there is suddenly a algae problem or a die off, I can immediately rule out the source water, providing my RO unit is working properly.

Mike

PS people tend to advocate their positions a little strong on this site. While RO is optimum, and I would highly rocommend it, your not putting deadly poison in your tank if your not using it. The lakes and rivers that drain into the ocean are not RO water. Again, don't mistake that comment with an endorsement. Just adding perspective.

Nano Chris · 01/16/2007, 12:54 PM

I used tap water for about 2-3 months at first when i setup my tank, now i have an ro/di system never will go back to tap water!

papagimp · 01/16/2007, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MCary
people tend to advocate their positions a little strong on this site. While RO is optimum, and I would highly rocommend it, your not putting deadly poison in your tank if your not using it.

very well could be adding deadly toxins to the tank. Whats safe for humans may not be for fish and inverts. Again, it's not an absolute must for everyone, but more of a means of providing the best possible enviroment for your tank. And as MCary stated

Quote:

If there is suddenly a algae problem or a die off, I can immediately rule out the source water, providing my RO unit is working properly.

This can go a long way towards helping you rule out problems in the future.

I realize that I may stress my points quite aggressively, but thats because it's better to teach newbies the proper way to run a tank, and let them make their mistakes on their own. Instead of me telling somebody, "yeah, that may be okay" and it ruin your livestock. You'll find more and more in this hobby is a "do as I say, not as I do" kinda mentality.

taillonjohn · 01/16/2007, 01:08 PM

Thanks for all the input people. Now I understand

AZDesertRat · 01/16/2007, 01:25 PM

The biggest concern is inconsistency. Tap water is not the same day in and day out. Sources change, blends change, teratment chemicals and amounts change, treatment plant operators and their techniques change. All of these have an effect on the final product.
With a reef system and the monies you will soon have invested you want consistency, the same water each and every time you add it takes a lot of the guess work out of the equation. A good RO/DI system gives you just that plus you control when it is serviced and maintained, you test the TDS and you store and mix the water. Notice I said a good RO/DI and I do not mean a cheap drinking water filter on e-bay or elsewhere, there is a big difference in the quality of RO/DI units and you really do get what you pay for so spend a little more upfront to get a good unit that will last and give you the results you should be seeing.

drummereef · 01/16/2007, 01:56 PM

An article for you - Tap Water In Reef Aquaria (Jan 2004 issue)

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2004/chem.htm

msn711 · 01/16/2007, 03:30 PM

This is what happens:

That was my 1st attempt at a reef tank. Cyano took over the green hair algae. All of the corals I tried died, not because of the algae but because of the impurities in tap water. The only thing you can do with tap water is FOWLR.

michaeldaly · 01/17/2007, 11:22 AM

How can you prove that tap water caused the cyano in the tank. It could be lighting, water flow or skimming.

05Xrunner · 01/17/2007, 11:34 AM

I have always used tap water and a water conditioner...I have never had anything like the pic above. I cant ever remember having any really bad amount of alge.

msn711 · 01/17/2007, 11:34 AM

I know every tank has cyano problems, but I've never seen a tank completely covered in cyano. Besides, when I started over with RO/DI water (and kept the same lighting, water flow, and skimming), I did not have a cyano outbreak or the green hair algae outbreak, and even when I did find tiny amounts of algae in the tank, it sure as hell didn't cover the entire tank. Trust me, it was the tap water. Besides, 2x96w PC lights on a 10 hour schedule don't cause that kind of algae problem. The only thing I changed was the water and that solved the problem.

05Xrunner · 01/17/2007, 11:38 AM

you must have REALLY REALLY bad pipes and treated water.

I wouldnt say you cant have anything but FOWLR and tap water.

I was at a LFS and its a good one. They have GREAT reef tanks and awesome lookin corals. I heard the guy who takes care of it all saying. Yes RO/DI is good but they only use tap water there and not RO and everything in there store looked GOOD no algea problems or anything.

Avalanche1201 · 01/17/2007, 11:38 AM

what about my house...ive got the problem w/ not having a good location for an RO/DI unit....I dont have a sink in my room, or a fish closet...and i dont want to drill holes in the wall to run tubing from the bathroom to my room....what then?

hmm....i guess i could just get a smaller unit and get a compact bucket or trash can that could be easily kept to the side....what do you guys do if u dont have easy access to a water source for ur RO/DI?

msn711 · 01/17/2007, 11:39 AM

05x runner, some people do get lucky with tap water. I think it just depends on your particular tap. But in the forum "new to the hobby," why tell a new member to risk it? I remember feel the exact same way the original poster did. I tried tap, and that's what I got. With RODI, I don't have those problems. I almost quit the hobby before I really got started. We know RODI water will work. Tap water is questionable because it depends on your particular tap water. Why take the chance? Now if it's FO, or FOWLR, knock yourself out. Fish and inverts like crabs and shrimp dont' care about the impurities in our tap water. But corals do.

05Xrunner · 01/17/2007, 11:44 AM

well they OP can choose what ever path they want to take. I am just saying that its not always the case and I have had great success with just using tap and like NovaAqua or API tap conditioner in the water.

This wasnt just with fish..I used this same setup for my octo tanks as well and always worked great. I am just stating my side of the story on my tap water usage.

msn711 · 01/17/2007, 11:45 AM

Avalanche, what I do is buy the water from my LFS. A pain, yes? Worth it, absolutely!

WaterKeeper · 01/17/2007, 12:03 PM

What happens when you don't use RO/DI on your tank?

Avalanche1201 · 01/17/2007, 12:12 PM

i get distilled water right now msn since i havnt found a LFS near my school. I was just refering to at home...b/c its much easier (and cheaper in the long run) then dragging the buckets..plus i could always take it with me when i go back to school if i have an apt or somethan

01/16/2007, 11:58 AM	#1
taillonjohn Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 753	what happens if you use tap water? I keep reading its bad, BAD, but I cannot completely grasp why. I use tap water for the FW tank for years no problem (with the anti-chlorine stuff of course). What if I do this for the SW tank.... what would happen. (this question doens't mean I'm lazy, just curious to understand, although it is hard buying and carrying water from the store) __________________ John

01/16/2007, 12:03 PM	#3
papagimp COMAS Rocks! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 8,185 Blog Entries: 2	see if this helps ya grasp it a little better: Saltwater has a completely different makeup than does freshwater, different levels of trace/major elements, minerals, ect. ect. ect. When you use RO/DI water and add saltmix, you are essentially replicating natural sea water. You do this in tapwater, then all the crap that was already in the water gets added to this mix as well. makes it unlike seawater then. Plus some of the minerals and heavier metals in tap water are safe for human consumption but deadly to fish and inverts. Freshwater fish and saltwater fish have enough physical and anotomical differences that makes it okay to use tap in a freshwater system (sometimes). In a nutshell, tapwater contains contaminates that you do not want in a marine system. Plain and simple, even if you can get a very low TDS reading on the tapwater, without further kits and testing, you do not know what exactly is in there, may be harmful, may not be. Its a risk that is just "too risky" for all the money you've put into a tank. __________________ 58g Softie & 75g Stoney Member, Central Oklahoma Marine Aquarium Society Current Tank Info: 58g Mixed Reef Project - Started June 2011

01/16/2007, 12:40 PM	#6
steri Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Aurora, IL. Posts: 2,361	Also, if you use tap water + conditioners, those conditioners have a great chance of screwing with things like your skimmer, making it unbalanced and unrelaible until those chemicals can be filtered out of the water, which could take weeks. IMO, you want to add as minimal additives as possible to the water, to make it as close to Natural Sea water as possible. Every additive, while it has it's positives, also has it's drawbacks, IMO. __________________ 220g: French Angel, Emperor Angel, Passer Anger, Blue Tang, Yellow Tang, Snowflake Moray Eel, Lunar Wrasse Current Tank Info: 220 with T5HO lighting. ETSS skimmer.

01/16/2007, 12:48 PM	#8
papagimp COMAS Rocks! Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 8,185 Blog Entries: 2	fwiw, let me add that in the past, I have killed an entire 55g full of guppies by using tapwater.....very bad tapwater where i live. In fact, it's so bad that using an ro/di unit is more costly than me luggin' 40gallons of water home every week from the LFS. But for the most part (and most peoples water sources) and ro/di unit will make a huge difference for ya. Not to mention its better for the tank. And just cause you don't "see" a problem, doesn't mean it's not there, like michaeldaly said, it may take a number of months for the contaiminants to build up. Also, fwiw, check out the hobby experience on all the people claiming they use tap water and it's just fine. The majority of those individuals are newbies who simply havn't learned better. But some do have great tapwater and it's fine to use (provided the tapwater parameters don't change, which they have a habit of doing) __________________ 58g Softie & 75g Stoney Member, Central Oklahoma Marine Aquarium Society Current Tank Info: 58g Mixed Reef Project - Started June 2011

01/16/2007, 12:54 PM	#10
Nano Chris Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 2,758	I used tap water for about 2-3 months at first when i setup my tank, now i have an ro/di system never will go back to tap water! __________________ Chris ------- 34 Gallon Red Sea Max 130! Setup (Just got back into the hobby) Current Tank Info: 34 Gallon RedSeaMax!

01/16/2007, 12:01 PM	#2
daddypugg Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Sebastian, Florida Posts: 467	Mostly because tap water is high in either phosphates and/or nitrates which will feed algae in the tank.

01/16/2007, 12:22 PM	#4
sherm71tank Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,670	Yep, great info. You should invest in a ro/di unit. Hauling water around is to much of a hassle.

01/16/2007, 12:32 PM	#5
frederickk Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 2,712	yeah an ro/di unit is really what you want.

01/16/2007, 12:42 PM	#7
michaeldaly Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Earth Posts: 2,009	Probably nothing major will happen, over quite a number of months contaminants may build up and you migh experience algae problems. I have been using tap water in my tank for the past 18 months and the only negative I can see is some algae growth, but I can keep it under control with phosphate medium. I will add that I plan on getting an RO sometime in the future. I also use natural seawater for waterchanges so tap water is only used for top up.

01/16/2007, 12:49 PM	#9
MCary Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hardin, Montana Posts: 3,142	Like everyone said. Summarizing. Tap water is different everywhere. It may be perfectly fine or may be full of phosphate, nitrate and or heavy metals and salts. Phosphates and nitrates will cause nuisance algae problems. Iron, copper, and other metals don't evaporate out, so as you top off with tap water, if you have them, they will concentrate. The biggest reason I like RO water, is that I know whats in the tank. If there is suddenly a algae problem or a die off, I can immediately rule out the source water, providing my RO unit is working properly. Mike PS people tend to advocate their positions a little strong on this site. While RO is optimum, and I would highly rocommend it, your not putting deadly poison in your tank if your not using it. The lakes and rivers that drain into the ocean are not RO water. Again, don't mistake that comment with an endorsement. Just adding perspective.

01/16/2007, 01:08 PM	#12
taillonjohn Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 753	Thanks for all the input people. Now I understand __________________ John

01/16/2007, 01:25 PM	#13
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	The biggest concern is inconsistency. Tap water is not the same day in and day out. Sources change, blends change, teratment chemicals and amounts change, treatment plant operators and their techniques change. All of these have an effect on the final product. With a reef system and the monies you will soon have invested you want consistency, the same water each and every time you add it takes a lot of the guess work out of the equation. A good RO/DI system gives you just that plus you control when it is serviced and maintained, you test the TDS and you store and mix the water. Notice I said a good RO/DI and I do not mean a cheap drinking water filter on e-bay or elsewhere, there is a big difference in the quality of RO/DI units and you really do get what you pay for so spend a little more upfront to get a good unit that will last and give you the results you should be seeing.

01/16/2007, 01:56 PM	#14
drummereef Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: STL Posts: 14,754	An article for you - Tap Water In Reef Aquaria (Jan 2004 issue) http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2004/chem.htm __________________ -Brett 180g Marineland Starfire In-Wall 278 gallon system

01/16/2007, 03:30 PM	#15
msn711 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Reynoldsburg, OH Posts: 974	This is what happens: That was my 1st attempt at a reef tank. Cyano took over the green hair algae. All of the corals I tried died, not because of the algae but because of the impurities in tap water. The only thing you can do with tap water is FOWLR.

01/17/2007, 11:22 AM	#16
michaeldaly Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Earth Posts: 2,009	How can you prove that tap water caused the cyano in the tank. It could be lighting, water flow or skimming.

01/17/2007, 11:34 AM	#17
05Xrunner Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Pittsburgh PA Posts: 768	I have always used tap water and a water conditioner...I have never had anything like the pic above. I cant ever remember having any really bad amount of alge.

01/17/2007, 11:38 AM	#19
05Xrunner Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Pittsburgh PA Posts: 768	you must have REALLY REALLY bad pipes and treated water. I wouldnt say you cant have anything but FOWLR and tap water. I was at a LFS and its a good one. They have GREAT reef tanks and awesome lookin corals. I heard the guy who takes care of it all saying. Yes RO/DI is good but they only use tap water there and not RO and everything in there store looked GOOD no algea problems or anything.

01/17/2007, 11:38 AM	#20
Avalanche1201 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 133	what about my house...ive got the problem w/ not having a good location for an RO/DI unit....I dont have a sink in my room, or a fish closet...and i dont want to drill holes in the wall to run tubing from the bathroom to my room....what then? hmm....i guess i could just get a smaller unit and get a compact bucket or trash can that could be easily kept to the side....what do you guys do if u dont have easy access to a water source for ur RO/DI?

01/17/2007, 11:39 AM	#21
msn711 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Reynoldsburg, OH Posts: 974	05x runner, some people do get lucky with tap water. I think it just depends on your particular tap. But in the forum "new to the hobby," why tell a new member to risk it? I remember feel the exact same way the original poster did. I tried tap, and that's what I got. With RODI, I don't have those problems. I almost quit the hobby before I really got started. We know RODI water will work. Tap water is questionable because it depends on your particular tap water. Why take the chance? Now if it's FO, or FOWLR, knock yourself out. Fish and inverts like crabs and shrimp dont' care about the impurities in our tap water. But corals do. __________________ Shay Current Tank Info: 120 Deep Blue Pro

01/17/2007, 11:44 AM	#22
05Xrunner Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Pittsburgh PA Posts: 768	well they OP can choose what ever path they want to take. I am just saying that its not always the case and I have had great success with just using tap and like NovaAqua or API tap conditioner in the water. This wasnt just with fish..I used this same setup for my octo tanks as well and always worked great. I am just stating my side of the story on my tap water usage.

01/17/2007, 11:45 AM	#23
msn711 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Reynoldsburg, OH Posts: 974	Avalanche, what I do is buy the water from my LFS. A pain, yes? Worth it, absolutely! __________________ Shay Current Tank Info: 120 Deep Blue Pro

01/17/2007, 12:03 PM	#24
WaterKeeper Bogus Information Expert Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 16,147	What happens when you don't use RO/DI on your tank? __________________ "Leading the information hungry reefer down the road to starvation" Tom Current Tank Info: 130 Now out of service and a 29

01/17/2007, 12:12 PM	#25
Avalanche1201 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 133	i get distilled water right now msn since i havnt found a LFS near my school. I was just refering to at home...b/c its much easier (and cheaper in the long run) then dragging the buckets..plus i could always take it with me when i go back to school if i have an apt or somethan