TAP water and only tap water.

[pauls]

I experimented over the last six months using purified water that I was buying at Sobys. After six months I have found no difference. The corals actually look worse !@!!!


So, now I am back to using tap water and only tap water. I fill a bucket with water right out of the tap, ad some MAGIC water conditioner and in it goes. No water changes, just top off as needed.

[Sonyardo]

It will be interesting to see if you're still doing this after a few years and how it goes in the short term too. Good Luck

[Ebone]

good luck

[mockdaddy]

Did the same for my first reef tank for almost a year and a half. Had good luck with it but noticed I would go through algae outbreaks periodically. Finally traced it down to coincide with the city changing water sources(our water is sourced from ground water). Now on RO/DI and have been able to keep more consistent tank parameters and no more algae outbreaks.

[ecotanker]

I top off with water straight from the tap, without any conditioner. I live in NYC, whose water is supposed to have the lowest TDS in the country.

[KMS.Kyle]

I only use tap water here in Vancouver BC - and it works GREAT! Though I do dose on top of that.

[Potatohead]

Originally Posted by KMS.Kyle

I only use tap water here in Vancouver BC - and it works GREAT! Though I do dose on top of that.

Our tap water is like 10 TDS, most people can't say that. I still use RODI anyway.

[pauls]

I had been using tap water from the bucket straight to the tank for about 2 years. I then did the experiment and not its ONLY TAP water straight from the tap to the tank. I only do top offs and don't do water changes.

[SeattleReefer]

Seattle city water here- great water straight from the tap to the tank (adding some conditioner of course)

[CStrickland]

This thread needs photo verification

[Grkgod36]

Ugh why take the chance ? Rodi setups are so cheap now...

[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by ecotanker

I top off with water straight from the tap, without any conditioner. I live in NYC, whose water is supposed to have the lowest TDS in the country.

You say that as if you are taking somebody else's word for it. A $20 TDS meter and you'll know for sure. Just my opinion, but I sure wouldn't think NYC would have great water quality... maybe it does, but for $20, I'd test it myself.

[billdogg]

I used tap water for over 20 years. I never knew it was a problem, but every summer I would have an algae issue. I did store water in a 55g drum with open top so that it could naturally dechlorinate, but otherwise used it as-is. When I finally got an ro/di unit I realized exactly what I had been doing wrong all those years. My fish looked healthier, my corals expanded and grew more, and my seasonal algae issues went away.

So. Go ahead and use tap water. It WILL work. Just not as well as an easily available alternative.

[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by pauls

I had been using tap water from the bucket straight to the tank for about 2 years. I then did the experiment and not its ONLY TAP water straight from the tap to the tank. I only do top offs and don't do water changes.

ok..
Whats in the tank? fish only? corals?
Do you ever monitor nitrate/phosphate levels?
Got a picture of the tank?

Its entirely possible to use tap water in certain locations.. But not all..
And its not something I'd be bragging about or posting on a forum that other newbies might stumble upon and think they can do it too..

Ever tested your tap water for nitrates/phosphates/PH and TDS prior to adding it to the tank?

As to water changes..
Eventually its going to hurt you in the long run unless you have a fairly extensive setup and can export any "trash" thats in the water..
It doesn't just magically disappear for the most part and even worse with tap water.. It will accumulate over time and now you may just have a time bomb waiting to blow on you..

[dastrder]

It seems people always have this discussion. It's like quarantining fish. Sure you can get away with it (and even have success), but AT SOME POINT, it can wipe out your entire tank.

That point may be years down the road and maybe even a decade down the road, or it could be a month away.

RO/DI's are so cheap now why take the chance? I just don't see a reason (Other than laziness). I got lazy for a year and used just tap. It worked out ok, with the exception of GHA out breaks. But I finally got back on track.

It's just insurance and best practice. Good luck to those that don't. Hopefully your luck continues and your tanks do well.

[oseymour]

Originally Posted by ecotanker

I top off with water straight from the tap, without any conditioner. I live in NYC, whose water is supposed to have the lowest TDS in the country.

Supposed to, have you ever checked it to make sure? I live in NYC too and still get 100+ TDS out of the tap.

• Our water is from a great source, it's UV disinfected and only some chlorine and fluoride is added.
• BUT - It flows through an aquifer for hundreds of miles upstate that is 100+ years old and is leaking in many locations - who knows what is seeping in. The city is spending billions to build a bypass tunnel so they can repair the old one and chloramine will be added in the coming years.
• Have you ever seen a photo or video of water main breaks in NYC? some of the pipes that take the water to your building are lead/copper or some other metal and is also 100+ years old.
• Then your building pipes are lead/copper and who knows how old.
• They just tested all the water in NYC schools and a lot of them contained harmful levels of lead, for HUMAN consumption.

With all the above, I learned my lesson and got a RODI, for the first 6 to 8 months when I first started the hobby, Prime was good enough but after a time the buildup of metals and everything started to take it's toll.

NYC water also has small levels of nitrates and phosphates in the water. Check our water report.

[Timfish]

Works great! http://youtu.be/-eCQSVdqBQA

[Dmorty217]

When people were keeping tanks 30 years ago I doubt many were using RO/DI... With that said times change and so does technology in our hobby, best to stay current

[Animagus]

I've been using tap water for about 17 years now without any problems. Once they started adding Chloramines to the water back in June of 2015 I started using a water conditioner like Amquel, but I never had to prior to this date.

What amazes me though is the amount of threads I see on this site & others where people are using RO/DI water yet there still having some of the same problems that tend to accompany bad tap water.

[LeslieP]

My tank looked great on tap water too - for about 2 years. Then it succumbed to a hair algae outbreak that took about a year to defeat using a new RODI system, frequent 20% water changes and feeding a little less often. Nothing else changed - same lights, same food, same inhabitants.

Even now, if I let my TDS get a little high by not changing my RODI cartridges often enough, I'll see a little algae outbreak. So, for me with my tanks and my husbandry, tap water was a no-no and RODI is the way to go. By the way, I kept that same tank going for about 10 years before finally upgrading to a larger one.

[dastrder]

The problem is when some people do have success (get lucky), like Animagus who says he has been using tap water for 17 years without any problems, it doesn't tell the whole story.

Where do they live? Where does there water come from? What is the TDS out of the tap. What ARE THE TDS's that are in that water?

There are so many variables. And then, even if you go 17 years, if there is any type of problem at the source of their water (water treatment plant or where ever) that you are unaware of, it could wipe out your tank in days (if the contamination was bad the wrong chemical or mineral).

Are the chances of that happening low? Maybe. Maybe lower in some places than others. Maybe high in many places.

But why take that chance? Cost? Stubbornness? Less work? Just like living life on the edge?

To me, It just doesn't make sense to take that chance with my investment in my fish and my coral. I put a lot of hard work into this and love my system.

[Animagus]

FWIW the last time I had the TDS of my tap water checked it was 46. This was about 6 years ago.

I'm in the Central Valley btw. (California)

http://www.stocktongov.com/governmen...utilWater.html

[SeattleReefer]

Originally Posted by dastrder

But why take that chance? Cost? Stubbornness? Less work? Just like living life on the edge?

all of those things... plus

- not all insurance is worth it.
- some of us live in places with great water quality. I did check the quality report for my city and it looks great. Tap water measurements are 45TDS, 0 phosphates, 0 nitrates
- My house has very low water pressure, I would need a booster pump which greatly increases cost/complexity
- Seattle aquarium sells salt water for $.05/gallon. Usually I use that water but they are doing a seawall project for the next two years so saltwater sales have been suspended. I'm on tap water for those 2 years. However in 2 years I'll switch back to real seawater.
- I've been measuring nitrates/phosphates for 7 months on tap water and I have yet to see a reading above zero.
- tank inhabitants seem happy


I think this is a great discussion topic because it illustrates the fundamental dynamic in the hobby. If nutrient input > output then there WILL be a problem, but if nutrient output >input then eventually problems go away.

[dastrder]

Just to be clear, My recomendation is always for RODI so you can control your water.

However, there are cases where tap has worked fine for long periods of time.

Like Animagus, he has been successful for 17 years, so wherever his water comes from seems to do a good job of controlling there overall water system. So the chances of something going wrong there are probably low. However, other places are not as good.

46 TDS is pretty low out of the tap. Mine is closer to 200.

BTW: You can get a cheap TDS meter for about $13. Always a good idea to monitor every so often whether you are doing RODI or not.

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

You say that as if you are taking somebody else's word for it. A $20 TDS meter and you'll know for sure. Just my opinion, but I sure wouldn't think NYC would have great water quality... maybe it does, but for $20, I'd test it myself.

Actually, NYC is known to have incredible tap water.
I don't know about the TDS, but having grown up with water supplied by the NYC aqueducts, it's by far the best tasting tap water I've ever had.
It's also the reason why the bagels and pizza are so dang good!