Why we shouldn't use tap water!

[Andrew]

I have to admit, I have never owned an ro/di unit before and have always used tap but I think it's time to invest in one. This is a bucket of tap water after letting it sit for 10 minutes:

[virginiadiver69]

You sound like you are actually surprised.

[aninjaatemyshoe]

I completely agree. I can't even stand the taste of my tap water, have to drink bottled. If you have well water, forget about it. You might as well toss pennies in your tank.

[SDguy]

My tap water here is fine. I've used it for water changes before. No biggie. All topoff is RO/DI though.

I can't imagine having that brown **** come out of my tap!

[InLimbo87]

The orlando tap water actually has a blue hue to it because of the ridiculous amount of chemicals they seem to pump into it. I don't drink it, and wouldn't put it anywhere near my tank. No way no how..

[davidryder]

There is something wrong if that's city water.

[Andrew]

Originally posted by davidryder
There is something wrong if that's city water.

Nope, I live in the middle of no where. Well water really.

[davidryder]

Ahhh yeah I would definitely get at least an RO unit...

[virginiadiver69]

Originally posted by SDguy
My tap water here is fine. I've used it for water changes before. No biggie. All topoff is RO/DI though.

I can't imagine having that brown **** come out of my tap!

Let it set a while and see what settles out.

[mr pink floyd]

ive always used tap water, but the water here is extremely clean

one person in our reef club had TDS of 36 one time at his house

its not that way all the time, but ive still never had many problems, maybe some cyano when i dont do a waterchange, but thats it

[davidryder]

Originally posted by mr pink floyd
ive always used tap water, but the water here is extremely clean

one person in our reef club had TDS of 36 one time at his house

its not that way all the time, but ive still never had many problems, maybe some cyano when i dont do a waterchange, but thats it

Cyano is the devil!

[SDguy]

Originally posted by virginiadiver69
Let it set a while and see what settles out.

I do...cold refilled water bottles in the fridge. Nothing settles.

[Jamie1210]

for the ppl that use tapwater here, what happens when you add dechlorinator? doesn't your skimmer go nuts?

[SDguy]

I add the dechlor prior to adding the salt. The water therefore doesn't hit the tank for a few days. The skimmer acts just like when I use ro/di water.

[Scissorhand]

Hah hah, if that's your water, I would get 2 RO/DI and use them IN LINE. j.k but best of luck. Good move on finally getting one, though.

[edwing206]

Wow, that's bad. What's your TDS? 500? lol

[melev]

Now I know why you entered my contest twice.

[ACBlinky]

Originally posted by Jamie1210
for the ppl that use tapwater here, what happens when you add dechlorinator? doesn't your skimmer go nuts?

Prime states right on the bottle that it won't overactivate skimmers. I think Amquel says the same thing.

I use tap water with no issues, but the water here is very good, we're lucky. We're moving to another city in two weeks, and I was very nervous about the change and having to use the RO/DI for all our water change and topoff water, but I recently managed to get a sample of the new water and it's just as good as ours, if not better! Zero phosphates, zero nitrates, no funny taste or colour, no precipitates (I think that's the correct term for what I call floaty bits). You couldn't pay me enough to put the water pictured above into my reef, or my body. I wouldn't give that to my dog, heck, I wouldn't even want to use water that looked like that to wash my dishes or laundry.

If you're on a well and the water is usually clear, it might be time for an inspection and/or cleaning. You never know what might be going on with your water, and I'd be concerned with your health or your animals' health if anyone is drinking that water.

[30reef]

Looks as though you have iron in the source water. It will sometimes come out of the tap clear and then turn red or brown if iron is present. Had this problem in Cali. when I lived there. I had to use a special iron remover in the water softener to clean the beads.
I just installed an RO only to my refrigerator and now I find myself drinking twice as much water as before.

[luv951]

Man O man that makes me glad for Bull Run. Thats the reservior here in the Portland aream - it gets tons of pure rain water, as well as glacial and snow melt run off. My tap water tastes delicious! No funky smell, no weird color, just good clean water...can't even tell between tap and the filter in my fridge.

I be my tank can tell though, so I still use RO/DI for it. Glad I don't have mud pouring out of my faucet though. Do your whites turn beige after washing? j/k

[erbio]

Yikes. I wouldn't even use that for dishes. That's some crazy rust or whatever.

[Frick-n-Frags]

it really depends on the water source. akron's water supply is a crappy inland lake. just south of clevo is hinckley, and they have funky rock strata that leaches sulphur into the water = disgusting.
yet just to the north all the water comes from lake erie = excellent

so, you have to check your water first. I think that chumbucket up there speaks for itself

[Mental1]

I have well water and have the iron problem. We have a water softener here so the water goes through salt AND gets chlorintaed because there is yucky bacteria that goes along with the high iron content. I use RO/DI water for my tank that I set up a year ago.

[Jorgens]

Originally posted by Frick-n-Frags
it really depends on the water source. akron's water supply is a crappy inland lake. just south of clevo is hinckley, and they have funky rock strata that leaches sulphur into the water = disgusting.
yet just to the north all the water comes from lake erie = excellent

so, you have to check your water first. I think that chumbucket up there speaks for itself

Wastn Erie so polluted that it cought fire a bit back?? All the chemicals and gas on the surface?

[aninjaatemyshoe]

Even if it doesn't look funny/taste funny, I would be weary of well water. Unfortunately, many places in the US have ground water contaminated with something. Awhile back I was working for a geology professor on a project inspecting the ground water in a nearby Ohio town (a town that is on well water). We discovered that the amount of arsenic in the water was in some cases more than four times the legal maximum for drinking water. And this is all after the Bush administration doubled the legal maximum arsenic back in 2001. Needless to say, I wouldn't drink the well water.