water change question

[cyacop]

for the past year i have done water changes and top offs with tap water. conditioning it of course and adding salt in changes. but i am starting to consider buying water from my fish store that i frequent here in memphis. economically is there a big difference in doing it yourself as apposed to just buying the water? water from the fish store is $1.25 a gallon

[LulusMoogle]

I haven't filled my tank yet, but I did the math for how much RO/DI water I would need to buy from my LFS for the initial fill-up as well as small 5 gallon water changes every two weeks. It's way cheap. And although buying an RO/DI unit may be better economically in the long run, for my size of tank and my budget, it suits me better. I run a very limited budget.

I'd personally go for buying water from your LFS than just conditioning tap water. Better all around.

[Michael]

as your aware, "i hope" tap water is a no no with reefs, get a ro-di unit and it will be better for your system, and its not expensive, once you have the unit its relitively cheap to run, but the damage tap water can do could work out expensive, unless your tap water is very good quality, i doubt it though

[seapug]

Yeah, an RO/DI system is a very worthwhile investment. You can get a good one for under $200. That's a drop in the bucket compared to what you'll spend on fish and corals over time. Plus, you can cook with and drink the RO water, too. It's better for you and your tank.

[cyacop]

memphis water is some of the best quality in the united states. we get our water from artisan wells . but i agree water from the lfs would be better.

[Michael]

Originally posted by cyacop
memphis water is some of the best quality in the united states. we get our water from artisan wells . but i agree water from the lfs would be better.

the lfs water may not be as good as you hope, it probably is however if you own a ro-di you are in control of what you put in your tank

[thehunt]

If you are looking to get water cheap, check around you local grocery stores. Some have a place to fill up jugs outside the store. It is RO, UV, and carbon filtered. And if you push hard enough you can fit a 5 gal bucket in it. And the ones around my house are only 30 cents a gal.

[crvz]

$1.25 a gallon is pretty expensive. Salt should run in the $.25 per gallon, and then a new RO/DI unit is in the $150 range. So you'd really only need about 100-150 gallons to make up the costs of doing it yourself, which for me would be about a month or two.

[cyacop]

thanks for the input. i will look at the grocery stores and i will also work on getting my own ro setup of my own. tap is not going to cut it anymore . i am wanting to invest in some corals

[cyacop]

just got back from the grocery store. thanks for the advice. they have water for 33 cents a gallon . ro and all. think i will buy some salt and give this method a shot.