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01/19/2020, 12:59 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 262
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Tap Water Anyone?
Hi, do some people on this site use tapwater? I use RODI but it sure is a waste of water. The amount going down the drain is much greater than the amount going into the container. My tap water TDS meter shows over 300 going into the RODI system. However, I recently saw someone's 17 year old tank that is about 50 gallons and he uses tap water and does a 20% waterchange every 2-3 weeks. His tank has trumpet corals that have almost taken over, huge brain favia and a lobo and about 5 fish. No algae. His light is T5HO with 4 bulbs. It makes me consider trying tap water at least for the daily top off.
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01/19/2020, 02:14 PM | #2 |
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Location: NW Indiana Valparaiso
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Would be interesting to see what his tap tests at if you have that option, mine tests at 40ppm so i use distilled water for my top offs, its cheap & pure @ .99 a gal. No tap water use here.
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Montipora Digitas, Cyphastrea, Blastos, different Leptoseris, Green Stylo, GSP, gorgonions, Ricordea mushrooms, psammocoras, Birdsnest coral, Clownfish, Watchman goby, Royal gamma. Current Tank Info: Nano Reef tank |
01/19/2020, 02:47 PM | #3 |
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Location: Grove City, Ohio
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I used tap water for over 20 years. I kept everything except Acropora sp., and that was because my lights (T12VHO)weren't up to it and availability was not great, not the water. I also had seasonal algae blooms, especially after hard summer rains due to the increase of nitrates from farm runoff. I don't know what TDS was then, it's about 250 now. I also allowed it to naturally de-chlorinate itself by keeping a 55g barrel full all the time.
You certainly can use tap water, but there are certain drawbacks that can easily be avoided with the addition of a ro/di unit. In the summer my waste water goes to the garden so as to not be "wasted"
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I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer |
01/19/2020, 06:32 PM | #4 |
Moved On
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 4,757
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I personally wouldn't use tap water with a TDS of 300. Too many headaches.
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01/19/2020, 07:44 PM | #5 |
RC Mod
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Route the waste line into your washing machine or into a barrel to use in the garden.
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Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%. |
01/19/2020, 07:51 PM | #6 |
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Location: North Carolina
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Some have usable tap water.. Some don't..
300tds isn't typically a good starting point or indication your water may be usable without issue. There are ways to reduce or reuse waste water that may be of interest to you.. Dual membranes, routing waste to washing machine or rain barrels and more..
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01/20/2020, 02:43 PM | #7 |
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Location: Dewitt MI
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Generally speaking the issue of water quality is more for the fish than for the corals. It also depends what the TDS represents. Copper and certain heavy metals would not be acceptable. Magnesium would be good. Not knowing what is in our water is the reason RO/DI is used. Not knowing is why my drinking water comes from an RO system. I am on a well on a lot on a golf course. Who knows what pesticides, insecticides plus fertilizer elements are seeping into the ground water table.
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Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels |
01/20/2020, 07:58 PM | #8 |
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I have had much better luck with 40 cent per gallon grocery store water and 3 & 5 gallon reusable containers.
I had quite a few algae farms using lightly filterrd tap water in the past Sent from my LM-Q710.FG using Tapatalk |
01/21/2020, 05:55 AM | #9 |
B'rer Reefer
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Greenwich, CT
Posts: 3,194
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I know a service tech who's been using tap water for decades. Granted, he doesn't maintain much in the way of "SPS", mostly just fish short term for customers, but he does keep a 40g tank of his own and uses tap water for that one too. I don't know what his tds is but I live the next town over and mine is around 311ppm. Bottom line is that he doesn't seem to have any more casualties than most of us so I guess it's working for him. Nevertheless, after seeing what my RO/DI pulls out, I wouldn't be without one.
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Be Kind To The Elderly. Life Without Parole Means Nothing To Us. ToTM 3-03 Current Tank Info: Between tanks. Searching for a home |
01/23/2020, 07:27 PM | #10 |
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Yup, been doing it for awhile. It's been years since I tested TDS but historicly they have been 300-400.
90 Gallon Mixed Reef https://youtu.be/4t8IjelZwUk Mixed Reef started in 1997, 10-07-19 https://youtu.be/dh_nLhj1QXc
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"Our crystal clear aquaria come nowhere close to the nutrient loads that swirl around natural reefs" Charles Delbeek |
01/24/2020, 07:05 AM | #11 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Vandalia OHIO
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If you use a water conditioner all the time I don't see a issue with it. There is a lot of waste water with RO systems but its much cheaper than paying .50-$1 per gallon for other store bought options.
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Fish are not disposable commodities, but a worthwhile investment that can be maintained and enjoyed for many years, providing one is willing to take the time to understand their requirements and needs Current Tank Info: 625g, 220g sump, RD3 230w, Vectra L1 on a closed loop, 3 MP60s, MP40. Several QTs |
01/24/2020, 09:17 AM | #12 | |
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Location: North Carolina
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Quote:
Any pretreatment for Chlorine/Chloramines (if used), settling tank, waiting period while mixing salt would likely remove most if not all Chlorine, etc prior to use? Just curious..
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01/24/2020, 11:58 AM | #13 |
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@loc01 uses tap water and is wildly successful. I lived near him and the TDS in that area is quite high.
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Originally posted by yellowslayer13: "I hate that hole" Current Tank Info: SCMAS Member 225 peninsula euroreef RS180 Apex 400W X 3 20k radiums / Spectra mixed SPS |
01/24/2020, 05:06 PM | #15 | |
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Quote:
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01/24/2020, 05:26 PM | #16 |
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Don’t listen to Loc, he has a magic recipe not telling anyone lol
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01/24/2020, 10:35 PM | #17 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
It’s insane, the guy literally does everything wrong. Everything wrong and he has been successful for what? 15 years that I know of? More?
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Originally posted by yellowslayer13: "I hate that hole" Current Tank Info: SCMAS Member 225 peninsula euroreef RS180 Apex 400W X 3 20k radiums / Spectra mixed SPS |
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01/25/2020, 08:43 AM | #18 | |
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Location: Austin, TX
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Quote:
For the 210 started in '97, water goes through a carbon filter then sits in a 55 gallon barrel with a dash of ammo detox for a few days before being mixed for the water change.
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"Our crystal clear aquaria come nowhere close to the nutrient loads that swirl around natural reefs" Charles Delbeek |
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