Adding Salt
- Thread starter calli
- Start date
jdieck
New member
Replace the tap water for RO/Di water as you do not want to start with nutrients or contaminants. Then you can mix the salt in the tank for the first time. After that you need to premix the water outside of the tank. Temperature is basically irrelevant to mixing but insure to maintain reef temperature once you add your live rock.
i would seriously suggest you forget tap-water, unless you are lucky, very lucky with the water provided by your local water company, its very likely its full of chemicals designed for us humans to consume but has all sorts of crap in it, including copper from the pipes, jdiek knows his stuff, and i think you should follow his advice
definitely ro/di water.
No point to having water in your tank at all (except to check for leaks) until your live rock gets here, so empty it out, dry it off, and wait for your rock.
I advise laying down some lighting grid (eggcrate) in the bottom to protect your glass, then your live rock, then the sand, then the water---and you have to mix the salt INTO the water before you let it touch your live rock or you will rapidly have dead rock. Plastic white painting buckets (polystyrene) and a maxijet 1200 pump are very useful.
There IS no debate about ro/di being good. There are probably about 4 places in the continental US where it's not necessary. Your odds of being in one of them are not that high. Go for the ro/di---spendy, but so is getting rid of the algae bloom that attends tap water.
No point to having water in your tank at all (except to check for leaks) until your live rock gets here, so empty it out, dry it off, and wait for your rock.
I advise laying down some lighting grid (eggcrate) in the bottom to protect your glass, then your live rock, then the sand, then the water---and you have to mix the salt INTO the water before you let it touch your live rock or you will rapidly have dead rock. Plastic white painting buckets (polystyrene) and a maxijet 1200 pump are very useful.
There IS no debate about ro/di being good. There are probably about 4 places in the continental US where it's not necessary. Your odds of being in one of them are not that high. Go for the ro/di---spendy, but so is getting rid of the algae bloom that attends tap water.
LJA
New member
Or buy a bunch of salt here and buy R/O water from your LFS for about $0.20 a gallon like I do. But then again you have to then lug the water to your house. Not a big deal for me, just 1 5 gallon bucket a week and I need an excuse to go to the LFS anyway.
Defiantly by the salt online, I just bought 160Gallons worth of sat for $40 shipped.
An Ro/DI unit will save you the most money in the long run though.
And like everyone else said. Do not use tap water.
Defiantly by the salt online, I just bought 160Gallons worth of sat for $40 shipped.
An Ro/DI unit will save you the most money in the long run though.
And like everyone else said. Do not use tap water.
Six-Line Wrasse
New member
Hate to sound repetitive here - but you've got to forget the tap water! No matter how ya' cut it - tap water would be a bad decision to make! It's the fast, cheap and easy way in the short term but in the long term - it'll come back and bite ya' real hard! You need to purchase RO/DI water or buy yourself a unit - as a result your tankmates will be living in a more stable tank environment, there will be less problems and it'll actually be less expensive.
If you can mangage to hook up a RO/DI unit directly to your kitchen sink tap, I've seen this - you are good to go. But you shouldn't use tap water (water that comes directly out of any tap) and proceed to put that water straight into your tank. That would be a Big No-No!
Doesn't matter where you live, chances are that it will not be good for a number of reasons! As far as what this reputable dealer said - do you mean lsf dealer or a water utility provider . . . either way you cannot take their advise - it sounds as though they really have no clue about the needs of a reef tank and how critical it is to use proper water. If it's a lfs owner saying this, I'd be very cautious of any other advise he gives if he is advising that the water is o.k. to use in a reef tank! If it's the water utility provider saying it's o.k. to use - then I'm going to assume this person is talking about the drinkability of the water. However, I'd question that as well - I would never drink from a local or municipal tap anyways - I stick with bottled water!
If it sounds like we're coming down hard on you - it's because we are! Those of us have seen hundreds of people make this mistake (probably even ourselves
) and suffer the consequences! We do not want you to have to experience it as well!
If you can mangage to hook up a RO/DI unit directly to your kitchen sink tap, I've seen this - you are good to go. But you shouldn't use tap water (water that comes directly out of any tap) and proceed to put that water straight into your tank. That would be a Big No-No!
Doesn't matter where you live, chances are that it will not be good for a number of reasons! As far as what this reputable dealer said - do you mean lsf dealer or a water utility provider . . . either way you cannot take their advise - it sounds as though they really have no clue about the needs of a reef tank and how critical it is to use proper water. If it's a lfs owner saying this, I'd be very cautious of any other advise he gives if he is advising that the water is o.k. to use in a reef tank! If it's the water utility provider saying it's o.k. to use - then I'm going to assume this person is talking about the drinkability of the water. However, I'd question that as well - I would never drink from a local or municipal tap anyways - I stick with bottled water!
If it sounds like we're coming down hard on you - it's because we are! Those of us have seen hundreds of people make this mistake (probably even ourselves
) and suffer the consequences! We do not want you to have to experience it as well!
calli
New member
Well I just was talking to a couple of people in the store where I go.. and they were saying that they had used the tap water for the first fill then after that they did get a ro/di tap adapter unit for water changes..
Apparently where I am London, Ontario Canada has got a very good water supply. Mind you that can change so getting the tap adapter ro/di unit is a must.
I "tank" all of you for your imput.
Apparently where I am London, Ontario Canada has got a very good water supply. Mind you that can change so getting the tap adapter ro/di unit is a must.
I "tank" all of you for your imput.
no im not saying that at all, im saying dont use tap water, spend a few dollars and buy yourself a ro-di filteration unit, much safer and you control your water, id avoid lfs water and certainely tap water, look we are here to help, we dont say these things for fun or to lie to you, seriously buy a ro-di and avoid tap water, its for the best, trust us guys on RC we dont know everything, far from it but we know that nearly all tap water is not up to standard for marine aquaria
thousands will agree , a very very minor few will disagree
BeesGoneWild
New member
Ro/Di or bust.....litteraly you will be asking for unending, uncontrollable algae blooms if you use tap water. listen to Micheal.
jdieck
New member
Here is the latest analysis, not that bad but a couple of concerns with silicates, organic nitrates, lead and threithanolamine plus a buch of stuff they do not test for some that can be very nasty like copper.
Note also that if they find anything equal to or below their MAC they will not take any corrective action but the MAC limits are just too high for an aquarium.
http://www.watersupply.london.ca/Quarterly_Reports/2008_Q1_Huron.pdf
