How bad is tap water?
- Thread starter Razzagas
- Start date
damdirtyape
New member
Make up some saltwater, test it, and see how bad it is. Your well water might not be too bad. Test for copper, nitrates, phosphates, chlorine, etc.. Then you can decide whether or not you want to use it.
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
Re: How bad is tap water?
Tap water varies by municipality. It all depends on where you live. It can vary from day to day... and even hour to hour.
Tap water varies by municipality. It all depends on where you live. It can vary from day to day... and even hour to hour.
sarahdae
Member
I have HORRIBLE water here in AZ. I bought a 5 stage RO system on ebay by a company called Aqua-safe systems. I researched all the vendors and he was the best, had excellent feedback. They system includes everything for $130. I didn't install it under my kitchen sink, I just hook it up to the hose bib outside when I need water. (you just need to request the hose bib attachment.) Even replacement filters are cheap. If you are really going to be in this long term, I would suggest investing in one and trying it out. My system even came with a TDS meter, which tells you in a reading (0-1000) how bad your water is. The higher the number, the worse it is. My tap water was about 640 TDS, and the RO system got it down to zero TDS. Your tap water will GREATLY affect the algae and health of your tank. Also, if you initally fill your tank with tap water, it will take MANY many water changes before that water is diluted and gone. Good luck!
integlikewhoa
New member
Where do you live? You didnt fill out your member info very well.
wetWolger
New member
yea, it varies from area to area. For example I just use a simple filtration method that is not even close to ro quality and am just fine (we have argubly the best tap water in the nation). But IME well water is some of the worst water you can use in an aquarium possible. I would not even think of using well water.
Yes an RO from HD works well and if you can afford another 40 or 50 bucks you can get an add on DI filter for it. I use a RO from Sam's and just got the add on DI which I will hook up this weekend. I've been using straight RO for a couple of years now.
In a pinch the Wal Mart distilled water works fine at about $.58 a gal here in FL.
In a pinch the Wal Mart distilled water works fine at about $.58 a gal here in FL.
Could this be any good?
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Reef-6-st-1...436419055QQcategoryZ20684QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Reef-6-st-1...436419055QQcategoryZ20684QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
vessxpress1
Premium Member
I think there's more of a chance to have nitrates in well water than city water, but again, it depends on where you're at. I'm on city water and I ran some water through my Pur, 3 stage filter and tested it for phospates. They were at 2 ppm. 10 miles south, I tested my dad's water in a different city and their phosphates were at .5 ppm. Cities add them to water so pipes don't corrode and regular filters don't filter them out. Needless to say, I won't top off with it anymore. I've been using RO/DI water bought at walmart for a year now. You end up with a lot of empty gallon jugs though.
There's also a lot of heavy metals in water that can be bad for a tank. And like has been said, the water can change from day to day. There's a much higher risk of getting algae blooms when adding non-RO water because of the phospates. It took me a long time to understand that for some reason.
There's also a lot of heavy metals in water that can be bad for a tank. And like has been said, the water can change from day to day. There's a much higher risk of getting algae blooms when adding non-RO water because of the phospates. It took me a long time to understand that for some reason.
