chilihedkc
New member
Is it okay to use tap water mixed to 1.025 only for the cycle, then use ro/di from then on? Or do I need the ro/di from the beginning?
Okay to use tap water?
- Thread starter chilihedkc
- Start date
RO/DI from the beginning. 
Reverend Reefer
New member
i used tap water to start with thinking the same thing as you. bad idea. never ending algal and cyano blooms, fish loss, coral loss, hair loss, and mind loss. don't be me. start with pure water - ro/di.
Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
Short answer: yes
Long answer: yes. However, you’re going to suffer small out breaks of algae and possibly problems with SPS down the road. I highly doubt your going to lose fish to tap water as long as you detoxify it from chlorine first. If your going to keep exotic corals than it's not worth it down the road. This hobby has come a long way and with new research and affordable products your better off using RODI from the start.
Why don't you want to use RODI to fill it? Do you not have the unit yet? Or is it going to take too long for initial fill-up?
If you already have an RODI just take the time to fill it. If you don't have it yet than wait until you get it.
Long answer: yes. However, you’re going to suffer small out breaks of algae and possibly problems with SPS down the road. I highly doubt your going to lose fish to tap water as long as you detoxify it from chlorine first. If your going to keep exotic corals than it's not worth it down the road. This hobby has come a long way and with new research and affordable products your better off using RODI from the start.
Why don't you want to use RODI to fill it? Do you not have the unit yet? Or is it going to take too long for initial fill-up?
If you already have an RODI just take the time to fill it. If you don't have it yet than wait until you get it.
Ok, I'm going to get it on this but I have to be honest......I started my FOWLR with all tap water. I had absolutely no algae growth and once I got a T5 light I had coraline all over every rock. Once I got my 5 fish(dragon wrasse, coral beauty, sailfin tang, and two percs) they all were doing great. I had a sun cup coral ride in on some LR I purchased from LFS, and it went nuts! I had a nice colony growing in just a couple of weeks. Then I had a giant mushroom ride in on my next LR purchase, again, grew like crazy. The LFS talked me into doing 20% water changes with RO/DI once a week for five weeks. On the second week, both my percs died, third week, algae all over, fifth week, all my sun corals have started to die off, I'm down to just 1 from the colony of at least 10. I know this is way off from what everyone else has had experience with but it's my experience. I'm starting a 150gal now and am trying to decide between starting with RO/DI or just doing tap again. Decisions, decisions....
chilihedkc
New member
I don't have a RO/DI yet, and have a chance to pick up some nice live rock this weekend locally. So I have no water, but potentially have rock to let begin its cycle. Once I get my RO/DI I can fill a bucket with that, and move the rock to the bucket, then drain the aquarium and fill it with pure water. It would buy me a week to get the purifier, and get some live rock on the cheap.
Stray32
New member
Kept a successful and thriving reef tank for over a year with tap water. When I moved into my new home, my water smelled of chlorine, and that's the only reason I switched to RO water. Still don't use RO/DI and have NEVER had a problem with algae, even with tap.
RO/DI is certainly the best, but don't let anyone tell you that it is the only option.
RO/DI is certainly the best, but don't let anyone tell you that it is the only option.
dwd5813
New member
in your shoes i would do one of a few things.
1. ask the person you're getting the lr from if they would be willing to help you out and make some rodi water for you. offer a couple bucks if its a lot.
2. hit up the lfs and buy either rodi or premixed saltwater.
3. get distilled water from walmart or a grocery store or somewhere.
any of these options should be relatively inexpensive with the goal of getting enough water to fill a bin with so you can store the rock until your rodi gets in.
1. ask the person you're getting the lr from if they would be willing to help you out and make some rodi water for you. offer a couple bucks if its a lot.
2. hit up the lfs and buy either rodi or premixed saltwater.
3. get distilled water from walmart or a grocery store or somewhere.
any of these options should be relatively inexpensive with the goal of getting enough water to fill a bin with so you can store the rock until your rodi gets in.
kingsord0
New member
I have used tap water and had no problems. If there is chemicals like chlorine or anything like that then I would not use it, but if it has no problems then you should be ok. If you are nervous then fill it with tap water and then once you get the RO/DI unit just do water changes so the tap water goes away and is replaced by the pure water.
WOW! talk about both arguments. Me I have a well water and all my easy corals and fish love it. I dont dose or add anything to the water and all is great. imo if your tap tests well for our application why not. good luck P.S. everything i have read and its true alge comes from phosphates in the water
tims28gnano
New member
+1 to Sugar Magnolia
Fizz71
FragSwapper
The problem with the listening to the folks that had no problems is unless they live next to you their success is moot. 
No insults intended...but the bottom line is my tap water is most likely NOTHING like yours. My last house had a well with water you practically had to chew, my current house has city water with a serious chlorine odor.
It may be 100% perfectly fine to use tap water, but unless you've professionally had it tested for impurities it's a risk I wouldn't be willing to take. For every success you read on here, you'll find a dozen failures.
BTW...I DID have my last house professionally tested since it was a well and one of things found in the test was levels of "fecal matter" probably from mountain runoff and the deer population. Even after we nuked the well, I still had bottled water delivered. ..and only RO/DI in the tank. It just goes to show you'll never know WHAT you'll get.
No insults intended...but the bottom line is my tap water is most likely NOTHING like yours. My last house had a well with water you practically had to chew, my current house has city water with a serious chlorine odor.It may be 100% perfectly fine to use tap water, but unless you've professionally had it tested for impurities it's a risk I wouldn't be willing to take. For every success you read on here, you'll find a dozen failures.
BTW...I DID have my last house professionally tested since it was a well and one of things found in the test was levels of "fecal matter" probably from mountain runoff and the deer population. Even after we nuked the well, I still had bottled water delivered.
..and only RO/DI in the tank. It just goes to show you'll never know WHAT you'll get.
Stray32
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14695331#post14695331 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fizz71
The problem with the listening to the folks that had no problems is unless they live next to you their success is moot.
It may be 100% perfectly fine to use tap water, but unless you've professionally had it tested for impurities it's a risk I wouldn't be willing to take. For every success you read on here, you'll find a dozen failures.
BTW...I DID have my last house professionally tested since it was a well and one of things found in the test was levels of "fecal matter" probably from mountain runoff and the deer population. Even after we nuked the well, I still had bottled water delivered.
I agree 100%, and no offense taken, HOWEVER, I still completely disagree with the notion that RO/DI is the ONLY other option for ones tank, and I will argue it until I die :lol:
I know we are straying off subject a bit, so I will be brief. Bottled distilled water and bottled RO water from Wally World have a TDS reading of 2, and in my opinion, is perfectly suitable for any reef tank. RO/DI is 100% pure, which is water perfection, but great success can be achieved with other options. Buying bottled water becomes expensive over time, especially with large tanks, and you will eventually spend what you would have for an RO/DI unit.
If you have the means and the know how, starting off with RO/DI water will greatly decrease your chances of having an algae bloom.
Reefer Brandon
New member
I'm sorry but this is simply bad advice, no offense to you personally, dwd. Distilleries are known for using copper pipes and copper, even in TRACE amounts, is detrimental to many MANY saltwater organisms. Especially inverts.
Never EVER use distilled water.
Kenmx10
New member
Not surewhat the problem is, but I can assure you its not because of using a purer, better quality of water. Possible the filter is bad leaking more toxins back into the water. Where did you get your water? Did you test RO water with a TDS meter? Ive heard stories start out like, I got some RO water from a friend , then!.........
Kenmx10
New member
http://www.ewg.org/tapwater/findings.php
Check out the link if you really want to know how bad tap water can be.
Check out the link if you really want to know how bad tap water can be.
jasonrp104
New member
Water pipes are usually copper. There are certain supplements like Kent 2 part that have trace amounts of copper. I haven't had an invert die yet from either.
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