RO/DI or the tap

[kevinaii]

Hi! I'm beginning here and trying to take it all in. First step (I think) is getting my water set & having a plan for water changes. I'm assuming I'll be changing ~20% of my water every other week.

How do I know if my tap water is suitable for mixing?
This is the public water report from where my tap is:
http://www.cityofnewburgh-ny.gov/water-department/pages/water-quality-reports

I'd prefer to use tap over buying & installing an RO/DI system on account of not really having an ideal place to hook it up.

If the tap water is not suitable can I add a dechlorinator and just use it from there?
Assuming not I'll need to weigh the costs of installing an RO/DI vs buying ready to go water from the LFS.

My setup will be:
54 gallon corner bow
FOWLR (and live sand)
Canister filter (i know, i know, which is why i want to have a regimented water change/filter change schedule of every 2 weeks

*Had been running a successful freshwater aquarium for 4+ years

Thanks for taking a look at my question!

 

[gilly1969]

I'm new to this hobby, but we have the same tank I only have a hang on protien skimmer . I use tap water and mix my salt. My levels have all been good. I'm in the same boat about the ro/di system I just don't have a place to set it up.

 

[pdiehm]

i would strongly recommend it. Many people store the RODI under the sink, and only bring it out to make water.

I'm fortunate, I mounted mine in the garage and got a Y connection for my hose.

If you are going to look into RO/DI at all, I would highly recommend the Spectrapure Refurbished unit. I picked one of those up for $120.

 

[ScienceAchieved]

I used tap for the first couple weeks before I learned more. Once I changed the water with ro/di, the tank came alive. All the tube worm skeletons eventually turned out to have recovering worms in them, all sorts of hitch hikers crawled out of the rocks, and my fish was 100x healthier. Not to mention the algae problems and effect on coral tap will cause. I dunno how big your tank is, but I got an aquatic life "ro buddie" 50 gpd unit for $69 , the di resin attachment is about 25, its a small portable unit and works great

 

[kevinaii]

It would be really cool if there was a local hobbiest with a nice ro/di setup who'd sell me some of his for like .05-.08 cents per gallon rather than paying the nearly .50 from the LFS.

A hang on protein skimmer ... Does that have any tubes that need to outlet anywhere? I don't have a sump.

 

[Sk8r]

Recommended: refractometer
, ro/di filter of your own (they can be Y-connected to cold washing machine faucet),
skimmer, can be hang-on for tanks of 50 g and under;
downflow with sump, ideally drilled and glued, but can use hang-on;
quarantine tank, with pump, can be temporary, at need;
2 lbs live rock per gallon
aragonite medium grade sand
digital thermometer.
If you do not use ro/di for set-up and on, you will probably need a GFO reactor and monthly to tri-monthly purchase of GFO medium.
You need nitrate ammonia strips to start; alkalinity test once running.
You need lighting compatible with what you want to keep in the tank.
You need a pump delivering adequate flow through.

Read the SETTING UP sticky before you buy anything, or you can spend funds on wrong things.

 

[KazzAhmed]

Rodi

Rodi

Ro/Di is a must from the start. If you have a laundry room just hook it up the the cold water of the washer with a Y fitting, and put the waste water down the drain that the drain for the washer goes.

 

[KazzAhmed]

It will save you a lot of money in the long run. that is 21.6 gallons every month @$.50 a gallon it is around $11 a month plus cost of going to get the water. You can buy a 4 stage rodi for $135.00 from BRS you will recoup the money within the first year of having the system.

 

[Pomacanthus1]

People really underestimate the importance of using RO/DI water. Everything becomes so much easier when you start with a clean template (your water). Although I would only say a RO/DI unit is a must if you're keeping corals and invertebrates, most tap water has lot of minerals and nutrients like phosphate which can fuel algae problems. You can eliminate so many potential problems down the road even with just a $150 unit, and you'll be well prepared for the future if you decide to expand your FOWLR into a reef. It would also help your freshwater tanks, although you would need to add something like this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006JLVX0...TF8&colid=2G63A04BFYMQL&coliid=I3CN7FRU403X3O . In saltwater, the salt mixes take care of replacing the minerals that actually are needed in the right balance.

I used tap water for the first couple years of my first tank and was constantly battling cyano and diatoms. The difference in tank appearance and health of its inhabitants was much, much better after using RO/DI water after just a month.

 

[gone fishin]

Using tap water is a recipe for disaster. Some people will always say they use tap and never had any problems. I glanced at the report and I noticed you had metals in the report. You could use the tap water for quite awhile and no issues, then one day all those metals that have built up will reach a tipping point. This will be a bad day.

A RO/DI will give you consistent pure water every time every batch. there are multiple ways of setting up a unit both permanently mounted or portable. Buying the water will most likely get old especially in the winter lugging around jugs of water in the snow and ice. Good luck.

 

[kevinaii]

Ok. Thanks guys. I'll check into hooking up an RO/DI to my washer's cold water line down in my basement.
Just seems like I'll need a plumber.
i.e., the RO/DI's I've seen don't seem to have an on/off. The faucet's on and the ro/di is engaged so there you go, the RO/DI is in use, but i'm not really sure how to turn on the cold water line + RO/DI...
I know, I'm a novice here.

 

[cloak]

It just depends on your tap water, pure & simple. I've been using tap water for about 15 years now without any problems. IMO, at least give it a shot. Don't get me wrong, RO/DI is great and all, but just because your using RO/DI water, don't expect to dodge some of the problems that tend to accompany bad tap water. (algae in particular) There's more to it than that...

Here's a good article regarding tap water btw. GL.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/1/chemistry

 

[moneymm]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

I end up back here atleast once a day since I started on here 2 weeks ago.

 

[Pomacanthus1]

The most common and simplest way to install a RO/DI system is to put a saddle valve on a cold water pipe, and a similar attachment that you install around a drain pipe and then run the wastewater into. There are other ways to do it like hose and faucet adapters. The "on/off" switch for a basic system is a simple valve on the inlet line. If there's no water going in, the unit is "off". If you buy a kit it should include the basic plumbing you'll need, but always make sure.

 

[noj3333]

Check out:
http://theh2oguru.com/reefkeepers-rodi/mighty-mite-50gpd-with-di-added.html

This is what I've been using for a long time now, actually since I started my tank. It's small, and there are a few really easy ways of hooking one up, including a style of connection that runs off a standard kitchen/ bathroom faucet, or a saddle valve that can mount to any copper pipe.

It's also small, so it's easy to put away when done.
IMO RO/DI is critical in this hobby...

 

[jrp1588]

Ok. Thanks guys. I'll check into hooking up an RO/DI to my washer's cold water line down in my basement.
Just seems like I'll need a plumber.
i.e., the RO/DI's I've seen don't seem to have an on/off. The faucet's on and the ro/di is engaged so there you go, the RO/DI is in use, but i'm not really sure how to turn on the cold water line + RO/DI...
I know, I'm a novice here.

That's a very simple plumbing job. All you need is an "add a T." Essentially it's a T-fitting that has female 3/8" compression thread on one end, and male on the other two. Make it a 3/8x3/8x1/4/ Simply unscrew your cold faucet supply hose from the supply valve, put the T in between the two, and follow the directions to attach the 1/4" tube into the compression fitting. You can even use ice maker line that threads on and eliminate that issue.

 

[syngraves]

i used tap when i started my first tank and had no clue why i had such a bad hair algae issue and my fish displayed poor health, loss of color, etc. decide to give ro/di a try when my LFS had a sale on the water and after a few water changes all the algae pretty much dissappeared, had tube worms and limpets start coming out of the rock work and a SPS coral that hitch hiked on my live rock (which i thought was skeletal remains of coral) started gaining color and polyp extension.

for my 20 gal i only use about 5 gallons to top off every two weeks and another 5g to mix SW for water changes every two weeks. only spend about $8 total for 5g of ro and 5 of SW if im lazy and dont wanna mix my own SW.

Id get a ro unit if i wasnt in an apartment.

 

[jrp1588]

Id get a ro unit if i wasnt in an apartment.

I'd get one even if I was. The way I described above would be easily removable when you move out. I also ran my RO unit for a good while from a faucet adapter I cobbled up. I used a faucet adapted like the Python water change systems use. This goes to a 3/4" garden hose thread. From there, I was able to find a 3/4" garden hose to 1/4" compression fitting for ice makers.

The whole thing could be attached and removed from the faucet in under a minute with bare hands only.

 

[Pomacanthus1]

Id get a ro unit if i wasnt in an apartment.

I had a few disasters thanks to leaving the RO/DI on and forgetting about it. With how slowly they make water, it's easy to do if you're making a larger batch. Always set a timer. If you're really concerned, there are ways to set up float valves that automatically turn off the unit once a certain level has been reached in a reservoir etc. All of my accidents probably would have been prevented by one.

 

[tmz]

As the article cited earlier notes, it depends on whats in the tap water and the pipes etc that deliver it. Small amounts of copper /sinc etc are very acceptable for drinking water but deadly to invertebrates fro example.