Tap ok for a fish only tank? (w/ live rock)

[dreaminmel]

The 180 that I will be setting up will not be plumbed to the basement and I would like to avoid carrying buckets of RO water upstairs. I've been wondering if there's any real issue with using tap water in this setup since it will be a fish only tank with some rock in it. No coral. I have tap water conditioner that I would treat the water with.

Anyone see any real issue with this?

My two main areas of concern are that I hope to get one of the harder to find smaller species of bamboo shark (I know sharks are sensitive) and intend on having a section for chaeto in the sump that's going in the stand.

 

[frofan]

Here is a good read for you.

http://www.melevsreef.com/why_rodi.html

Using tap water will make it very hard to control algae in any type of aquarium.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

It's hard to say without knowing your water source, which can be highly variable over time. It's more or less a crapshoot IMHO. I ran fish only and "real" reef aquariums for years before I even knew what RO/DI was. But there are clearly examples where it's been a problem for people, too.

Can you at least poke a 1/4" hole in the floor somewhere near the tank and run an RO line up through the floor?

 

[S Helinski]

It won't be a problem whatsoever, so long as you don't light the tank very well.

It's a 180--use the standard, cheapo florescent lighting fixtures you would for tropical fish. That should prevent algae problems!

Steve

 

[dreaminmel]

I could definately poke a hole in the floor big enough for an RO line... I'm just not creative when it comes to this stuff though. Currently for my 125g reef tank I have the following routine. 125g is plumbed to a 75 sump in the basement. RO unit is hooked up to water faucet on opposite side of basement from sump. I have a 55g drum that is on wheels that I wheel over, fill up with RO and then wheel it over to the 75g sump and manually top off every other day or so. When a water change is needed I just add salt, mix it up in the container and do my water change the next day. I know there's a much easier way to do all of this via float switches, etc but I really do trust my own manual abilities much more than I trust technology. (Yeah... I've got trust issues. lol)

Hmmm... maybe I can grab some extra tubing, have a couple 5g buckets in the 180g's stand and just use a maxijet to fill up the 5g buckets with RO as needed?

Suddenly I'm feeling an afternoon craving for coffee.

 

[dreaminmel]

Tank lighting at first will only consist of two 72" VHO bulbs over this 72" x 24" x 24" tank. If that isn't bright enough I'll probably add two more 72" VHO bulbs later on.

 

[JBrown]

Mel

I have a big wet/dry filter that I used on my 120 fo that I would be willing to sell cheap. If you would like some pics pm me


Josh

 

[Steve Canyon]

I ran my 180 8ft with circulation pumps only for over a year with no algae problems at all. I had about 200lb of rock, and about 100lb of crushed coral. Simple el-cheapo lights. 2 good sized eels, 2 full grown lionfish, puffer, damsels, ..... a good amount of leather as well. Simple water changes with the water I removed from my mixed reef. I gotta tell you, I fed really heavy. Half a dozen thumb size table shrimp, silversides, salmon, krill, squid, every 3-5 days. Even that wasn't enough food to keep everyone happy though. The eels ended up eating the lions and puffer. The damsels knew enough to bring the eels their dinner....then they would eat the scraps...
Kat saw it. Ask her about it.
Water change water, good circulation and low light.

 

[pilotguy]

I never had a problem either, but with setting up a new tank, i am going with ro/di water

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Steve said it. No need for RO in FO. VHO's aren't needed. Skimmer is a good idea, IMO. UV can keep any algae to a minimum but so can herbivores.

I would refer to this aquarium as a FOWLR, Mel

 

[block head]

a few people run tap in there reefs by u with good results. i don't think you would have a problem at all. i'd use whatever makes life easier and is cost effective. i miss using the old python for w/c.

 

[dreaminmel]

Alright... the peer pressure is unbearable. FOWLR it is from now on. Definately going with a skimmer for sure and since I'd love to have it be in-sump and still have room for chaeto I've got to check out this stand and see if I can fit a 55g-ish size tank inside. (interior room no issue. getting it in there is the question) The canopy came with endcaps for two VHO bulbs and also three MH reflectors. I already planned on removing/storing the MH reflectors so maybe I'll also remove the VHO endcaps and just grab some cheaper lighting for it. Herbivores should be no issue as I've got a few in the possible lineup for this FOWLR.

I have a big wet/dry filter that I used on my 120 fo that I would be willing to sell cheap. If you would like some pics pm me

Josh

Greatly appreciate that Josh. The prior owner threw in a Pro 75 wet/dry but for peace of mind in the event of a power outage I want something bigger and am thinking that starting with a 55g and improvising based on needed spacing may work best. Provided I can fit the 55g in the stand doorways... Gotta go do some measuring. lol

 

[Jetsam]

Ok, I may have missed somtin, Doesnt sound like its set up yet. Can u top load the 55 into the stand?

 

[dreaminmel]

Wish I could Rick. It's got a 3/4" slab of hard wood glued and screwed to the entire top with two holes cut for the overflow plumbing. I did find one of the supports by the doors isn't glued though so I should be able to unscrew that to get a sump in. The stand and canopy were completely custom made for the tank's original owner and from what I see no expense was spared with the wood or hardware used.

 

[JBrown]

Mel,

This sump is the size of a 55 gal. If you want I can make some measurements

 

[dreaminmel]

Sending you pm.

 

[johno4]

Mel, I have been running fowlr tanks for years with tap water. I never really have algea issues. I change 20% of the water every few months, good flow, skimmer, and fuge. You will be completely fine with what you have planned.

By the way you might want to look into a coral cat instead of a bamboo shark for a 180. I had a bamboo for about a year in a 150 which is 6" shorter in width and I ended up feeling really bad for him and got rid of him. Bamboos are great but they do get big. Just sharing my experience.

 

[cardiffgiant]

I ran a FOWLR with tap water for a few years. I used a HOB skimmer, 2 powerheads, a HOB filter, and cheapo VHO lighting. I did 20% water changes every other week. For what it's worth, I struggled with hair algae. I also think that a build up of metals in the tank made it difficult to keep a cleanup crew alive for very long.

That's just my experience. Personally, I'd give it a whirl with out the RODI. If you start battling HA, you can always add it later.

 

[dreaminmel]

Thanks for all of the feedback so far. I think I'll go with keeping it simple to start out with and just use tap and switch to RO if the need arises.

By the way you might want to look into a coral cat instead of a bamboo shark for a 180. I had a bamboo for about a year in a 150 which is 6" shorter in width and I ended up feeling really bad for him and got rid of him. Bamboos are great but they do get big. Just sharing my experience.

John, I'm actually avoiding a coral cat as they reportedly bite at the fish more. There are at least three species of Bamboo's that stay on the smaller end that I'm currently keeping an eye out for:
Chiloscyllium griseum = 29" max (located a source online but have LFS looking also)
Chiloscyllium arabicum = 27" max (avg 20-24")
Chiloscyllium hasseltii = 24" max

I definately could not bring myself to get one of the commonly available C. punctatum or C. plagiosum for this tank. A few have tried to talk me into it saying it'd be fine for years but I'd like whatever I get to be fine for life.

 

[mr.maroonsalty]

When I first started, what got me was Cu from the tap; I had a considerably smaller volume, with much smaller water changes the lines perhaps never really cleared.