Water filter...

[WarDaddy]

I use RO/DI for my tanks.

The sales agent for the house I am buying says the home is plumbed for a Whole House Filter. She says the water is very hard in Florida.

I was looking at the Whole House filters ($2000+, ouch) and then I would use DI only or the tank.

Any of you have Whole House systems? Are they necessary?

 

[CMcNeil]

sounds like they are talking about a water softener.im not sure but i dont think that its the same as RO.you could probably post this in the water chemistry forum to find out for sure.

 

[BlitzK]

I bet it would be for a water softener too... either way, if you own a RO/DI unit I would continue to use it even after a whole house system.

Btw, if your budget allows it... water softeners are nice!

 

[WarDaddy]

I would rather filter than soften. Softening adds salts, as I understand it. Filter is best, then DI for the tank to get almost pure water for the tanks.

but $2grand is tough to part with.

 

[mflamb]

We only have additional filtration on our ice maker and drinking water dispenser. I don't find the water to be a problem.

 

[WarDaddy]

cool, I will wait ... and see

 

[BlitzK]

either way, you're still going to want to use your RO/DI unit. most whole house filters remove sediment (dirt), iron, sulfur, etc... They remove a lot, but not everything.

Water softeners don't add salt to the water. The salt in softeners are only used to recharge the medium (usually zeolite).

 

[Acolin]

Some pretty casual answers here, for such a scientific hobby.

The fact of the matter is that municipal tap water across the nation is far from excellent for live hard and soft coral reef aquariums. It has some major and minor impurities, which when used continuously over time, without additional filtration and no other water changes, can build up potentially harmful or toxic levels for corals.

Locally, Florida municipal water supplies can have potentially harmful heavy metals, along with high levels of nitrates, phosphates and silicates, which when used continuously over time, without additional filtration and no other water changes, can build up potentially harmful or toxic levels for fish and corals.

If you do NOT have a dense macro algae growth in your refugium, and/or various algae eaters in your display tank, you can suffer annoying algae growth.

Now I use treated tap water for my freshwater display, with its plant refugium, without any algae growth and no algae cleaners except snails. For my reef tanks, even with their macro algae mud refugiums, I used DI or bottled RO water, along with several dozen snails. I never clean the glass and have no algae problems on the glass for several years now.

 

[mflamb]

I was talking strictly about using a filter for his home use. I believe all aquarists/reefers should use RO/DI water for their home oceans.