is coral ok in tap water

[30_gallon_guy]

im planning on starting a fish only sw aquarium that is 30 gallons. im going to put live rock and sand ect in the tank. i no that you do not need to use r/o water in a fish only tank, but i was wondering if there are any corals that i can have if i use tap instead of r/o water, oh and i no i can have inverts like shrimp n stuff, but what about coral?
thanks let me know.[/b]

 

[electrikat]

A lot of people on this forum will tell you to use ro/di water or distilled water. However, it depends on what your tap water has in it. The city water where I live is working just fine for me. I have had my tank set up for nearly 2 years now and I have only used tap water. You can take your tap water to a pool store and they will run a computer analysis on it, usually for free. It will tell you the ph,alkalinity, hardness, metals, etc. I use tap water and Prime for a conditioner. I have two tanks and have had three at once in the past. I have had a few problems with cyano which I originally thought was due to tap water, but they went away when I started to make my own fish food. It's all a matter of preference and really depends alot on the condition of the water that comes out of your tap. Some older houses have copper, clay, etc for their water pipes. These places can have excess problems with their water due to the buildup in the pipes getting into the water. That may be an issue depending on the age of your place and what type of pipes you have. This is from my own experience and ymmv.

 

[RocketSeason]

nothing is OK in tap water...

:|

Basically you will be faced with serious cyano problems which become very annoying very quickly, your fish/corals will become very stressed and could possibly die. Your fish are living in this stuff, breathing it in, absorbing it, etc, you do not want to scrimp on the type of water you use just to save money.

I use ro/di water from wal-mart. You can buy it from the machine for 33 cents a gallon or you can get it by the gallon for about 58 cents a gallon.

I recommend getting it from the machine. that way you know for sure that what your getting is truely ro/di water.

Of course, if you can swing it, a small ro/di unit for your home will save you alot of money in the long run.

 

[Guest]

nothing is OK in tap water...

:|

Basically you will be faced with serious cyano problems which become very annoying very quickly, your fish/corals will become very stressed and could possibly die. Your fish are living in this stuff, breathing it in, absorbing it, etc, you do not want to scrimp on the type of water you use just to save money..

Sorry.. Biggest load of crap i've heard in years.. There are plenty of people out there, including myself that have reef tanks with tap water and suffer no problems... Everyone talks about Cyano and such.. yet people who even use RO/DI still can and have gotten Cyano.This portion of your post has been edited, it is in violation of the User Agreement. Further violations of the User Agreement could result in removal from our community. seem to thing tap water is the only cause of cyano and hair algae. Kinda sad if you ask me. If you test your tap water and everything reads fine.. You'll be ok..Corals will be just fine.. Mine have been fine for over 10+ years.. And not once did I run out and blow money on RO/DI.. People need to stick to the facts when questions are asked.. Not cast This portion of your post has been edited, it is in violation of the User Agreement. Further violations of the User Agreement could result in removal from our community. opinions based on just their experiences alone.. RO/DI is good.. as is Tap if it tests good.. Best bet is to test.. Heck if it tests good then you just saved a boat load of money.. If it doesn't then at least you tried it.

 

[revhtree]

Let's please try to keep things from getting personal. Facts are good, and so are opinions just give them in a broader view, and without calling names. Thanks.

 

[fishfreek]

The plain and simple is if you are lucky to have a good quality source of water at the tap then by all means use it. If you can invest in a RO/DI unit then thats just one less variable you have to potentally contend with. Cyano and hair algae will exist in tanks with excess nutrent levels. These nutrents can come from any place, tap water is just one potental source but by all means is not the only source.

Honestly I would trust a RO/DI machine in some store less than I would a home RO/DI unit. At least you know how often the membranes are changed in a home unit and you can test the TDS before the potental for contamination by the storage vessle.

 

[steve-s]

Best bet is to test.. Heck if it tests good then you just saved a boat load of money.. If it doesn't then at least you tried it.

How do you go about testing for the #1 cause of cyano, organic PO4?
As far as testing your tap water I would agree but it's what you can't test for that will eventually get you.

Cheers
Steve

 

[RocketSeason]

Sorry.. Biggest load of This portion of your post has been edited, it is in violation of the User Agreement. Further violations of the User Agreement could result in removal from our community. i've heard in years.. There are plenty of people out there, including myself that have reef tanks with tap water and suffer no problems... Everyone talks about Cyano and such.. yet people who even use RO/DI still can and have gotten Cyano.Some This portion of your post has been edited, it is in violation of the User Agreement. Further violations of the User Agreement could result in removal from our community. seem to thing tap water is the only cause of cyano and hair algae. Kinda sad if you ask me.

Biggest load of This portion of your post has been edited, it is in violation of the User Agreement. Further violations of the User Agreement could result in removal from our community. in years? Didn't pay to much attention to the democratic nominee for president this year huh?

anyways, I still stand by the whole "using ro/di water instead of tap water" thing. Your looking at about 33 cents a gallon if you buy it at wal-mart, and much less than that if you purchase your own home unit.

I don't drink tap water, and I sure wouldn't force my fish to swim around in it, ingest it, absorb it, etc.

 

[spongeynip]

I agree, the fish tank we had at school had tap water in it for about a month, then the water went crazy with bacterias and chemicals we had no way to test or treat, and it killed a very beautiful octopus. Plus the tap water in our city has trace amounts of copper that come from the treatment equipment, and it killed every invert in the tank. I can understand how finacial issues might be a problem, but i think it is worth it to have good water in a tank. Its really easy for me to get water, so i dont have much to say on that issue, because my lfs sells 5 gal. of ro/di saltwater for free to frequent visitors as long as you pay an $8 first time deposit on the jug. And after 1 year with the school tank, and 2 months with my own, there has never once been a problem with the water.

Hope your tank works out from a fellow beginner,
-Trent

 

[moejoephd]

 

[Edmonton Eskimo]

I will try to be nice 8O I have used tap water for a year now in my tank. It has nothing to do with money and everything to do with covenience. I like to have my water source right there. I know I could get an ro/di and I've heard alot of people say tapwater is secretly harming my tank I wonder about that. Don't get me wrong I've had algae problems in my tank but the cause was not my water. I mean most of us drink,cook and bathe in tapwater and we live for quite a long time so really how bad is it?

 

[steve-s]

I mean most of us drink,cook and bathe in tapwater and we live for quite a long time so really how bad is it?

You'd be suprised. While yours is not that bad at all, many others aren't so lucky.

City of Edmonton (<<PDF file it's on pg 18 )

Cheers
Steve