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mike3epanda

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
May 28, 2007
Messages
228
Location
WA
:( I haven't thought about it but do I really need to get a RO/DI system?...

is there a subsitute thing I can do so I don't have to spend $300 on one?

thanks
 
mike3epanda said:
is there a subsitute thing I can do so I don't have to spend $300 on one?

thanks

First of all you can get them on ebay for about 100 dollars. And yes a substitute would be going to the store or LFS and getting it. You`re better off spending the 100 dollars and make it at home.
 
water quality is one place you don't want to go cheap here..... Think of all the time and money you spend to get the tank running and after a few months your tank starts to grow this thick green hair algae and it takes over the tank.
Then you will be saying Damn I should have listened to those guys....
and drinking the RO water is great.
 
The RO/DI unit I got from the US Based FilterDirect company on ebay (there's apparently a Canadian company trying to captialize on FD's success), is great. I would recommend it to anyone. I've had no problems with it and it continues to serve 0-1TDS water after way longer than I would have imagined!

I would consider that 100$ well spent. You don't need the storage tank either, for the purposes of filling a tank.

Most LFS will sell RO/DI for 1$/g but around here it is mixed to 1.019 rather than 1.025 I run my tank at.
 
thanks... I'll try to find one.. but does using tap water really matter that much?
 
Yes it does. Tap water varies from place to place but it will have ammonia , chlorine, chlomines, and heavy metals in most tap water. You can ask your county or city for a detailed study of your water. The study of my tap water in my county says on it not suitable for aquariums. As Seaham said it will cause nuisance algea problems and you`ll wish you had.
 
I haven't thought about it but do I really need to get a RO/DI system?...

is there a subsitute thing I can do so I don't have to spend $300 on one?

Ahhh...water. One of the most often overlooked componets of starting a new tank. Funny, since this is what goes IN the new tank. I cannot underestimate the importance of using a high quality water in your tank. RO/DI water will greatly reduce the amount of chemicals, heavy metals and TDS you introduce into your tank. To get started, you can certainy buy your water from the LFS. This will help save the start-up costs. However, for long term ease, you should really look into a RO/DI system for your home. There are many inexpensive models out there as Mike mentioned. I use a unit from www.thefilterguys.biz and am very happy with it.

Ohh...BTW...did I mention just how important water is???
 
i just checked at my LFS and they sell them for $10 per 5 gallon :(... what a rip off!!... I guess i have to get one now, but is 2 stage filter goodm enough?
 
That must be for SW instead of FW. FW should only run you about 50 cents a gal. As far as the filter goes...look for a at least a four stage unit and make sure it has a DI membrane and DI resin stage. A two stage will just not give you what you need.
 
when I got water at a LFS it was $1 a gal for fresh.
And you want a Micron filter then carbon then Ro membrane and at least 1 stage DI resin.
Do a search for ro/di or water filters and there should be plenty of posts on them.
 
When I first started my tank, I used tap water, that was a big mistake. I never realized I should test the tap water. It turns out that my water from the tap has nitrates in it. So each time I did a partial change, I was dumping nitrates into the tank. Then I used to buy the pre made salt water in the 5 gallon jugs. After time, that adds up. I then bought a RO system and it is by far the best thing to do. I also purchased mine on ebay.
 
mike3epanda said:
... I guess i have to get one now, but is 2 stage filter good enough?

Well... I suppose it's better than using nothing at all and using straight tap water. But with how much money you're eventually going to end up with in this tank, is "good enough" really what you want to start out with?

I understand you're on a budget - I've followed your other posts. You can have a saltwater tank really cheap - no problem. Skip the skimmer, skimp on live rock, use tap water with cheap salt, only change water every couple months, and don't buy test kits but instead rely on how agitated your fish look. Plenty of folks do it. But you end up with something that becomes so frustratingly time-consuming as you battle one problem to the next, that you'll most likely give it up in under a year as being "too much hassle" and assume that saltwater tanks truly are impossible like they're often made out to be.


Hopefully I'm not coming off as preachy or condescending, but you really need to ask yourself why you want this tank. While there are a lot of ways to save money in setting up a tank (DIY skimmers, second-hand equipment, etc...) doing it "on the cheap" will not save you money in the long run.

The good folks before my post speak the truth - water is the main ingredient! Even in my area (Western Washington), where we have absolutely awesome water, I wouldn't think about putting it straight from the tap into my tank. I started out with minimal filtration (a Kold Steril unit, not RO... but don't go that route if you're looking for cheap!) and tested the filtered water. At the time, there were no nitrates in it. But about 3 months after the tank was going, nitrates started showing up in my source water. I ended up adding a DI unit inline with the Kold Steril to get me back to 0 nitrates. Point is... I should've started that way because it was silly of me to think my water chemistry would always stay the same. I now don't have to worry about what my water company is doing behind my back because my water is consistant batch to batch - because it's pure. Consistancy is one of the keys to this hobby, and consistant water leaves you one less thing to worry about.

PS... the filter media in the Kold Steril units are pretty much the same thing as poly-filters which change color as they suck up the contaminants. The color depends on what it's taking out of the water. Mine are turning a nice shade of blue, which means it's taking copper out of my water. Copper is a big no-no if you're considering any corals. There's more in water than just nitrates, ammonia, and phospates... just an FYI.
 
i know this might sound stupid but i'm gonna ask it anyways..

does boiling tap water get rid of nitrate? I know t wont 't get rid of heavy metals & other dilluted solids but will it even help at all if I boil it? also I want to know the info on my state tap water and i live in WA... can't find an article about it
 
No. Boiling doesn't do anything but kill some bacteria. (Unless you're talking distillation.)

Contact your local water agency - whoever you pay your water bill to. I believe they are mandated by the Feds to have annual water quality test results available. I *thought* they also had to send them to you, but am probably wrong on that account. However... I wouldn't take those reports to the bank. They only have to test once a year - and they get to pick when they test. That one test for that one day is what they give you for results. Plus, that doesn't mean those are the results for your subsystem within your neighborhood or house.
 
mike3epanda said:
i know this might sound stupid but i'm gonna ask it anyways..

does boiling tap water get rid of nitrate? I know t wont 't get rid of heavy metals & other dilluted solids but will it even help at all if I boil it? also I want to know the info on my state tap water and i live in WA... can't find an article about it

There is NO way to cut corners on water quality.... PERIOD
If you want to try your luck with your tap water then go for it... ( which it looks like you want to do)
In the end its your tank and you will do what you want with it. Forget looking for a water report get a RO/DI or just use the tap.

And there is no such thing as a stupid question in this hobby......
 
A DI alone will do just fine and save you some waste water in the process. If this is for a newly set up tank, no livestock, there would be no harm in experimentation in just using tap.
 
YES... I am just going to start this... (no cycle yet) NEW TANK... so it's ok to use tap in the beginning?... and get RO/DI for PWC later on?
 
Well, like others have said it can depend on your water source. From a personal standpoint, I have always used tap and never had any problems with algae knowing that the water source isn't up to par; however, it works for me. Since this is a brand new tank, there should be no reason why you could not experiment with tap and purchase a di unit down the line when funding is more available to you.
 
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