garden hose...

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guitarded

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Sep 4, 2004
Messages
204
Location
Hawaii
i am leak checking my new tank. since the tank is located near my back patio, i used the garden hose to fill the tank and i am letting it sit for a couple hours to leak check it (btw, is 2 or 3 hours enough for the leak test).

anyway, it came to mind that if the tank passes its leak test, instead of draining the water, i could just mix my ocean salt and begin its life as a SW tank.

so my question is... is water from the garden hose a bad thing? i don't have an RO unit and i am using novaqua to clear my water. should i emtpy out the water and get water straight from the faucet (sans hose)?

i don't have any life ready for the tank yet. i will, of course, still need to cycle.
 
oh, btw... i used a garden hose for my FW tanks for years and never had any problems.
 
I would get a "special fish hose" Buy a new one and only use it for the tank. they also have hoses for RV use that are better than a regular garden hose.
 
for now, however, do you think it would be alright to just go ahead and add my sea salt with the water i have. the tank is absolutely empty for now.
 
I've done it in the past with no problems. I let the hose run in the yard for a while to flush out old water before i put it in the tank.
 
I've done it in the past with no problems. I let the hose run in the yard for a while to flush out old water before i put it in the tank.
the problem with the hose it that bacteria can build in it if the hose is left with some water in it. rinse well and empty the hose every time
 
Actually, the biggest reason not to use a garden hose is the fact that many have ANTI-bacterial chemicals in the rubber to keep bacteria from forming in the hose. Since a SW tanks cycle is highly depended on the bacteria forming and colonizing the substrate/rocks, IMO, you would be much better off draining the tank and re-filling it with a bucket brigade or, as mentioned above, an RV "safe for drinking water" hose. (it should be clearly labeled as such)

JMO. And yes, a few hours is plenty of time to check for leaks. If you have cause for concern, let it sit overnight.
 
but if you were to fill it to do leak test you would not want it in the house on the carpet. right? just in case it did leak. so yo would want to do it out side and then do your leak test and then pump it in to some thing like a trash can then move the tank and then refill it.

you could always use the wtare to water soime plants around the house or water the yard too.
 
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