Hello everyone im new to saltwater and it seems i have a question for every little step. Please bear with me.I have been trying to research my tap water and found this site http://www.whittierch.org/pdfs/WQ2004.pdf with a table with everything in my tap. But i have no clue as to what any of this means, if its good or bad. If anyone could take a look and translate it would be nice before i start dumping water. Thank you so much
Tap Water???
- Thread starter RHINO13
- Start date
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lando
Aquarium Advice Addict
Welcome to AquariumAdvice.com!!! 
that report is from 2004 and may not reflect current water conditions. Tap water does vary from place to place, city vs. well, etc. Any city treated water will have heavy metals and chemicals added. The best advice I can give is to look into an RO/DI unit for your tank. This will produce 99.99% pure water, regardless of tap quality. When I first started in this hobby I thought people were crazy for suggesting a RO/DI unit. I have come to find it is one of the single best investments you can make for your tank. There are several sites available online to purchase these. Some of our sponors carry them as well as ebay. I also like www.thefilterguys.biz
that report is from 2004 and may not reflect current water conditions. Tap water does vary from place to place, city vs. well, etc. Any city treated water will have heavy metals and chemicals added. The best advice I can give is to look into an RO/DI unit for your tank. This will produce 99.99% pure water, regardless of tap quality. When I first started in this hobby I thought people were crazy for suggesting a RO/DI unit. I have come to find it is one of the single best investments you can make for your tank. There are several sites available online to purchase these. Some of our sponors carry them as well as ebay. I also like www.thefilterguys.biz
I agree that you need an RO/DI unit. Tap is loaded with lots of chems that your tank does not need. EBay has alot of good deals. Here is one I found earlier
http://cgi.ebay.com/6-stage-Reverse...4QQihZ002QQcategoryZ20684QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/6-stage-Reverse...4QQihZ002QQcategoryZ20684QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Thanks for the fast reply, I have checked into those RO/DI units and im a little low on money(thanks lfs). So my next question would be.Can i fill my tank with distilled water(cheaper than a RO/DI unit right now)and when i get the money buy an RO/DI unit and use the water it produces for future water changes/top off? Thanks so much for all the info.
oh by the way it is only 46 gal.
oh by the way it is only 46 gal.
ellisz
Aquarium Advice Addict
RO/DI units can be found on ebay for around $50-150 depending on what you want. I have read on some of the store units not have the correct filter changes and having horrible TDS readings. Plus the convenience factor was a biggee for me. I am sure distilled will be better than tap but not as good as RO/DI.
Sadielynn
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
- Messages
- 1,835
I have used distilled since I started ... with out problem ....
I have since switched over to catalina h20 and distilled for top offs ...
buckeye field supplies have RO/DI units that are good prices ...Most municipalities add stuff like clorine , and flouride to the water and many other things .... so go with distilled or RO/DI if possible .....
I have since switched over to catalina h20 and distilled for top offs ...
buckeye field supplies have RO/DI units that are good prices ...Most municipalities add stuff like clorine , and flouride to the water and many other things .... so go with distilled or RO/DI if possible .....
