What kind of water

[IfoundNemo]

do you all use to cycle your new SW tank? Is it ok to use plain tab water , LR or must i use RO water so that it would be good for the corals?

 

[DeepCutta720]

from what ive read, using RO water could help lessen the possibility or severity of algea outbreaks ....

 

[MACATUA]

Alot of that is according to how your tap water is locally.

 

[seafan]

Use RO water it will save you headaches in the long run.

 

[IfoundNemo]

Is it ok to use 50% tab water,and 50% SW from another already established tank to cycle my new 75 gal tank?

 

[seaham358]

Using someone else's water will not help, actually it may hurt if they have something in there water. beneficial Bacteria is grown on surfaces not suspended in the water. If they had cured LR that would help.
Using any tap water can hurt the system if your tap water is bad, contains nitrates, phosphates, heavy metals etc. IMO RO or RO/DI or Kold sterile water is the only way to go. All it takes is using bad water once to cause headaches

 

[sjdraper]

What is the feeling on distilled water? I'm in an apartment and hubby is going crazy with the tanks. RO/DI doesn't seem like its an option right now, and the stocks at Kmart will be going sky high soon with us buying the distilled gallon jugs of water.

Thanks.

 

[MT79]

What is the feeling on distilled water?

I think it is ok. But overtime an RO unit may end up saving you money. I have heard of some distilled brands of water-I'm not sure which ones- that contain small amounts of ammonia. Be sure to test it before adding it to your tank.

 

[loganj]

I agree...distilled water is fine, but it will get expensive on anything larger than a nano size tank. I maintain a 180 reef at an eyecare center. It evaporates about 3.5 gal per day. I change about 40 gallons every two weeks. They also use about 2-3 gallons per day in their sterilizers. After comparing the cost of their RO/DI unit, filter changes for the first year, and the labor costs for me to install and maintain it against the cost of the distilled water they were buying, they saved about $200.00 the first year. Their savings for the second year would be in the $500.00 range making the RO unit a worthwhile investment. I really doubt you would use that much water, but if you consider it long term, an RO unit will save you money...not to mention the headaches involved with buying, transporting, and storing the distilled water. JMHO .

 

[sjdraper]

Thanks for the advise. We only have 3 tanks 20, 20, and 29 gallon and need wavemakers and such so I think we will stick to the distilled water for awhile.

Like to thank you for the heads up about checking for ammonia. The simplest things that we should be thinking about is so far away from our thoughts.