Is DIY tap water filter sufficient because i dont have R/O

[Key-tie]

I’m a big supporter of poly filter. I use it prophylactically in my own tank about twice a year just to catch anything that may be accumulating. It’s non scientific but I have had positive results from doing so.
Believe it or not my tank is very tech limited. It is similar to the type tank you’d see in the year 2000. I don’t dose anything, I don’t run ICP tests, I don’t use controllable leds, I don’t have any type of automated testing devices.

rodi water for water changes and top offs
Weekly water changes
Old school Venturi skimmer straight out of the 90’s
Calcium reactor
Fish food.
nothing else.
like I said I test alkalinity and phosphate weekly to ensure they are balanced and will make adjustments as needed to avoid encountering tip burn or zoox influenced dormancy.

Sound like you are in tune with your tanks needs by being able to observe when it is time to use a little extra with the poly filter.
Sounds well balanced also.
That is the fun of it for me, observing and balancing.
We are all here because we love our tanks.

 

[Key-tie]

For me personally I require very little to almsot no no top off water due to my tak setup. I have prebuild tank setup with hood 3 inches off water lelvel with small side hole for air. So the air that evaporates gets condensed on top and falls back in to the tank.
I also perosnally have no idea of water quality from Sri Lankan tap water. All I know is everyone in country and every LFS use the tap water after treating it for clorine. I perosnally never treated it and let water settle for months and use them.

That and always have a bag of carbon geting swaped every month or 2. (cleaning and mainly for smell of sea water)

So...you vasically use your hood as a condenser, off the water, to control your evaporation but still allow open air circulation...correct ?
Pretty savvy...

 

[SDK]

As long as i keep copper to the levels in the ocean, i should be fine...correct ??
Thats why there are heavy netal absorbing resins for most filter types.
If it builds up above what i need, i add a resin.
Should work in theory.

What is your plan for that? Are you going to spend money on a Hanna copper checker and constantly monitor this as you use top off water?

What about the other contaminants that you can’t monitor building up?

For what you are spending in time and money on Poly Filter pads electric, carbon and moving all this water around, you could just use an RO/DI filter and not put any of it in your tank in the first place.

 

[Key-tie]

I need to check my typing before i post.
Lol

 

[Key-tie]

What is your plan for that? Are you going to spend money on a Hanna copper checker and constantly monitor this as you use top off water?

What about the other contaminants that you can’t monitor building up?

For what you are spending in time and money on Poly Filter pads electric, carbon and moving all this water around, you could just use an RO/DI filter and not put any of it in your tank in the first place.

Dont you have to change the chambers in the RO unit ??
And the membrane ??
Thats a lot of poly filter...

 

[Key-tie]

What is your plan for that? Are you going to spend money on a Hanna copper checker and constantly monitor this as you use top off water?

What about the other contaminants that you can’t monitor building up?

For what you are spending in time and money on Poly Filter pads electric, carbon and moving all this water around, you could just use an RO/DI filter and not put any of it in your tank in the first place.

I never once said i didnt test...
I said i didnt use RO

 

[SDK]

So you are going to constantly monitor copper in your display tank? With what testing method?

Again, what about the other listed contaminants that you can’t test for?

RO membranes are about $25 and are good for up to 3 years and thousands of gallons of water. You will spend that in a few months or less changing out poly filters and not get as good results.

 

[Bpb]

Dont you have to change the chambers in the RO unit ??
And the membrane ??
Thats a lot of poly filter...

correct there is maintenance cost involved

for transparency
Me:
Used spectrapure 4 stage unit = $100
Membrane replaced typically every 3-4 years $50
Carbon, sediment, and DI resin replaced 2x a year: $70 annually.

 

[Key-tie]

So you are going to constantly monitor copper in your display tank? With what testing method?

Again, what about the other listed contaminates that you can’t test for?

RO membranes are about $25 and are good for up to 3 years and thousands of gallons of water. You will spend that in a few months or less changing out poly filters and not get as good results.

Then i guess thats why you use it.
I said earlier in the thread i do not believe it is necessary to strip the water down to nothing to build it back up again.
I like to retain the qualities of the freshwater, and only try to remove what humans add.
Thats why i do not use RO.

 

[Reesj]

So...you vasically use your hood as a condenser, off the water, to control your evaporation but still allow open air circulation...correct ?
Pretty savvy...

Yes. It is a custom tank from Sun Sun. Only downside is the room for lights. For that I use a custom build light set.
I also use sort of poly filter pads.
BTW for me a whole sheet of poly filters about 1meter by 1 meter cost around $3. I have been using it for over 3 months now and mroe than half of it still left.
For my setup I don't think I spend even $10 on maintance(except electricicty bills).

 

[Bpb]

Yes. It is a custom tank from Sun Sun. Only downside is the room for lights. For that I use a custom build light set.
I also use sort of poly filter pads.
BTW for me a whole sheet of poly filters about 1meter by 1 meter cost around $3. I have been using it for over 3 months now.
For my setup I don't think I spend even $10 on maintance.

Are you referring to polyester stuffing? Or the actual metal absorbing resin pads. Polyfilter being the brand name

 

[Key-tie]

If you have a 4 - 6 chamber unit for RO...thats a whole lot of poly filter and carbon.

 

[Reesj]

Are you referring to polyester stuffing? Or the actual metal absorbing resin pads. Polyfilter being the brand name

Not the brand name, just the filter pads used for mechanical filteration. I guess those are not called poly filters then

 

[Key-tie]

correct there is maintenance cost involved

for transparency
Me:
Used spectrapure 4 stage unit = $100
Membrane replaced typically every 3-4 years $50
Carbon, sediment, and DI resin replaced 2x a year: $70 annually.

And if you're in an area where water quality demands it, then it makes total sense.

 

[Reesj]

If you check now even 1st page, so many people with RO water and 0 TDS water talking about GHA and inital tank algae phases.
I personally have 0 algae issues so far and no initial algae problems (Except a bit of diatoms my snails took care of in 2 days)
I think my trick was the DIY Algae scrubber.

 

[Key-tie]

If you check now even 1st page, so many people with RO water and 0 TDS water talking about GHA and inital tank algae phases.
I personally have 0 algae issues so far and no initial algae problems (Except a bit of diatoms my snails took care of in 2 days)
I think my trick was the DIY Algae scrubber.

I may actually try your condenser hood idea on the hawaiian reef tank i am starting.
After thinking about it, im intrigued...lol.
I just got done building the stand for it a week or so ago.
Should easily support the 1200 - 1500 pounds i need it to.
Cost me $85 to make.

 

[Reesj]

For me it works great also as we have quite humid air. So the amount of air geting absorbed in to the air is also quite low. So I have never so far toped off water(Maybe 0.5 gallon water evaporation per week max from 60gallon) except water change water additions every week to make it around to same level.

 

[Key-tie]

I used two, 8 foot, 4x4 posts.
Cut them to 30", giving me 3 legs per post.
Two sheets of 3/4 inch plywood, cut to 3' x 6'... Glued and screwed for a 1.5 inch thick top.
Very inexpensive...and i should be able to park a car on it.

 

[Reesj]

Lol yep it looks very sturdy. Make sure to use few layers of water proof paint.

 

[Key-tie]

Lol yep it looks very sturdy. Make sure to use few layers of water proof paint.

Absolutely...
Sealed with coats of outdoor polyurethane.