R/O water versus tap water

[Thomashtom]

Hi if you are only running a FOWLER tank do you need to use R/O water or could you use tap water? I have been using R/O water for years but a LFS owner told me it is not necessary. My tap water tests ok. I have been having problems with my R/O even after changing all the cartridges about 2 weeks ago. It is putting out high nitrates and i need to do a water change like tomorrow. Thanks Tom

 

[sfin52]

I use tap for my fowlr never had a problem. Make sure you are using a additive to remove chloramine and chlorine. I suggest prime.

 

[AquaFX-PB]

Or you could remove the Chlorine with a carbon filter vs adding additive or chemicals to clean the water.. always my preferred approach, you can run just a sediment and carbon without the RO membrane (since it sounds like you already have the system)

 

[S-t-r-e-t-c-h]

Hi if you are only running a FOWLER tank do you need to use R/O water or could you use tap water? I have been using R/O water for years but a LFS owner told me it is not necessary. My tap water tests ok. I have been having problems with my R/O even after changing all the cartridges about 2 weeks ago. It is putting out high nitrates and i need to do a water change like tomorrow. Thanks Tom

Test your nitrates on your tap water, because there shouldn't be nitrates coming through the membrane (and it's for sure not adding them). Bypassing the RO isn't going to make your nitrate lower...

 

[jsker]

I use tap for my fowlr never had a problem. Make sure you are using a additive to remove chloramine and chlorine. I suggest prime.

+1 did the same when is ran my FOWLER

 

[sfin52]

Chlorine is removed by time as well just leave the water sit for 24 hrs and the chlorine should be gone

Chloramines is chlorine combined with ammonia. It stays in the water for a long time. Reason why many municipalities have switched to chloramines. That is why I suggest a product to make the water safe. Prime takes care of both chlorine and chloramines.

 

[Myk]

If you have the ability to use RO water I would recommend it. Unless there is pressing reason not to.

If you are on a town source and not a well you may very well be dealing with Chloramine as well as Phosphates added to the water. This will eventually lead to algae issues and high Phosphate levels can have long term negative effects even on the fish.

More importantly, who knows what else is in the water? Better off to just start with 0 TDS and let your salt mix add the stuff you want in a controlled fashion. Besides, a lot of salt mixes now are formulated to be used with RO/DI water anyway.

 

[Mark Derail]

Had to look that up - Fish Only With Live Rock - so no corals.

In the first few months, before adding corals, I used tap (city) and had constant algae blooms. Cyano too. Used Prime and let sit a few hours with agitation.
When I went RODI, all that went away. Just the occasional green algae on the glass that faces Sun-up in the morning.

What about shrimps? They might be sensitive to the metals in the tap water. The house here has all copper piping.

 

[sfin52]

Fowlr is just that no inverts. So tap is fine. Just make sure you use a product like prime. My tank is fine no loss of fish because of using tap tank is two yrs old.

 

[Myk]

Agreed. Tap water can be fine in many cases. Just RO/DI is a safer bet and keeps you from having to add chemicals on top of chemicals to detoxify.

 

[Thomashtom]

Thank you for your help. I do have nitrates in my tap water roughly 80 ppm which i think is really high. Called local water district and having it tested. So it looks like i have to get another membrane or R/O filter,

 

[40B Knasty]

Or you could remove the Chlorine with a carbon filter vs adding additive or chemicals to clean the water.. always my preferred approach, you can run just a sediment and carbon without the RO membrane (since it sounds like you already have the system)

Prime is proven to be safe. What you are doing is adding chloramine or chlorine into your tank and removing it over time, but your fish are still breathing and living in it. Which is horribly not safe for a fish. Then you add more in during a weekly water change. So technically why bother running a carbon if you are technically running a tank filled with chloramine 24/7. Plus carbon gets exhausted a lot faster than you think.
Think about this. A person with a carbon reactor replaces it every 3 weeks and those are filled with 10x the amount of a carbon bag. 3 weeks ÷ 1 carbon bag that is 10xless than a reactor = an exhausted bag after 4 days.
You mention adding chemicals, but fail to understand that those chemicals are there to take the worst one out. That you are leaving in.