Water

[Slimy]

I am in the process of learning about a planted tank, I need help! I have decided to go from a predominantly fish oriented aquarium to a more balanced environment, with plants and a few fish. Which water is the easiest, cheapest and over all most practical for water changes? I have a "Tap Water Purifier". My favorite store sell and promotes R/O water. This seems the best, I have full control over the chemical state. R/O water can be expensive, they want .50 cent a gallon. I can get Distilled water for about half the price. The distilled water seems to be the same pure composition as the R/O. Is this correct? If so, water is only about ten bucks a week, minus all the fertilizer, trace elements and hardening agents. Or am I going in the wrong direction? Any other advice would be appreciated, I've read a few books and now I only know enough to kill a lot of plants and fish!

[Godslayer]

Well in most cases tap water is perfectly fine. You need to get a few test kits; kH and gH, and pH. No need to spend absurd amounts of money on H20. Your tap water is most likely fine.

Other than that the world is your oyster. This is a great site, so feel free to ask whatever questions you have.

Bob

[Richer]

Do you have any specific reasons to use R/O water? If not, why spend extra money when its not needed? Tap water in most cases will do just fine. On top of that R/O water is 95% pure (I think?). Keeping that in mind, it will have little or no buffering capacity, little or none trace elements, etc. You are going to need to add things to the water to keep its buffering capacity up, and other minierals up, and in the end will probably cost you more. Having a decent buffering capacity in your tank is even more important when you inject CO2. Without a good kh level, your tank will be even more prone to pH swings, which is more destructive, than a "perfect" pH level.
I believe your LFS is misinformed. If I remember correctly, distilled water is actually more pure than R/O water (at 99% I believe). If anything, distilled should cost more.

In a nut shell, unless you have super special needs, go with tap water.

HTH
-Richer

[Slimy]

My tap water sucks! PH is 7, high in NH3, 1.5 mg/L. Today the NO3 wasn't too bad, around 12.5mg/L, I've seen it between 50 & 100 mg/L! I've never paid too much attention to GH, KH, dH or *dCH, I've had Oscars and Red Hooks for the past four years. All plastic plants, now pieces. My "Tap Water Purifier" doesn't even get rid of all the NH3, that's why I question it's effectiveness with plants. Not to mention Water hardness, this is a whole new field for me. I will have to get these test kits and a few more that detect elements according to what i've read.

[carpguy]

You have ammonia in your tap? Could this be from chloramine (anyone?)?
Having a little nitrate isn't necessarily a bad thing -- people add NO3 to planted tanks: its a nutrient for the plants. The NH3 will get used by the plants as well, but I'm surprised its in your tap. GH and KH are both important as well, although with a pH at 7 your probably not in bad shape there, at least as far as KH. (I think dH and dCH are the same as GH and KH, different expressions). Except forthe ammonia, its good water. With the RO or distilled you'll need to rebuild all this stuff, which seems to me like a lot of effort (and money) being spent to little effect. You'd be stripping the stuff out and then adding it back in. People use RO or distilled for specific purposes; for instance, they're trying to soften excessively hard water. If you don't need to, I wouldn't. Save the money and buy more tanks :D .

[plantbrain]

You might want to try CO2 and use the tap water.
This is cheaper than using RO.
RO water does not grow plants.
CO2 will provide a great deal of growth to most every planted aquarium.
Consider this:
Why remove the KH/GH only to have to add it back again?
Do you enjoy testing and making up batched of water with a certain KH and GH?
You gain nothing from this.

I know the test kits you have is not very accurate based on the measurements you have given.

Try this:
Call you local water company up. Ask them for the PO4, NO3 and the alkalinity(KH) and also the Total hardness as CaCO3.
Their measurements are often quite accurate although they do vary some depending on location and season etc.

I bet the tap water has very little NH3.

That amount of NH3 would kill all aquatic life(1.5ppm), eg 0.5ppm will kill trout etc and a number of other fish.
Bad stuff.

I also doubt the measurements indicating anything above 45ppm of NO3.

Federal levels in the USA and most places keep it at 45ppm or less as a matter of public health and law.

So find out what the KH is, measure the pH and see what your CO2 is.

Use the tap water and spend the $ on the CO2.
Don't assume your tap sucks etc. I've only seen one case where the person needed to use RO and that's out of 1000's.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[wetmanNY]

carpguy hit it with the source of ammonia you test in your tapwater: chloramines! Your dechlorinator will break the ammonia/chlorine bond, neutralize the Cl and free the NH3 for your plants. There ya go!

Your alkalinity ("KH" or "carbonate" hardness) is the important thing. Your pH will be fine.

[Slimy]

I called the water treatment plant today and I was told that they do add ammonia to the water. He said the water should be 1.0ppm but my LFS and I got 1.5ppm. I ran my water through a brand new "Tap Water Purifier" and I got all zero readings except for NO2 which was 0.1mg N/Liter. My NO3 levels go off the scale in a few days if I just use tap water, and in my new set up, 55 gal, NO3 is at 30ppm. I guess I will be paying for my water weather it is 50 cent a gallon for RO, .58 cent a gallon for distilled, and the "Tap Water Purifier" cartridge is $35 each. I don't know how many gallons the " Tap Water Purifer" will end up making. I'll post it when I find out. THANKS for all the help! These discussions really help me figure out what is going on with my situation here! Once again THANKS!!!

WER

[Godslayer]

Guy listen to what people are telling you. Your tap water is fine. The plants will eat up NO2, NO3, and NH4. It won't be a problem. Make sure you put enough plants in to soak up all the nitrogen products.

Bob