i'm a virgin help!

Using your tap water for changes is always an iffy thing and is really specific to the place you live and the quality of water you get there. I know of people who are able to use their tap water (after treating it ofcourse). I'd recommend testing your water for ALL chemicals that might affect the tank. If they check out reasonablty ok, you might be alright. If the parameters do not check out, I'd strongly suggest against it cos it will create all sorts of problems in your tank.

One thing you could do since there's no places for you to buy water at is to invest in a Reverse Osmosis (RO) unit. You can get one for about $150-200 here in the U.S. Once put through the RO unit, you should be able to use your tap water.

You will of course, need to buy the salt for the water and get the right mixture together for use in the tank. If you're not familiar with the quantities, I'd recommend reading up on the subject thoroughly.

Cheers!
Yash
 
I live in the UK the same you, and i brought my 50 Gallon per day Reverse Osmosis unit for £55 on Ebay..Absolute bargain..So, i would certainly recomend buying one..I really would not trust the tap water here in the UK as they put so many chemicals into here to meet standards and regulations..

This company do some very good priced RO units..You will need a minimum of 3 stage but preferably 4 because the more chemicals you can get out of the water the better..

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/First-Stop-Aquatics-ltd

Hope this helps

Niko
 
right, i'll test the water(tap water) on sunday after i buy a better test kit.
is there any other way around the water? ie,bottle water?
 
on the issue of bottled water, i could not tell you to be honest...I dont know of anybody in the UK who has used it for a tank...But, i dont see why not, as long as its 100% aqua...

Keep me informed of your test results Princess please

Sorry i cant be of any more help on the bottled water side

NIko
 
Using bottled water is a really iffy thing for the following reasons:

1. The plant where the grocery store might get their distilled water from might not use the best of technology to get the water distilled. A lot of the distillation plants use copper pipes, which leaches copper into the water, this making it deadly for any inverts you might have in your tank.

2. Some so-called spring water bottles simply contain artesian well water or filtered tap water, and can contain lots of phosphates.

Simply put, bottled water may contain some trace elements that you don't want in your tank, and at the same time, it might be missing some, for example calcium. So, until you do a thorough test for all the elements in the water and see if the water checks out, I wouldn't recommend using bottled water.

Besides, the most important reason for not using bottled water, in my opinion, is the costs involved. The price you'll end up paying for GOOD QUALITY water that meets all the param/element criteria, will more than likely be pretty expensive. With weekly water changes, these costs can add up quickly, thus making an initial one time investment in an RO/DI unit a much more logical decision.

Let us know how things go for you.

Cheers!
Yash
 
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Princess...i have been doing some research on bottled water here in the UK to help you out..And to be honest, there is not many at that can be used as about 95% have been put through copper piping and the other 5% is really not cost effective...Its a major gamble that really is not worth taking...If i was in your shoes, i would hold back a little bit on setting up the tank, save a little money and buy an RO unit..You will be sure then that the water you are going to be using will not have any pollutants in it, which lead to terrible algae blooms, which lead to sleepless nights...

Niko
 
How easy or hard is it to install a RO unit. Do you get full easy to understand instructions, its just i'am not really a plumbing man, but i will have a go. I really went one of these units but the plumbing side kind of puts me off.
 
YothereYo...

Its an absolute doddle matey..First off, you need to see what comes with the RO unit..Some come with a pipe clamp others come with a standard garden hose connector, like the hoses we use on an outside tap..

The clamp version..Really simple to install..Simply pick the location where its going to be installed, get some fine sand paper and sand any paint of the water pipe so that it is back to bear metal, wrap the clamp around the pipe and tighten with a screw driver then simply twist the tap slowly untill it self peirces the pipe, connect up the RO unit as per instructions and away you go..I dont know the first thing about plumbing, but it was so easy..

The hose connector type..Even easier, you just screw it onto a garden tap, connect up the RO unit and turn on the water...

Now then, when i brought mine, it only came with the garden tap connection..So, i went to B&Q and they sell a water pipe clamp for £5:70, buy this, install it as above and screw the the RO units garden type connector onto this...

Buy all means, when you do buy one and are not sure how to install it..PM me, i will give you my telephone number and i will happily talk you through installing it..or even if you want me to just talk you through over the phone first before you buy it...Its not a problem

Hope this helps

Niko
 
bloody hell, it sounds so easy. I thought i might need some sort off plumbing degree, you know like i have to take the sink out or somthing lol. I live about five mins from a B&Q, so thats handy. Do you think the clamp version would work on a plastic pipe and would the hose connector hook up to a standard kittchen tap. I have even heard of hooking these things to a washing machine outlet, is this true casue that will be handy too. Also (sorry for all the questions) how do you collect the water or where is it stored, do you have some sort of on/off switch to when you dont want to use it.
Thanks for the advice, as you can tell I have no understanding of these things. But you have been a great help.
 
i'm completely fuzed :girl: i'll do lots more reserch on RO i dont know what one looks like yet haha tho as you were explaining you metioned an outside tap which i don't have. is this a problem? :sad:
 
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