I live in Louisville and there is one here. I have not contacted them yet. What are the water parameters I need to look for?
Tap Water
- Thread starter TheIrishJedi
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I live in Louisville and there is one here. I have not contacted them yet. What are the water parameters I need to look for?
To the best of my limited knowledge, you want as low a TDS as possible, I've overheard 60 or less is acceptable, depending on the person using it 
As long as you test nothing for Silicates and hopefully nothing for Phosphates (make sure it's tested with a low end phosphates test), you COULD be okay using tap water. A lot more people use tap water and won't admit it for reasons like this, you'll be labeled a sinner!
Goodluck!
As long as you test nothing for Silicates and hopefully nothing for Phosphates (make sure it's tested with a low end phosphates test), you COULD be okay using tap water. A lot more people use tap water and won't admit it for reasons like this, you'll be labeled a sinner! Goodluck!
If you're going to try using tap water, you'll also want to have it tested for metals. Copper is especially detrimental, but there's other metals that aren't ideal to have building up in a marine tank over time, either (most of which are hopefully undetectable in a drinking water supply).
I guess I'll never understand why anyone takes chances using tap water... Reefkeeping is not a particularly cheap hobby. I don't understand the reasoning behind spending hundreds or thousands of dollars to set up and stock a nice tank, only to go cheap on the water. RO/DI units are pretty inexpensive to purchase and maintain, and put the control of the water quality in one's own hands instead of relying on others to do the right thing. Municipal drinking water systems have failures and find themselves putting out water that doesn't meet all of the drinking water standards from time to time (it's hopefully rare, but happens nonetheless). By the time the word gets out (usually a public notice is issued, but it can be weeks or months later, especially if it wasn't a threat to human health), the less than ideal water has already made its way into the tank. In all but the most extreme cases, a RO/DI unit can correct for any inadequacies in a municipal drinking water supply (or well water). In a case where the tap water TDS is already very low, there's even an additional benefit... the operating costs will be considerably lower over time compared to someone operating one that has much higher TDS. Lower incoming TDS means the RO membrane and DI resin will require much less frequent replacement.
I guess I'll never understand why anyone takes chances using tap water... Reefkeeping is not a particularly cheap hobby. I don't understand the reasoning behind spending hundreds or thousands of dollars to set up and stock a nice tank, only to go cheap on the water. RO/DI units are pretty inexpensive to purchase and maintain, and put the control of the water quality in one's own hands instead of relying on others to do the right thing. Municipal drinking water systems have failures and find themselves putting out water that doesn't meet all of the drinking water standards from time to time (it's hopefully rare, but happens nonetheless). By the time the word gets out (usually a public notice is issued, but it can be weeks or months later, especially if it wasn't a threat to human health), the less than ideal water has already made its way into the tank. In all but the most extreme cases, a RO/DI unit can correct for any inadequacies in a municipal drinking water supply (or well water). In a case where the tap water TDS is already very low, there's even an additional benefit... the operating costs will be considerably lower over time compared to someone operating one that has much higher TDS. Lower incoming TDS means the RO membrane and DI resin will require much less frequent replacement.
If not already seen and more info is desired, here's several recent threads here on AC discussing RO/DI units -- why / what to look for in a RO/DI unit, some dos and don'ts, reputable suppliers, etc.:
Thread #1
Thread #2
Thread #3
Thread #4
Thread #5
Thread #6
as well as a couple links to info from other sites further explaining the reasons for using RO/DI:
RO/DI FAQ
RO/DI Article.
Thread #1
Thread #2
Thread #3
Thread #4
Thread #5
Thread #6
as well as a couple links to info from other sites further explaining the reasons for using RO/DI:
RO/DI FAQ
RO/DI Article.
How exactly was that post critical? All I saw was fsn's opinion stated politely, and then later some pertinent threads to back it up. I found the information to be quite helpful actually. Can you squeak by using tap water in a reef system? Sometimes. But sometimes it comes back to bite you in the butt. In fact, I've cheaped out and gotten lazy with my old nano reef tank and topped it off with treated tap water in the past (with Louisville water I might add, when I lived there), and it's not something I would ever do again. Hubby and I invested in an RO/DI unit with our 20 gallon reef and it's been 1000% worth every penny for the convenience and peace of mind. We're battling a lot less nuisance algae than I did before, and fish and invertibrate health is excellent. It's a simple cost/benefit analysis... this is an expensive hobby no matter what, and if you are going to spend the money on fish, coral, and other inverts, then you may as well spend the extra money to protect your investment.
JMO.
