1st Tank Fill

[Wretch]

When doing the first fill to check for leaks does it matter if you use tap water or ro/di?

[craigwmiller]

It doesn't really matter no, but I'll pose a couple thoughts:


- if it doesn't leak, do you plan to empty, rinse, and then re-fill?

- it also may makes a difference if you are filling a 30 gallon tank vs a 300 gallon tank - and you plan to empty it after the test, you might be wasting more water than necessary with rodi (and the 300 will be harder to rinse out too)

[FishyFishy!]

I generally use RO/DI. I have rarely had to drain it because of a leak. Usually (if your plumbing is done right) you can remove that section of plumbing using unions and valves without having to drain the entire tank. This gives you the option to fix the leak, re-test, and then add salt without wasting water.

If you are just testing the tank seams for leaks (if you don't run an overflow system) I would still use RO/DI and risk the having to drain it factor.

However if you are not planning on setting the tank up for a while after your leak test.... I wouln't bother wasting the RO/DI water. Just use tapwater if you plan on draining it anyways.

[Wretch]

Thanks guys maybe I will wait to fill the tank. I still need to make a light bracket and attach it to the backside of the stand and put a gfci in. Once I get that stuff done I will fill with ro/di then just add salt if everything is good. Save myself some work. Thanks again.