Need some real world opinions

[DukeB]

Most of the stores in this city condone the use of tapwater in a reef tank. I recently had a salesman tell me to use tapwater with a conditioner (made by seachem--sorry I forgot the specific name). This goes against everything I have read so far (books, internet...). Is Edmonton tapwater okay for a reef tank?? Or should I be going with RO DI?
Thanks in advance
Duke

[EmilyB]

I don't know about Edmonton water, but make sure you don't use a conditioner with aloe vera.

[Beverly]

Duke,

Am using RO from a Kent unit purchased from J&L. Would never use tapwater in my reefs, though I know of some locals who do.

FWIW, here's Epcor's water quality reports:

http://www.epcor.ca/EPCOR+Companies/EPCOR+Water+Services/Water+Quality/Water+Quality+Reports/2003+Water+Quality+Summary+(Monthly).htm

Geez, that's some address :eek:

[DukeB]

Thanks for the input Beverly :biggrin:
The chemical was called seachem prime.

[Beverly]

Duke,

Have used Prime with tapwater in my FW tanks. For FW it's a great product. Still think you should go the extra mile and get an RO unit, though, no matter what lfs say.

[mark]

Had been using tap water with some cyano blooms on the sand. Switched to store bought RO a few months back, still will get a slight bit of cyano but much less.

[DukeB]

Again, thanks so much for the replies. When breaking in to any hobby, it is hard to distinguish between necessity and fad.
At home, we already drink bottled RO water. I know it isn't RO DI, but after some phone calls, faxes, and running my own tests the water seems to be good enough for now. Although it isn't going to be the most econimical solution, eventually, I will go out and purchase an RODI unit and be done with it.

[mnoll406]

Hey Dukeb,
Until I bought a RO/DI, I used storebought RO, then ran it through a tapwater purifier. worked quite well. Have RO/DI now and conductivity is lower, and I don't have to lug the bottles.

Mike

[robbyville]

Technically if you measure your tap water with a TDS then you will know if you absolutely need an RO/DI. apparently Vancouver comes in with a measure of between 2-14ppm. If it was always 2 then I would not bother with an RO machine. The downside of course is that if you get massive rain (like we have recently) it can affect the measure. As an example Whistler's water comes in at about 30ppm (Lots of silicate I guess since it is glacial fed). But recently it has been more like 70ppm!

I now use an RO/DI machine but for my first year in the hobby used tap water with no ill effects (Also no corals, just fish at that time).

Best,

Rob

[Trevor Robertson]

well I live in the west end and I use only tap water with a conditioner and have not had any problems although I don't have many (okay only 1) corals.

Just my 2 cents

[AI Man]

Hello Duke,

While I agree with many of the reefers here that RO/DI water is the most ideal setup, I would like to point out that there are successful reefers that do not use them. I do find the vast majority of "dream" reef aquariums do use them. Mind you these sytems usually have the best of all equipment.

The reason a sales person at a store may suggest a good water conditioner is that it is the bare minimum treatment for your water.

At our store we do recommend RO units for reef aquariums, and have them on many of the systems we install, but the reality is that not everyone is willing to purchase them for their system. If you are willing to purchase a RO/DI unit or the water jugs that's great. You are going one extra step to help ensure a successful and healthy reef aquarium.

If you have a limited budget, as many do, I feel that there are other priorities first. Rather than spread yourself thin, as RO/DI units can easily be added at a later time, they are not the first priority (unless you are experiencing water problems). I'd prefer your budget went to the best skimmer and lighting systems first. I believe that they are a more important first step to your success as a hobbyist.

This goes against everything I have read so far (books, internet...).

I would like to give you credit for actually researching and asking questions.
I wish that every person that walked in the store could afford the ultimate reef system with the best of everything and the knowledge to go with it. It would make my job much more enjoyable, and obviously good for the store!, better for the hobbyist, and most important of all it would be better for the animals housed within those glass walls.

Reality is much different, many reefers start out with less than ideal setups. Many reefers haven't read many books or researched on the web. They often buy first and only ask questions when the coral is already dying or dead.
Most reefers don't have a separate quarantine system for their fish, inverts, and corals (which goes against everything you will read in books!). Many reefers have insufficient lighting or water movement within their aquarium. Many reefers don't supplement food to their corals (plankton substitutes), overfeed, etc, etc.

Yet many are still quite successful.

I guess to sum up my rantings, I would like to say an RO/DI unit is but one of many useful tools available to the hobbyist, it does not guarantee success, but it is an essential part of the most successful reef systems.

[chicki]

I know the first thing I purchased when I first started in this saltwater hobby was a good RO/DI machine. We're on a acreage and I was paranoid about using the well water :eek: The TDS measure about 660!
Anyways, after awhile I got a bit lazy (when I got my 4th tank) and started to just use the well water for my top up water, after all my betta's and goldfish do fine in it :biggrin: anyways, I quit using the RO/DI machine over a year ago and things have never looked better! My corals are not only living, but growing! Go figure??
chicki

[mnoll406]

Hey Everybody,
I do industrial water purification for a living, and work with RO's that pump out 100 gallons per minute. I agree with everybody saying that the systems can be run on tap water. The big problem with running on tap water are the variables. Municipal water treatment systems add different things throughout the year to maintain the public system, and then you have flooding conditions, and a plethora of many other changes that happen throughout the year. It doesn't take much to knock a reef system out of balance. After all the money most reef aquarists have invested in their systems, is it worth the risk over 200-300 dollars? Another point, TDS just tells you there are ions in the water other than water, not what the ions are. 10 tds doesn't sound like much, but what if it was 10ppm of phosphate(TDS is equivalent to ppm in most cases). Just another point of view, not intended to offend anyone. If anyone has any RO/DI questions, I would be happy to help.

Mike

[Buccaneer]

Good points Mike ... I have always thought that Calgarys water supply was very good but a little suspect at spring time with runoff ... maybe Mrs Claus will get me a RO/DI for Xmas ? :smile:

Cheers