RO Water vs Tap Water (Edmonton)

[RGS88]

Hello all

I am new to canreef, and will be new to marine/reef. I've had freshwater tropical/cichlid tanks of various shapes and sizes for the past 40 years. I've always wanted to set up a marine/reef tank. So after months of reading books, research, asking questions of local marine shops... I think I'm ready to make the big jump and set up my first reef tank.

As my first tank, I've chosen an AIO (all-in-one)... the Red Sea Max 250. I thought this was a good starter tank size... not too small, and not overly big. I know some users may say that the Red Sea Max 250 is not a true marine/reef tank or is a piece of junk or has cheap parts... etc. etc., but after much research, I'm convinced it's a good starter tank and a good way to get my feet wet in reef tanks because everything that I need is in one unit, so I don't have to start sourcing out separate parts like tanks, skimmers, heaters, pumps, etc.

Anyway, I'm curious about water for the new tank. I'm getting conflicting messages both on the internet, and by talking to local marine shops about RO water (reverse osmosis) vs conditioned tap water.

There are camps that say not to waste time/money and effort on an RO system, and just use conditioned tap water. For example some marine shops say that they use only conditioned tap water in their tanks. Then there are those that say to only use RO water, and never ever use tap water... either for the initial tank filling, or topping off the water.

So of course I'm confused. I'm from Edmonton and am curious if our tap water in specific, or tap water in general is a big no no for marine reef tanks, and that it absolutely has to be only RO water... or is RO water a waste of time/effort and money?

Your thoughts...

[Nano]

Hello all

I am new to canreef, and will be new to marine/reef. I've had freshwater tropical/cichlid tanks of various shapes and sizes for the past 40 years. I've always wanted to set up a marine/reef tank. So after months of reading books, research, asking questions of local marine shops... I think I'm ready to make the big jump and set up my first reef tank.

As my first tank, I've chosen an AIO (all-in-one)... the Red Sea Max 250. I thought this was a good starter tank size... not too small, and not overly big. I know some users may say that the Red Sea Max 250 is not a true marine/reef tank or is a piece of junk or has cheap parts... etc. etc., but after much research, I'm convinced it's a good starter tank and a good way to get my feet wet in reef tanks because everything that I need is in one unit, so I don't have to start sourcing out separate parts like tanks, skimmers, heaters, pumps, etc.

Anyway, I'm curious about water for the new tank. I'm getting conflicting messages both on the internet, and by talking to local marine shops about RO water (reverse osmosis) vs conditioned tap water.

There are camps that say not to waste time/money and effort on an RO system, and just use conditioned tap water. For example some marine shops say that they use only conditioned tap water in their tanks. Then there are those that say to only use RO water, and never ever use tap water... either for the initial tank filling, or topping off the water.

So of course I'm confused. I'm from Edmonton and am curious if our tap water in specific, or tap water in general is a big no no for marine reef tanks, and that it absolutely has to be only RO water... or is RO water a waste of time/effort and money?

Your thoughts...

I think redsea makes a great "plug and play" kit with a little diy modifications they can be outstanding. the 250 is a nice size too, As for water I would test your water first. sometimes you can get away with it

[Snufflupagus]

I agree, test your water first and you could get away with it. I personally was using conditioned tap water in my first tank and things were ok, not perfect, but it worked fine. I've since moved to a RODI system in my new tank and life is much easier, I don't really have to worry about the water going into my tank. My opinion would be to go with the RODI system, your stress level alone is worth it.

[reefwars]

ro is def not a waste of time and money basically your goal in setting up a marine enviroment is water quality, the better the water the healthier your system can get to.ro water is great for those new to the hobby and for those wanting a low nutrient system.if your new then go with an ro unit it will help take some of the frustrations out of the hobby, if you must use tap water be sure to use prime when mixing new salt batches and top off water:)
welcome to te hobby any questions just shoot:)

[Nano]

if you must use tap water be sure to use prime when mixing new salt batches and top off water:)
welcome to te hobby any questions just shoot:)

I use prime in my tap water and my parameters are great, not perfect but darn close, I do use a tap filter to for heavy particles, but theres obviously as said still trace nutrients and elements in the water, ro di is nice, but its realy your call in the end, you can also use bottled water the distilled kind with no added nutrients, for usually 30-50 cents per gallon

[mike31154]

Your city should have water reports available on line. These will list all the good & nasty stuff in there & at what levels. Obviously it is drinkable, but when running a marine system, especially if you're looking at getting some corals & invertebrates such as anemones, RODI is definitely a worthwhile investment. I ran my tank for a couple of years with treated tap water before switching to RODI water. There's no doubt in my mind my tank is looking better every year since using pure water for changes, top up etc. Tap water here in Vernon runs upwards of 210 TDS. That's a lot of extra stuff, mostly not needed or beneficial, going into the tank, live rock, sand, livestock etc.

Being able to produce my own pure water has other benefits. I use RO water for coffee, tea, some cooking, wine making, beer making, mixing with gatorade for sports and so on. My daughter & partner also take advantage & I supply them with a jug full every so often. A month or so ago we were on a boil water notice, but since I had the RO system, I was able to get drinkable water through it without having to boil. Whenever I'm in the store now & watch folks buying cases of water in plastic bottles, I just smile and am thankful I invested a couple hundred bucks in a RODI system 3 years ago. It's more than paid for itself.

[MKLKT]

I looked at the acceptable amounts of trace elements for the local water here and the problem was that the amounts are enough that if in your tank would/could be a problem. Like nitrates are allowed up to 40ppm, etc. I only have a deionizer but it's nice being able to know which compounds are in your water, as I only do water changes every 4-6 months and it's about 30% max. When I do my parameters check it's exactly what I expect it to be because I know how much dosing I've done with pure water as a base.

[phyto4life]

I use nothing but tap water @ 170 ppm


difenately if you can afford rodi go with it, as using tap water is imo more for someone that can identify problems and solve them fast. There is no room for error using tap water and 1 extra fish or coral that requires feeding/poo's can throw things out of whack in a hurry. Not to mention the fish's growth etc

[Bryan]

I use nothing but tap water @ 170 ppm


difenately if you can afford rodi go with it, as using tap water is imo more for someone that can identify problems and solve them fast. There is no room for error using tap water and 1 extra fish or coral that requires feeding/poo's can throw things out of whack in a hurry. Not to mention the fish's growth etc


Wouldn't even consider it in a reef tank, trace elements like copper from your house pipes will slowly build up in the tank and eventually absorbed in the live rock poisoning your invertebrates etc..

My local water (GVRD) is around 12-15 ppm and I use strictly DI

[SpruceGruve]

Wouldn't even consider it in a reef tank, trace elements like copper from your house pipes will slowly build up in the tank and eventually absorbed in the live rock poisoning your invertebrates etc..

My local water (GVRD) is around 12-15 ppm and I use strictly DI

this makes complete sense.

also i live by edmonton.
im not a salt guy,im a freshwater guy, and even with freshwater i need to use RO water to get certain fish to spawn.
not to mention you live in edmonton, your water is 7.8 and HARD.
some fish just wont do well in our city water

[Aquattro]

Well here's the thing. Lots of people use tap water and get away with it, with some degree of success. We measure success in reef tanks generally by the growth of the corals. My tank, for instance, now has thousands of dollars worth of successful coral growth and color...

Now what if something happens to suddenly contaminate my water supply? Cracked main taking in sewage or toxins? Contaminated tap water for a 40% water change could potentially wipe out my entire tank of coral. That would effectively end my participation in the hobby, forcing me to sell all my gear for next to nothing because I'm so depressed looking at the empty dead tank. I would lose thousands of dollars and it would take months to part it all out. THAT would be a waste of time and money.
Spending $200 or less on a RO unit could avoid the scenario above. To me, it seems like a pretty good insurance policy.

Will conditioned tap water work? Yup. Will it work every single time for the duration of my keeping a reef tank? Don't know....:)

[Beverly]

I'm in Edmonton and a month ago set up a 10g using tapwater and Prime. Even though the rock is still curing, I do weekly water changes, making sure to siphon out the crud that accumulates on the tank bottom. I top up with old-fashioned kalk mixed with RO water purchased from Zellers. Mainly softies will go in this tank, though I might try sneaking in a BTA. The light fixture that came with the tank kit holds a pair of household daylight compact fluorescents which, I believe, emit the equivelant of 120 watts of conventional light.

When I was in the hobby a few years back, I used nothing but RO/DI in our tanks ranging in size from 28g to 180g and felt I was doing the right thing. With this 10g, though, I wanted to go very low tech with low startup and operating costs. As I don't have a lot of experience using tapwater in a reef, I don't feel qualified to direct you toward one path more than the other.

You can find out more about Edmonton's water at Epcor Water Quality Reports (http://www.epcor.ca/en-ca/Customers/water-customers/water-quality-reports/Pages/default.aspx).

According to this Water Hardness Scale (http://www.fcwa.org/water/hardness.htm), Edmonton's water appears to be on the border between soft and slightly hard.

HTH :)

[Coleus]

Well, if you are going to set up reef tank, I agree with Brad. Why taking a chance of tap water?


Also, using tap water means you will use more carbon and GFO more which i think overtime, it costs more than the RO/DI unit.

[RGS88]

Out of curiosity, how much is the RO water at Zellers (or other stores in Edmonton)?

[sphelps]

Look at it this way, you'll find lots of debate regarding whether tap water is acceptable or not but you'll have a hard time finding the same on RO. It's typically fair to say RO won't cause you issues and it's better than tap water, tap water can work though.

On another note advice from some LFSs can be misleading, remember these are businesses and more often than not their goal is to make you a customer. Therefore many will at first steer you away from many of these so called options is hopes of preventing you from getting overwhelmed, essentially keeping things as simple as possible. It's not necessarily bad advice, just sometimes misleading.

RO units are also typically inexpensive, aquasafe units are pretty common in the hobby and a full five stage system with RO and DI can be purchased from their ebay store for around $125 shipped.

[Beverly]

At Safeway, they have the smaller (about 3.5g to 4g), disposable containers for about $5.00. At Zellers Northgate, reusable 5g is about $5.00 with a $10.00 deposit for the first container. It will take me months to use the 5g I have for top ups, but if I used store water for my entire tank and weekly 25% water changes, I'd definitely buy an RO/DI unit. Using tapwater gives me lots of leeway to do larger water changes than I would normally do with RO/DI, though.

Really, there is no reason you can't start with tapwater, then upgrade to an RO/Di system at some later date. A few large water changes on your tank would pretty much reduce the tapwater ratio close to 0% quite quickly.

BTW, Edmonton's water is treated with chloramine which is a compound made of chlorine and ammonia, and it's more stable for water treatment than chlorine.

[bignose]

Paddyob's tanks is running with tap water treated with prime.

There is 2 treatment plants here in Edmonton each will have different water parameters. Check their water test results on the city of Edmonton's website, I've seen it before but I haven't checked for quite some time.

Personally I use ro/di but you CAN use tap water.

[asylumdown]

My 90 was run on tap water in Calgary because I had no where to put an R/O system in my last condo. It's true that there is the chance a freak event could happen and tap water could nuke your tank, but to be honest, if something like sewage or untreated water, or some sort of heavy metal accidentally gets in to the municipal water supply I'm of the opinion that our tanks should be the least of our worries. I drink that water.

In reality, those sorts of events are probably not something you need to worry about on a day to day basis, and as many people on here have demonstrated, tap water is generally fine. However, just because it's probably not going to nuke your tank in a one time freak accident doesn't mean that tap water is 'ideal'. Not for the big bad fears, but for day to day annoyances. There is significant seasonal variability in the quality of our water, it's always top notch from a human consumption point of view, but from a reef tank perspective, it could be good sometimes, and not so good others. I'm not sure where edmonton's main water source comes from, or what regions it travels through to get there, but Calgary's drinking water starts in the mountains and thankfully travels a pretty short distance before it gets to us. As a plus, Calgary's mountain water is actually pretty hard, which can be beneficial for a reef tank. As a minus, the mineral content isn't always constant, so reef specific salts would sometimes lead to solutions with sky high alkalinity when mixed with tap water, and other times it would be spot on.

Also, there was a distinct seasonal appearance of certain types of algae. In the spring I noticed I was constantly battling diatoms, I assume from all the silicate that the snow melt was carrying down from the mountains. In the summer, I learned to not do a water change within a few days of a major rainstorm (which made June a very tricky month), as cyano would explode if I used post-rainstorm tap water. Again, I'm making an assumption, but I think it's because right after a heavy rain the nutrient content of our tap water probably spikes.

So yes, it can work, it's probably not going to kill your tank, but if you end up with mysterious algae problems or unstable water parameters, you're never going to be able to totally isolate any one specific variable or cause with the wild card of tap water in the mix.

[blacknife]

I use tap water in leduc(supplied by ed). I do have minor algae problems that have not gone away with pelets, prodi bio, or now zeo. My. New makeup water usually tests .04 to .06 with a hanna meter. My tank tests 0 to .02 usually. I run carbon in my mixing tank and used to run phosphate remover but ran out. Looking to get a household sized ro, and di for the fish at some point soon. All corals and fish look ok, sps are couloring up better on the zeo but still not the best yet.

[reef-keeper]

I use ro/di and fill a 33 gallon pail, with an air stone and heater for water changes. I fill it after every water change to be ready for the next one.

[cwatkins]

Our TDS here in Metro Vancouver reads 12ppm on my TDS meter. Yet I still use RO/DI filtration. But it only cost me under $150 for the unit, so it was a no brainer.