Anyone using water softened tapwater in their reef?

[molotov]

I'm so confused why you would use treated water to fill your tank yet use RO/DI water for your top offs???? Why would you use RO/DI for top off when your original water is treated? I would say use only treated water for everything or RO water for everything of course with the emphasis on RO/DI for everything. Anyways.........

You'll also not want to plumb your water softener to the water lines that feed your outside taps. You wouldn't want to be watering your lawn or flower beds with water that you've treated with a water softener. Just my $0.02

[tang daddy]

If you're using store bought Ro water then why not just use the same store bought water on initial set up and waterchanges, at that point you may aswell install an Rodi, the cost if top up water is mostlikely $5 a week or say half that your looking at $260 a year or $130 if half, kinda doesn't make sense why you would risk a reef tank crashing over a couple hundred dollars being saved.... IMO and not trying to be a jerk or come off like a donkey it just doesn't make sense....

In Vancouver were lucky we don't have to use softeners because our water is very soft to begin with, but I guess in Edmonton and las Vegas it's a must....

[Beverly]

Still not getting into any aspect of the great RO vs. tapwater debate. Find another thread for that, guys

Yup, thought of that - the outdoor taps will not be plumbed into the water softener.

[tang daddy]

It's not a debate of which water is better but the answer was posted a few threads back the water softener is probably not good to use on reef tanks, so what I was saying is why go half and half, either you use Ro or don't....

[Nano]

Originally Posted by Beverly

Still not getting into any aspect of the great RO vs. tapwater debate. Find another thread for that, guys

Yup, thought of that - the outdoor taps will not be plumbed into the water softener.

I just got my RO yesterday, I think the unit is about $129~ I personally havent hooked up yet, but its on the honey do list for the weekend, I can't wait to see how things change from using a mix of tap and RO, to straight RO
personally, I would get the RO unit then you dont need to mix with tap water thus reversing the effects of RO.
hows the tank doing BTW Bev?