local tap water

rickwaines · #1 11-02-2013, 12:04 AM

So,

Do folks in the lower mainland use water out of their taps for their tanks? The water out of my tap has a TDS of between 4 and 7. quite low no? I ask because I have been having some bryopsis algae problems. There could be many different causes and I am working on sorting it out but My one of my questions is whether or not I should invest in an RO/DI unit.

Thanks, Rick

Coasting · #2 11-02-2013, 12:13 AM

Im in poco. We have coquitlam water. I use tap water in all my tanks no issues when i did regular water changes. Only have algae issues now because i go 2 mts between water changes. Other cities dont seem to have as nice of tap water as the tri cities however.

monocus · #3 11-02-2013, 12:57 AM

there's a lot more in tap water than just sediment

mike31154 · #4 11-02-2013, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monocus

there's a lot more in tap water than just sediment

Precisely & unless you know what that 4-7 TDS consists of, it will remain a mystery! And the only way to truly find out, is to send a tap water sample to a lab, which is a costly proposition.

You probably don't need a RODI. I'd recommend either an RO or DI, not necessarily both with tap water TDS that low. DI media is pricey & depending on how much water you make up for your tank, may not be an option, but straight DI would certainly work if you have a smaller system. An RO system will get that TDS down to a 0 reading on a TDS meter pretty quick and has the added benefit of being able to use the RO water for other uses around the house without breaking the bank as would be the case with frequent changes of DI media.

With RO, there will be waste water, but the RO water can be used for drinking, cooking, your steam iron, making beer/wine from concentrate, tea, coffee, gatorade, real nice ice cubes.... Most folks consider straight DI too pure for drinking etc, even to the point where it might not be safe due to stripping your body of minerals. I kind of think you'd really have to drink a lot of it & have a poor diet for any real health problems, but that's my opinion only. So RO might be the way to go!

rickwaines · #5 11-02-2013, 08:31 PM

thanks for the quality info!