Can I use tap water?

[vetteguy53081]

At minimum, I would buy RO from a trusted LFS. IT WILL BE WORTH THE SMALL EXPENSE.
You will have algae and kinds of nightmares taking the chance and kick yourself repeatedly. 5 gals of RO by me is about $2.50. 5 gallon buckets or bottles will be your friend

 

[Crabs McJones]

yes. I already have livestock. The store I was going to start did not tell me everything I needed. Basically just sold me a tank and some fish. So I’m trying to figure it all out before everything dies.

Ah, understood. Well dont worry we'll get you through this
Do you have salt mix on hand? And what kind and how many fish did you acquire

 

[jsbzcmcdaniel]

Under no circumstances would I ever use tap water. As others suggest, a RODI system is mandatory unless you are buying it from your local store. If you do use tap water be prepared for a algae outbreak.

 

[kapnkush608]

I want to go to RO water eventually, but the nearest store near me that sells it is over an hour away. I only need to use the tap water temporarily. Not as a permanent/ long term thing. I have Prime water conditioner that I’ve read helps.

Do you, it's your stuff but literally everyone here has told you no. You just keep trying to get a "go for it your fine" answer out of someone it seems. You're going to do it anyways, and your not gonna be happy with the results. You complain about traveling "over an hour away" but you have a tank with stuff in it from around the world.

 

[Dymond]

Ah, understood. Well dont worry we'll get you through this
Do you have salt mix on hand? And what kind and how many fish did you acquire

yes. I have instant ocean sea salt mix now. And I have 3 fish. A clown fish, yellow tang, and blue hippo tang.

 

[vetteguy53081]

After seeing your reasoning. . . . . . . No worries.
We will get you on the right track and help you move forward and be successful.
BEFORE ANY FUTURE PURCHASES, DO ASK TO ASSURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE BUYING, IF IT IS COMPATABLE AND GET THE PROPER ADVICE.

 

[Dymond]

Do you, it's your stuff but literally everyone here has told you no. You just keep trying to get a "go for it your fine" answer out of someone it seems. You're going to do it anyways, and your not gonna be happy with the results. You complain about traveling "over an hour away" but you have a tank with stuff in it from around the world.

okay well your response was literally not helpful at all. You’re right, in the end I am gonna do what I want, but I’m coming here because I would like advice and know what the best option is. My initial comment did not mention Prime or any type of water conditioner which is why I added it in the comments to see if it would make a difference. But if you don’t have anything helpful to advise me with, you don’t have to comment at all.

 

[Dymond]

After seeing your reasoning. . . . . . . No worries.
We will get you on the right track and help you move forward and be successful.
BEFORE ANY FUTURE PURCHASES, DO ASK TO ASSURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE BUYING, IF IT IS COMPATABLE AND GET THE PROPER ADVICE.

thank you. I care about my tank and would like to see it grow and thrive. Right now I know all of my levels are off and I need to do a major water change. I’m just trying to figure out the safest way to go about it.

 

[Crabs McJones]

yes. I have instant ocean sea salt mix now. And I have 3 fish. A clown fish, yellow tang, and blue hippo tang.

That's quite the list. How big is the tank they're going in?

 

[kapnkush608]

I'm just sayin the collective minds are telling you no bruh you have to use RO water. You know where the RO water is. Just go cop some. Just don't use tap water unless it's been ran through an RODI system. Literally everyone has told you that.

 

[Auquanut]

I looked at you're other posts. When do you plan to move those fish? Continue to use the Prime to reduce ammonia levels. The first thing I think you should do is get some distilled water from the closest source and do a massive water change. I would also make an RO/DI unit a major priority. Sounds like you are in immediate danger of loosing those fish.

 

[stanleo]

First, let me preface this by saying you should get a RODI filter. We found one on Amazon for 75 bucks and in 9 months haven't had to change the media in it yet. You are going to spend a load of money on the tank, filtration, rock, sand, tank stand ect, skimping on the RODI filter to save a few bucks is only going to end in disaster, or at the very least, a harder time of it.

But I setup the tank initially with tap water cause I got impatient and didn't have the RODI in yet. I used this stuff to neutralize the water and when I got the RODI, did all my water changes with RO water. I haven't had any undo issues with algae except for the normal ugly phase of setting up the tank. This stuff will not, however, turn tap water into RODI water. And keep in mind, my tap water reads 54 TDS so it is already low in heavy medals. I consider myself very lucky.

 

[Dymond]

I'm just sayin the collective minds are telling you no bruh you have to use RO water. You know where the RO water is. Just go cop some. Just don't use tap water unless it's been ran through an RODI system. Literally everyone has told you that.

okay and not once did I say I was going to go ahead and use tap water. You seem to be irritated by my post and an easy way to solve that would be to just stop commenting. Like I said, you’re not helping.

 

[Dymond]

I looked at you're other posts. When do you plan to move those fish? Continue to use the Prime to reduce ammonia levels. The first thing I think you should do is get some distilled water from the closest source and do a massive water change. I would also make an RO/DI unit a major priority. Sounds like you are in immediate danger of loosing those fish.

my tank should be in this week.
when I use the distilled water do I have to add anything to it or is it good to just mix the salt? And once it is mixed, how soon could I use it to substitute the water in my tank??

 

[flsalty]

Thank you everyone for your response. I also read that using Prime would help I’m getting rid of the chlorine and some of the harmful things in water. Has anyone tried it that way??

The only way to get rid of dissolved metals is through mechanical filtration. Check this out to see what's in your tap water and what it takes to remove it: https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/

 

[Murica]

I want to go to RO water eventually, but the nearest store near me that sells it is over an hour away. I only need to use the tap water temporarily. Not as a permanent/ long term thing. I have Prime water conditioner that I’ve read helps.

I’m in the same boat so i pretty much order everything

 

[Dymond]

First, let me preface this by saying you should get a RODI filter. We found one on Amazon for 75 bucks and in 9 months haven't had to change the media in it yet. You are going to spend a load of money on the tank, filtration, rock, sand, tank stand ect, skimping on the RODI filter to save a few bucks is only going to end in disaster, or at the very least, a harder time of it.

But I setup the tank initially with tap water cause I got impatient and didn't have the RODI in yet. I used this stuff to neutralize the water and when I got the RODI, did all my water changes with RO water. I haven't had any undo issues with algae except for the normal ugly phase of setting up the tank. This stuff will not, however, turn tap water into RODI water. And keep in mind, my tap water reads 54 TDS so it is already low in heavy medals. I consider myself very lucky.

I will definitely look into a RODI filter. I just did not know anything about it when I started the process and definitely intend on getting one soon. I want to save my tank and my fish.

 

[Auquanut]

my tank should be in this week.
when I use the distilled water do I have to add anything to it or is it good to just mix the salt? And once it is mixed, how soon could I use it to substitute the water in my tank??

Just mix it, give a few hours to aerate and use a heater to get it up to temp.

 

[Auquanut]

I will definitely look into a RODI filter. I just did not know anything about it when I started the process and definitely intend on getting one soon. I want to save my tank and my fish.

Don't beat yourself up too much. Many new reefers trust the advice of the LFS staff before learning the complexities of reefing. We can turn this around.

 

[Dymond]

Just mix it, give a few hours to aerate and use a heater to get it up to temp.

Thank you. I really appreciate the help.