using spring water?

hannahrlynch

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hi there. i’m a little over a year into reefing & i just moved 7-8 hours away from a lfs. which is where i got my ro water for top offs & mixing to make saltwater. i cant afford an RO buddie at this exact moment but will be getting on in the very near future. but my question is, can i use spring water for top offs? honestly i already have & everything was fine but im worried about doing continuously because of the minerals. there’s nothing added to this spring water, it’s not treated at all but it has natural minerals. how bad is that for my tank in the long run? could i save money & use this water or get an ro buddie? what are the consequences of using this water? sorry for the long post but thank you to everyone who replies ☺️
 

Zach B

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Without knowing the source waters tds & possible contaminates I wouldn't recommend doing so for long or at all... I would truly try to save for an rodi system as it's the best bet to avoid problems from your water. Best of luck :)
 

Uncle99

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NO.
Unless you know specifically what the water contains and in what amounts it does not belong in a reef tank.

Spring water can have high iron, copper, sulfates, sulphur and any number of other things besides just calcium and magnesium.
 
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hannahrlynch

hannahrlynch

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NO.
Unless you know specifically what the water contains and in what amounts it does not belong in a reef tank.

Spring water can have high iron, copper, sulfates, sulphur and any number of other things besides just calcium and magnesium.
OH MY GOODNESS I DIDNT EVEN THINK OF COPPER OR ANY OF THAT. THANK GOD my inverts are okay. i just topped off didn’t do a water change with it. i will definitely be getting an ro buddie sooner then i planned. would distilled water work for at least top offs in the meantime?
 
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hannahrlynch

hannahrlynch

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Can you get steam distilled water from the store? One with no added minerals. One of my friends ran a beautiful 14 gal cube with steam distilled. It was the best tank with no issues.
i can get distilled from the grocery store if that would work in the meantime for at least a few top offs until i get a rodi system?
 

Uncle99

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OH MY GOODNESS I DIDNT EVEN THINK OF COPPER OR ANY OF THAT. THANK GOD my inverts are okay. i just topped off didn’t do a water change with it. i will definitely be getting an ro buddie sooner then i planned. would distilled water work for at least top offs in the meantime?
Yup, distilled ok, but temp only….you need RODI.
It’s just too pure.
 

dphan2007

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Hey you can do it my way, buy ro from a stand-alone machine the water tds is around 20. Buy a trash can install a faucet and buy a di canister and bring the tds down to 0.

 
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hannahrlynch

hannahrlynch

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You can use it for some top offs, not recommended for long term use.
ohh ahaha sorry you meant temporary, i feel stupid haha. definitely will be temporary. do you have links to a suitable ro buddie for a 24 gal bio cube? looking to spend around 70$ cause i heard you could get them for that price (maybe not for canada though) but i will spend up to $150. really didn’t wanna spend more than that though, suggestions, links, thoughts?
 

dk2nt9

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With spring water, read the label. In my area it has 300 ppm TDS and high alkalinity. Use distilled water instead.

Canadian Tire stores may have RO water dispensing machine, this costs less than bottled distilled water, but they come out of order for months, and you have to monitor water quality with at least TDS meter.

RO Buddy is cheap on Amazon, but replacement cartridges cost me a fortune, had to switch to full sized RO filter with solid carbon block, from Home Depot. They are above your current budget. Replacement cartridges are large, last longer and they are cheap.
 

Jgill70

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I used water from a natural spring by my house. After a while there must have been a lot of minerals in it as I was getting a lime scale build up. Don’t recommend this.
 

Rmckoy

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If you can get steam distilled water it’s a lot better .
spring water is supposed to be spring fed ( filtered through minerals in the ground )

to measure tds of spring Water you would be surprised with the numbers .

I’m on municipal water that measures on average 190ppm

spring water I buy from the grocery store in the 500ml bottles measures 240ppm

ideally we should be using rodi water with 0ppm tds

once mixed with salt naturally …. It will be a lot higher
 

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hannahrlynch

hannahrlynch

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If you can get steam distilled water it’s a lot better .
spring water is supposed to be spring fed ( filtered through minerals in the ground )

to measure tds of spring Water you would be surprised with the numbers .

I’m on municipal water that measures on average 190ppm

spring water I buy from the grocery store in the 500ml bottles measures 240ppm

ideally we should be using rodi water with 0ppm tds

once mixed with salt naturally …. It will be a lot higher
that’s the same brand i use for distilled
 

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