WA state Tap water reef tank

[sheasta]

Alright , I’m gonna cut to the chase. First reef and salty tank have had fresh water tanks for years. Opinions on tap water if you live in a state like I do with super clean water. Bothell /Brier WA state. Snohomish county PUD water district.

https://bothellwa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22201/Water-Quality-Report-2024
I’m currently cycling the tank with distilled water and I’m close. Have nitrates already so will need to do a water change and likely add a pair of clowns this weekend. Curious if based on the water quality report in the link above if I really need a RODO filter. It’s 66.5 gallon total volume (48 gallon DT). I’d use seachem prime as dechlorinator before mixing salt to the tap water if I decide to do this. Would be doing weekly 6 gallon or biweekly 12 gallon water changes with our low TDS tap based on you guys thoughts on this.

 

[painter1982]

IMO the ro/di is absolutely necessary for a successful reef aquarium. Public water sources can change and you wouldn’t know until it’s too late. Well water can change too.

 

[MikeReefs]

On a reef you’re going to need 0 TDS or corals health will be at risk. And without corals your going to be battling Algea issues with any TDS. Water quality is #1 priority in this hobby

 

[slingfox]

Sounds like a bad idea and RODI is probably the single worst place to cut corners on.

 

[sheasta]

Appreciate the responses RODI it is

 

[Sam7]

Alright , I’m gonna cut to the chase. First reef and salty tank have had fresh water tanks for years. Opinions on tap water if you live in a state like I do with super clean water. Bothell /Brier WA state. Snohomish county PUD water district.

https://bothellwa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22201/Water-Quality-Report-2024
I’m currently cycling the tank with distilled water and I’m close. Have nitrates already so will need to do a water change and likely add a pair of clowns this weekend. Curious if based on the water quality report in the link above if I really need a RODO filter. It’s 66.5 gallon total volume (48 gallon DT). I’d use seachem prime as dechlorinator before mixing salt to the tap water if I decide to do this. Would be doing weekly 6 gallon or biweekly 12 gallon water changes with our low TDS tap based on you guys thoughts on this.

You can do it....i did it for years before there was anybody using reverse osmosis for reefs. Is it ideal no....you may have more algae then normal...... but it is still fine my fish and corals didnt care then

 

[Gumbies R Us]

RODI is a must-have in my opinion. Some people run tanks off well water, but they make sure the water is perfect before using it.

 

[Fish Fan]

Alright , I’m gonna cut to the chase. First reef and salty tank have had fresh water tanks for years. Opinions on tap water if you live in a state like I do with super clean water. Bothell /Brier WA state. Snohomish county PUD water district.

https://bothellwa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22201/Water-Quality-Report-2024
I’m currently cycling the tank with distilled water and I’m close. Have nitrates already so will need to do a water change and likely add a pair of clowns this weekend. Curious if based on the water quality report in the link above if I really need a RODO filter. It’s 66.5 gallon total volume (48 gallon DT). I’d use seachem prime as dechlorinator before mixing salt to the tap water if I decide to do this. Would be doing weekly 6 gallon or biweekly 12 gallon water changes with our low TDS tap based on you guys thoughts on this.

The late Jake Adams from Reef Builders ran all his tanks on tap water in Golden Colorado. You can use tap water, depending on what's in your tap water. I would repost this under the chemistry subforum and let Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley take a look at your water report:
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/reef-chemistry-by-randy-holmes-farley.295/
That said, I do agree that best practice is to use RODI water or to continue using distilled water. That way there's no question about what may be coming in with your tap water.

When I was a kid in the 1980's my friends and I all had saltwater tanks using tap water here in New York, and they were nothing but green hair algae farms. Of course, back then we were happy to be growing *something*, but by today's standards those tanks would be considered a disaster

Good luck!

 

[mfinn]

I ran several reef tanks off my tap water in Olympia WA for 25+ years and it worked.
I live on a private water system and it was very low tds. But I noticed a trend of a 1 year period where the tds would be high every once in a while and then one morning I smelled chlorine when I was using the kitchen tap to make coffee.
That kind of made me realize my days of cheap water were at a end.
The thing I'm trying to say is you have no control over what comes out of the tap.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

No one can say with certainty whether that will work or not for anyone else. A primary reason for ro/di is to ensure there is not too much copper from your own pipes, independent of how clean the water coming to your home is.

Many people can do it successfully, and some definitely cannot.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Alright , I’m gonna cut to the chase. First reef and salty tank have had fresh water tanks for years. Opinions on tap water if you live in a state like I do with super clean water. Bothell /Brier WA state. Snohomish county PUD water district.

https://bothellwa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/22201/Water-Quality-Report-2024
I’m currently cycling the tank with distilled water and I’m close. Have nitrates already so will need to do a water change and likely add a pair of clowns this weekend. Curious if based on the water quality report in the link above if I really need a RODO filter. It’s 66.5 gallon total volume (48 gallon DT). I’d use seachem prime as dechlorinator before mixing salt to the tap water if I decide to do this. Would be doing weekly 6 gallon or biweekly 12 gallon water changes with our low TDS tap based on you guys thoughts on this.

Look at the copper section of that report. 10% of homes in your district had copper
Over 180 ppb.

That is not worth the risk, IMo,

 

[BryanM]

I agree, RODI is arguably the most important piece of the puzzle, and with the time and money we spend its an insurance policy well worth having.

 

[sheasta]

Look at the copper section of that report. 10% of homes in your district had copper
Over 180 ppb.

That is not worth the risk, IMo,

I mean , I drink the tap water from my faucet so hopefully I’m not slowly killing myself. That being said , I ordered a RODO system 1.5 hours after posting this after seeing the early responses. Pretty valid point that if I’m spending thousands of dollars on this why risk algae farm only saving $100-$200 on a RODI system.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

I mean , I drink the tap water from my faucet so hopefully I’m not slowly killing myself.

What humans tolerate without issue in water and what other organisms tolerate without issue in water are two very different things.

 

[DietDr.Kelp]

I agree with the above to steer away from using tap water. I was getting RO water from an LFS, and even that I felt was causing me problems. I'm also in WA, and have used tap in an emergency, but I use distilled water for all of my ATO and waterchange needs. I'm in an apartment, so the RODI unit was too cumbersome for the space I have available, unfortunately.

 

[sheasta]

I agree with the above to steer away from using tap water. I was getting RO water from an LFS, and even that I felt was causing me problems. I'm also in WA, and have used tap in an emergency, but I use distilled water for all of my ATO and waterchange needs. I'm in an apartment, so the RODI unit was too cumbersome for the space I have available, unfortunately.

I just ordered the 4 stage off brs I just don’t know where to put it

 

[DietDr.Kelp]

I just ordered the 4 stage off brs I just don’t know where to put it

Again, because of that conundrum I didn't get one for my apartment. However, I have had RODI units in the past I either set up in the garage where a hose could reach, or in the basement where there was an extra sink I could sort of dedicate to the fish. I think you made a good choice choosing to get one!

 

[ReeferMo]

I mean , I drink the tap water from my faucet so hopefully I’m not slowly killing myself.

What humans tolerate without issue in water and what other organisms tolerate without issue in water are two very different things.

Try fragging a human

 

[Reef Jedi]

The late Jake Adams from Reef Builders ran all his tanks on tap water in Golden Colorado. You can use tap water, depending on what's in your tap water. I would repost this under the chemistry subforum and let Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley take a look at your water report:
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/reef-chemistry-by-randy-holmes-farley.295/
That said, I do agree that best practice is to use RODI water or to continue using distilled water. That way there's no question about what may be coming in with your tap water.

When I was a kid in the 1980's my friends and I all had saltwater tanks using tap water here in New York, and they were nothing but green hair algae farms. Of course, back then we were happy to be growing *something*, but by today's standards those tanks would be considered a disaster

Good luck!

Ah! The crisp clean waters of Golden Colorado where Coors brews that crisp beer lol it’s all that glacial run off that is the key.

OP: On a serious note, even though I have that same crystal clear water here in Colorado. I won’t run a tank with out an RODI machine.

Do you need any help or suggestions on what one to get? Do you know your water tap pressure?

 

[sheasta]

Ah! The crisp clean waters of Golden Colorado where Coors brews that crisp beer lol it’s all that glacial run off that is the key.

OP: On a serious note, even though I have that same crystal clear water here in Colorado. I won’t run a tank with out an RODI machine.

Do you need any help or suggestions on what one to get? Do you know your water tap pressure?

My pressure is 50 psi - (just had to replace my regulator lol). I bought a 4 stage one from BRS on sale for Black Friday. It says you can add additional filters if needed so I just bought a basic one. Now…. I just need to figure out where to put it in my house. Wife doesn’t want it visible. I don’t have a garage sink. The laundry room has a stacked washer /dryer with cabinetry around them so the water isn’t really accessible. Honestly the placement was the deterrent , not the cost, additional prep work, etc.