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kmtfishchannel 
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 Topic: Tap Water
Posted: June 01 2016 at 8:59pm |
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Hey I was just wondering if anyone has used Tap Water in there Reef Tank with success? I know a lot of people say use RO water but is there anybody who uses Tap?
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proskier101
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Posted: June 01 2016 at 9:37pm |
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I did. But the TDs of tap is insane. Also test your tap for nitrates and see where your at
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reefer86
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Posted: June 01 2016 at 11:13pm |
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I remember Adam Blundell saying at a meeting about a year ago that he uses tap water for his tank. You might want to send him a PM to ask him about it. Success with tap water might also depend on what types of coral are in the tank. I would imagine that softies are more forgiving of tap water than stonies
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1stupidpunk
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Posted: June 02 2016 at 6:06am |
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Also tap water quality varies greatly between different cities/sources.
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beege29
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Posted: June 02 2016 at 7:03am |
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I have used tap water my whole life in my tanks with a little prime solution. I have never had a problem. I never even check the tds. I live in spanish fork. I know the water is a little hard here. I have always kept all kinds of coral with no problems and they have thrived. Just never got on the r.o. bandwagon, nothing against it either, guess i have just been lucky
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90 gallon mixed reef
30 gallon sump
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kevin.st
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Posted: June 02 2016 at 7:08am |
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I know there are others around here that run very nice tanks with tap water. Myself, I use RODI and like zero TDS. The tap water at my house is around 800 TDS and I just can't do it.
Edited by kevin.st - June 02 2016 at 7:08am
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Fatman
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Posted: June 02 2016 at 8:57am |
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Wow, 800, that's pretty high. How long do your filters and resin last?
Brad, Tileman, has a tank that wins national awards and he said once that he is pretty particular about having zero TDS.
Adam used tap water, but he's also growing softies. His tank is pretty amazing.
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love2skiutah
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Posted: June 02 2016 at 9:11am |
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We are so good at nutrient export these days, that I would think that most people (not all) are okay topping off with tap water and if you're trying to save a buck or 2 cause money is tight, I think it's fine. There is a slight risk though... You can't control what's going on outside your home. Things like water main breaks, construction, cities adding things like fluoride and other additives and minor and large natural disasters can happen without you even knowing or being home. Is it highly unlikely that any of this will happen? Probably, but if you're like me, Murphy's Law applies to pretty much everything in my life lol. A simple RODI system is so inexpensive, IMO it's nice eliminating one extra risk. Also, I stopped changing my DI Resin as often as others recommend. MY TDS stays under 15 and I change it like every 6 months and the tank does fine.
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Chevmaro
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Posted: June 02 2016 at 9:15am |
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You can use it, but, when you have a problem you will always wonder if it is caused by your tap water. The TDS at my house is pretty low 160. With a 4 stage RO/DI I get 0 tds. If you plan on spending hundreds or even thousands like most of us, what is another couple hundred bucks?
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proskier101
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Posted: June 02 2016 at 9:34am |
my tap in sandy is 500-600. depending on which employee at the water plant pees in the drinking water that day.
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Chevmaro
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Posted: June 02 2016 at 9:53am |
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Download the city water report. It shows you exactly what we are putting in our body's and tanks. Kind of gross.
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: June 02 2016 at 10:16am |
Tap water is usually OK. Adding about a tablespoon of Kalkwasser powder to a 5 gallon bucket of tap water, stirring it once and letting it sit for a few hours is enough to precipitate unwanted metals from the water making it even more suitable for use than plain tap water. If concerned about other toxins, the typical use of AC and AA in the aquarium will remove the other relatively deleterious molecules (including Flouride) that the tanks biofiltration cannot process.
Aloha, Mark  |
Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: June 02 2016 at 10:50am |
 Chevmaro wrote:
Download the city water report. It shows you exactly what we are putting in our body's and tanks. Kind of gross. |
Taking that a step further, we drink the water and also eat the food that drank the water. The food either came from the soil or ate from the soil. As it ends up, the food we eat is made up of a world of those "gross" chemical compounds. Luckily, for the most part, our body is designed to use the gross stuff it needs and discard the gross stuff it doesn't need.
Aloha, Mark
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: June 02 2016 at 1:12pm |
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I only use tap water. Feel free to check out my tank anytime.
Adam
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: June 02 2016 at 1:13pm |
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Mark makes a good point. In one tank I do add kalk.
Adam
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Come to a meeting, they’re fun!
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kmtfishchannel
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Posted: June 02 2016 at 10:11pm |
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So my Dad has a BRS RO/DI unit with a TDS sensor on it and it says the water that is coming into the unit is 009 ppm. I have a hard time believing that our water is that good. Unless that's bad...
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: June 03 2016 at 9:17am |
You're right, there's no way tap water could be 9 ppm. My tap water has ranged anywhere from ~180 ppm when I lived in Centerville to over 550 ppm when I lived in St. George. As stated above it can approach 1000 ppm.
For me, an inline TDS meter is convenient, but unnecessary.
Hand held, portable TDS testers can be purchased online for under $15. That's all I use, because periodic testing is all that's needed.
Aloha, Mark |
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