How many people use tap water to start off a reef tank?
- Thread starter steevareno
- Start date
NateHanson
Non-member
I don't doubt that there are impurities in my salt and in other additives I add to the tank. I can't eliminate those though. I'm also sure there are impurities in my tap water, and they likely change from day to day and are documented to be at levels that are harmful to a reeftank. Since it's simple and inexpensive to remove that major source of contaminants with a $100 RODI device I don't think twice about it. I'm not suggesting there's no copper in my tank, but I'm sure I'm adding less copper and other contaminants than if I were using tap water.
Another consideration in your comparison of salt contaminants, is that the units are not the same. ppm in salt mix, and ppm in water can't be compared equally since you add a cup of salt to every 2 gallons (32 cups!) of water. So divide the salt contaminants by 32 before comparing them to your tap water contaminants. Those go in your tank undilluted. Furthermore, if tap water is added every day to your tank as top-off water, all those contaminants concentrate in your tank, as a gallon or so of pure water is boiled off every day, and impure water replaces it.
I'm certainly not arguing with the fact that tap water works for you Dong. But giving new reefers the impression that the impurities in tap water are not a major source of contamination for a reef tank is, in my opinion, incorrect and setting those newbies up for frustration.
Nate
Another consideration in your comparison of salt contaminants, is that the units are not the same. ppm in salt mix, and ppm in water can't be compared equally since you add a cup of salt to every 2 gallons (32 cups!) of water. So divide the salt contaminants by 32 before comparing them to your tap water contaminants. Those go in your tank undilluted. Furthermore, if tap water is added every day to your tank as top-off water, all those contaminants concentrate in your tank, as a gallon or so of pure water is boiled off every day, and impure water replaces it.
I'm certainly not arguing with the fact that tap water works for you Dong. But giving new reefers the impression that the impurities in tap water are not a major source of contamination for a reef tank is, in my opinion, incorrect and setting those newbies up for frustration.
Nate
SHOmuchFUN
Skin-E-Reef
I used an inline filter on a garden hose to fill up my 55 with no sump... That was before I had an RODI unit.
I am in the process of setting up a 120gal tank with a 40 breeder sump... Since I have the RODI unit now, I figured, why not use it? I DID want to test my plumbing (yeah, I'm no plumber, I definitely had some leaky pipes), but figured it would be best to use the RODI. I changed the DI resin before filling, and let her rip. Took ALL weekend to fill (running nearly 24hours straight), but I figure it's better to be safe than sorry. I'll probably still have some problematic algea to deal with, as all new tanks do, but it's something I can take out of the equation... If I had problematic algea and used that in-line filter, I'd always be wondering if it were because I didn't use RODI water to fill it.
In this hobby, limit your excuses...
I am in the process of setting up a 120gal tank with a 40 breeder sump... Since I have the RODI unit now, I figured, why not use it? I DID want to test my plumbing (yeah, I'm no plumber, I definitely had some leaky pipes), but figured it would be best to use the RODI. I changed the DI resin before filling, and let her rip. Took ALL weekend to fill (running nearly 24hours straight), but I figure it's better to be safe than sorry. I'll probably still have some problematic algea to deal with, as all new tanks do, but it's something I can take out of the equation... If I had problematic algea and used that in-line filter, I'd always be wondering if it were because I didn't use RODI water to fill it.
In this hobby, limit your excuses...
Randy Holmes-Farley
Well-Known Member
I hope you never use IO salt or Coralife salt, for IO salt, 0.114ppm of copper, Coralife salt:0.178 ppm of copper.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-...ature/index.htm
__________________
FWIW, I do not believe those copper values. In my tests, IO is less than the level in my tank water (using IO only), which is about 10-15 ppb copper.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-...ature/index.htm
__________________
FWIW, I do not believe those copper values. In my tests, IO is less than the level in my tank water (using IO only), which is about 10-15 ppb copper.
