Tap or RO water

[Kramrm]

I live in an apartment building and would rather not use tap water in the tank as i think it would cause to much complications with chlorine levels and possible algea complications
I ideally like to use the RO water and stick with that ..Yes i know it would be expensive at the start with the jugs but would balance it self out in the long run and would probably be better in the long run as well
what are your thoughts on this ?

[Jkelley]

bring by jugs and I'll hook you up with some ro/di water.   I don't pay for water at my condo 

[Philnashbass]

I've been using tap water from the start of my 120 gal. and 220 gal. I have never had any issues with algae and I don't use anything to control phosphates. I am careful about feeding and lighting. I run a reef system in my 120 and a fowl in the 220. My clean up crew takes care of any small amount of green algae growth.
Additionally, all the stores in our area use tap water (at least that's what I have been told when I asked them) as I was considering RODI in the beginning because of the same concerns.

[Darth]

I've been using tap water from the start of my 120 gal. and 220 gal. I have never had any issues with algae and I don't use anything to control phosphates. I am careful about feeding and lighting. I run a reef system in my 120 and a fowl in the 220. My clean up crew takes care of any small amount of green algae growth.
Additionally, all the stores in our area use tap water (at least that's what I have been told when I asked them) as I was considering RODI in the beginning because of the same concerns.

been using ottawa tap water for 5 years now no issues at all I  don't even use prime or anything

[bitterman]

IMO best to use RO, might save you issues in the future. Also always use prime on tap water... Ottawa water has chloramine (ammonia and Chlorine) in it and it can have an adverse affect on water even if it is left to sit. Chloramine is dissolves in water and as a result... will not dissipate line chlorine will. Depending on the time of year the levels can be very high or very low.... we normally get a thread or 2 each year after a hug rain of something were people have there tanks wiped out, this is most likely due to the increased levels of chloramine in the water often in the spring and sometimes int he fall after a bunch of heavy rains or melt off pollute the water and require more chloramine to be safe.

Bruce

[Darth]

Also always use prime... Ottawa water has chloramine (ammonia and Chlorine) in it and it can have an adverse affect on water even if it is left to sit. Chloramine is disprovable in water and as a result... will not dissipate line chlorine will. Depending on the time of year the levels can be very high or very low.... we normally get a thread or 2 each year after a hug rain of something were people have there tanks wiped out, this is most likely due to the increased levels of chloramine in the water often int he spring and sometimes int he fall after a bunch of heavy rains or melt off pollute the water and require more chloramine to be safe.

Bruce

yes I am not saying dont use it, I am just saying I dont, please do what you feel is going to work best for you, don't take chances as what works for one may not work for the other

[Hookup]

RO/DI here...

[Jkelley]

Out of my tap is 11 per million, which I believe is quite low, however come winter time I have heard rumours that Ottawa can spike.  To avoid introducing something in the winter months and make the effort of continuity I chose to run RO/DI.

Spectra Pure had a killer deal not to long ago.....4th of July. I think I paid 250 CDN after ship/brokerage for the 90gallon CSPDI.

Again, if you want water swing on by with jugs.

[Roland]

I use tap water treated with Prime. I id have an issue a month ago in my reef tank but I'm unsure if it was water quality related or a rise in temperature.
I have a pair of discus that never stop spawning in another tank. My readings are @60 ppm out of the tap.

[DrRockso]

Does anyone know if the water in Gatineau is treated more or less the same way as it is in Ottawa? Would the quality be the same?

[Djokher]

Gatineau water plan is adding phosphate to the water....no incidence to human healt but helps prolong the live of the pipes. This is however very bad for fishtank....specially the Reef ones.

[Feivel]

My thoguths are thers one in the used section.

[Dakotamay]

RO/DI here too. We started out with tap water. When we were having a huge algae problem we had our phosphates tested and came to realize that they were through the roof.  We literally had to choose. Get an RO/DI unit or get out of the hobby. Well, you can guess what we went with lol.
After a few months of water changes with the RO/DI water everything righted itself.
We are on a well.

[Hookup]

you'll have to understand, this is a debate that will never end...

What some people experience is different than others for many factors that may or may not be traced back to the use of tap-water vs RO/DI... 

RO/DI is a method of reducing your input into the closed system...
Feeding, Fish Load, Filtration systems, frequency of water changes, filter socks, etc, etc... all have factors about the input and export of the closed system...

Then there is the tap-water itself.  Widely agreed that not all tap-water is created equal.  Well vs non-well systems, different areas of the city, different cities all have a factor.

Pinning it down is going to be next to impossible.

Additionally, i've seen several systems (photos and in-person) where the owner is very pleased and doesn't see any issues with algae him or herself... but from my perspective they are crazy-overgrown with algae...  its perspective again...   Someone saying "no issues here" only can be taken in context of that persons particular preferences. 


For me, my tap water seemed VERY good and stable... but, i made the decision that if I'm going to load hundreds, if not thousands of dollars of corals into a system (even if I paid $10/frag and grew them out, replacing full colonies is crazy expensive and worse if you've lost a colony that took you 3 years to grow out!) that a $300 RO/DI and $75/year or whatever was not even a question.  It was a no-brainer.  Why risk anything?

Is RO/DI better than Tap Water, I have no idea.  Could I have the same results with Tap Water (and a few $$ in my pocket) Again, i have no idea... Its peace of mind knowing that I've done everything I can to protect my substantial investment in this hobby.

[Greatwhite]

The thing that I find interesting is when some "reputable" people SWEAR by using tap water exclusively - and have never had a problem... And then you see their tank, and it's covered in cyano...  Yes, there are many factors that can cause cyano, but using PURE water is a good step in reducing the chances of getting it.

I have been in some fish shops locally and abroad that are literally COVERED in slime...  And then I ask them half-serious about whether it's worth the money to buy an RO/DI unit, and they say "oh, well - we only use tap water"...  Well, that to me is a good endorsement FOR a unit.

And yes, I use an RO/DI unit... And that's why it took me 3 days to fill my 90G tank.  I found that there was a rough-in in the basement for a humidifier... The 1/2" copper pipe has a shut off valve, and then is reduced to 1/4" tubing - which goes directly into my RO/DI - and part of the rough in includes a little drain hole in a pipe for my waste water.

It is worth the money, over time - if you want your fish/inverts/corals to thrive...  In relation to everything else I bought for this setup, the RO/DI unit was a small expense anyway.

[Dakotamay]

you'll have to understand, this is a debate that will never end...

What some people experience is different than others for many factors that may or may not be traced back to the use of tap-water vs RO/DI... 

RO/DI is a method of reducing your input into the closed system...
Feeding, Fish Load, Filtration systems, frequency of water changes, filter socks, etc, etc... all have factors about the input and export of the closed system...

Then there is the tap-water itself.  Widely agreed that not all tap-water is created equal.  Well vs non-well systems, different areas of the city, different cities all have a factor.

Pinning it down is going to be next to impossible.

Additionally, i've seen several systems (photos and in-person) where the owner is very pleased and doesn't see any issues with algae him or herself... but from my perspective they are crazy-overgrown with algae...  its perspective again...   Someone saying "no issues here" only can be taken in context of that persons particular preferences. 


For me, my tap water seemed VERY good and stable... but, i made the decision that if I'm going to load hundreds, if not thousands of dollars of corals into a system (even if I paid $10/frag and grew them out, replacing full colonies is crazy expensive and worse if you've lost a colony that took you 3 years to grow out!) that a $300 RO/DI and $75/year or whatever was not even a question.  It was a no-brainer.  Why risk anything?

Is RO/DI better than Tap Water, I have no idea.  Could I have the same results with Tap Water (and a few $$ in my pocket) Again, i have no idea... Its peace of mind knowing that I've done everything I can to protect my substantial investment in this hobby.

Well said Hookup. I couldn't agree more. The peace of mind when investing so much $$ is  well worth the little bit more that an RO/Di unit costs you.

[Jkelley]

RO DI ALL THE WAY. IT'S LIKE GOOD MOTOR OIL FOR YOUR CAR.....KINDA....NOT REALLY

[Hookup]

RO DI ALL THE WAY. IT'S LIKE GOOD MOTOR OIL FOR YOUR CAR.....KINDA....NOT REALLY

A) extra points for caps lock !  It's cruise control for cool you know.
2) LOL