tap water

aimeereefer · #1 (**permalink**) 01-12-2008, 01:15 AM

so, i've been waiting for some equipment to show up before I get my tank going. I'm going to have a good amount of light in my 20g via HO t-5 fixtures. i've been reading a bit about algea and I know that high phosphate can promote the growth of algea. My question then is, in light of not having an RO filter, is there a good way to decrease the phosphates in my tap water right off the bat?

Thomas · #2 (**permalink**) 01-12-2008, 01:39 AM

Yes there is. Don't use it. If you must, buy RO water from your local grocery store or Wallmart. All the store water I've bought had a TDS of 23-50ppm. Your tap water is more likely to run 350-450 ppm TDS. If you invest in a good RO/DI system you can make water under 1 ppm TDS. It's well worth the couple hundred dollar investment. Tap water has all kinds of things in in that are not good for your salt water aquarium.

aimeereefer · #3 (**permalink**) 01-12-2008, 01:45 AM

So you're saying to just buy distilled water then right?

Thomas · #4 (**permalink**) 01-12-2008, 01:51 AM

That would be my second option. I used water made from a purification system at the local store for about 6 months. It was RO/UV/ carbon filtered. Made the water on the spot. This would probably be a lot cheaper than buying distilled. I think I was paying around 45 cents a gallon. Wait for some of the other folks to reply, They might have other opinions.

aimeereefer · #5 (**permalink**) 01-12-2008, 02:06 AM

is there a problem in particular with the phosphate product?

Thomas · #6 (**permalink**) 01-12-2008, 02:56 AM

What phosphate product are we talking about. All you really need is good clean water and a good marine salt mix, Like ME or Bio Sea. I don't think most of us use a phosphate product. If you do a search on this site I think there is a pole on who uses them and who doesn't.

olsaltybastard · #7 (**permalink**) 01-12-2008, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aimeereefer

My question then is, in light of not having an RO filter, is there a good way to decrease the phosphates in my tap water right off the bat?

Not that I am aware of. The trick is to reduce the amount of phosphates added in the first place. In a tank that small, you are going to have very little wiggle room and will be walking a fine line between dream tank and algae nightmare. It is difficult for anyone to justify an RO/DI filter purchase for such a small tank. Unfortunately, you don't have many options. You can purchase distilled water, or you can get water from those water machines (I do not recommend this.) A third option is to get water from locals that own RO/DI filters. Have a five gallon jug and offer to pay for filters once or twice a year or something like that.

aimeereefer · #8 (**permalink**) 01-12-2008, 04:11 PM

So, i did some research and it seems there are a bunch of products to reduce phosphates but i don't like the idea of adding stuff to get rid of stuff right off the bat. I did however look into buying RO water, and I thought it might be interesting to others reading this to hear that my LFS sells RO water for 75 cents a gallon, but I looked a bit farther to find that my local Whole Foods Market (fancy expensive grocery store) sells RO water for 39 cents a gallon.

ChuckG · #9 (**permalink**) 01-12-2008, 04:55 PM

Do yourself a favor and pick up a hand held TDS meter. This way you can check the purity of the water you are purchasing. You should be able to pick one up for $20 - $30.

You want a reading of ZERO TDS.

MDPinUSA · #10 (**permalink**) 01-12-2008, 05:12 PM

There are no laws or regulations for tap water quality in the US.

Different locations have different tap water contents. In many areas, tap water can change in quality / contents from season to season.

I would recommend the use of an RO water purification system. If this does not fit into your current plans, then the use of reliable TDS meter is a must.

RO membrains wear out. They need replacement on a regular basis. Depending on the quality of the tap water and the amount run through an RO membrain relates to the life of the filtering ability of the unit.

Many hobbyists ask about marine salts that once mixed into a clear working solution, then some months later have concerns that the salt mix they are using are now producing a slightly cloudy solution. After some exhange of information, it is revealed that the RO water they are purchasing is from an outlet where the RO membrain from the seller needs changing.

A TDS meter will allow you to understand the quality of the water you are buying.

Here is a link with some information about RO filtration.

Aqua Craft®, Inc. Reverse Osmosis

Some brands of marine salts can vary in their phosphate content from time to time. It is always best to use a marine salt that is consistently made from high purity ingredients.