Anyone use NY tap?

[vanceny]

I've been using tap water for topping off and making my salt water. Is anyone experiencing problems with this? I know the NY is supposed to have the best water in the states so I was wondering if this was good enough. I put the water in a 5 gal bucket and run a powerhead to circulate it for at least 24 hours. I figured the chlorine would diffuse out. Is this right? I have been getting some cyano on my dsb but wasen't sure if it was something else causing it.
Any feedback would be great. Thanks

 

[Crakeur2]

I use tap in the office 180 and I used to use it in my tanks when I lived in SoHo (my dad still does now that he took over the loft) and we have no issues with the water.

 

[marrone]

I used tap water for my fish only tanks and never had any problems. For my reef tanks I used tap water and never had any problems but I just switch to RO water as I did have problems with hair algae.

The tap water is pretty good but from time to time the city adds things, like when the water levels are low they put in small amount of copper. I think for reef tanks it always good to either run a water filter system or run a filter with some carbon or a poly pad on the water, after placing it in a bucket, just to be sure.

 

[Nancy]

I have been using tap water for nearly 10 years on my tanks with no visible problems. I do have a Brita on my faucet but thats it.

Nancy

 

[vanceny]

thanks for the info, i guess i'll wait on purchasing a ro/di unit and see if i can resolve my algea problems another way.

 

[House of Laughter]

Just something I have found -

NYC Tap 270 on the TDS meter
NYC Tap w/Briita 190 on the TDS meter

 

[Josh]

I use an Aquarium Pharmaceuticals filter on tap water. I have never had a problem with algae blooms, well once, but that was due to a chemistry problem.

-Josh

 

[House of Laughter]

Sorry for the double post

Just something I have found -

NYC Tap 270 on the TDS meter
NYC Tap w/Briita 190 on the TDS meter
RO/DI "O" on the TDS meter

Not sure why you would deliberate about getting one. You can get a 4 stage RO/DI 100GPD from AquaticReefSystems.com for around $200 shipped.

Best investment you'll ever make.

House

 

[marrone]

Here a question do you really need the RO/DI or will a RO do.

 

[Crakeur2]

a friend of mine bought a two stage filter of some kind that he said has been of great comfort (old building, rusty pipes etc). I'll find out what kind of filters - cost was under $150. Not ro/di but it was recommended by someone who maintains his 72.

 

[marrone]

I just purchased a 4 stage RO 75gal system for $94 including shipping.

 

[House of Laughter]

Marrone,

I think RO will do - the only thing is that you may have to relpace your filters more often (once a year depending on usage). I am still working on the ones I bought last year in April and MY TDS meter reads "0" still - it was also recently re-calibrated!

House

 

[jcurry]

House
Where did you get your TDS meter and how much $$$?

J

 

[4angel]

I have noticed that my tap water is very high in phosphates. This is a leading contributor to hair algae. I would personally suggest a tap water filter i.e.: aquarium pharmaceuticals for the removal of PO4 if you have a moderately size tank. For larger tanks I believe you cant go wrong with a ro or ro di unit. I have tried the tap rout before and have had hair blooms. Also a lot of the pipes that our H20 is transported through are old and rusted. All sorts of metals and toxins are in the tap that we drink and use in our tanks albeit at low acceptable levels. I haven’t used a Brita but I would guess that unless the Brita filter contains the resins needed to remove these materials they would eventually get in the tank. I also used distilled water for a time with no problem. I only state this opinion because of the great deal ofinvestment of time and money that we put into our hobby.

 

[frostbite]

the tap water in my house has a TDS reading of 60, only problem is that it has a pretty high concentration of Phosphate .6-.8 I think.

 

[House of Laughter]

Jcurry,

I bought it with my unit from Aquaticreefsystems.com - great deal and is accurate.

Try this link to view it

http://www.aquaticreefsystems.com/TDS_Meters.htm

Jim

 

[jcurry]

House,
Thanks for the link, I'll check them out.

J Curry

 

[BrianH]

Air, Water & Ice has the best prices on RO/DI systems I've found.

Brian

[ June 03, 2003, 10:36 PM: Message edited by: BrianH ]

 

[4angel]

I would think that this is the one area where you can’t cut corners. All of the life we put in these tanks is dependent on the quality of the water. I am sure that the additional care we take in this area will determine the longevity of the species we place in our tanks as well as our participation in this great hobby.

 

[yessongs]

RO/DI filters starting at $79.00
www.stores.ebay.com/id=70548722