I used tap water - help!

[kimbaco6]

I rushed a bit, got fish too soon, now getting rid of fish and backtracking.

Question - since I used tap water initially with treatment drops, would I be better off now keeping the water I have and when fully cycled doing a bunch of frequent partial water changes? Or, should I do a large or full water change now and start over?

Tank now will have only 4 hermit crabs and 1 emerald crab (I can always get rid of those too). No fish.

How bad is the tap water really? Enough to totally start over? I now have access to seawater and RO water (which I didn't before). I want to have a healthy reef tank with live coral.

 

[OneTimer]

I used tap for the first 6 months on my BC 14 - softie survived and thrived but I did 10% water each week- i did see a growth spurt when i switched to RO

 

[isakofyork001]

that's all i use is tap water, all i have is softies, r.o. isn't worth it to me, sps is to much work, and if it's that much work, it's not fun then it turns into a job and i want to get paid.

 

[kimbaco6]

Ok, so am not cursed here? Got nervous.

Nice dog Isak. I'm a trainer.

 

[Dre]

You can store the tap water for a few days before using it.

 

[OneTimer]

I used to mix my salt with thtap and then use a small pump to mix it for a few days before water changes still do it now with thr ro water

 

[kimbaco6]

Yeah, always let it sit. I think I'll just suck it up and get an RO unit, better for me to drink as well, tired of bottled water!

 

[tosiek]

Just do your normal water changes with the new RO water. Maybe even larger water changes and you should be fine.

And you will eventually get an algae bloom in your tank from using tap water unless you have very good tap in your area. But then all it takes is one day of bad water going through the pipes to screw things up. Its recommended to use RO water, and the people telling you otherwise are just real lucky with the quality of their water in their area. The majority of reefers in new york can't use it.

There are two posts pretty recently that started off saying they use tap, thats all they use and will continue to use it. Six months down the line posted saying their tank is covered in algae out of nowhere. Its going to happen its just a matter of when.

And isakofyork001, I spent about as much time with maintenance on my SPS tank as i did when i only had softies and LPS. The only difference is how much it cost. Dosers are expensive =0)

 

[TonyHNY]

Tap water in NYC is pretty clean..just some sediments. Probably would work well with fish only and hardy corals.

 

[kimbaco6]

Where's the best place to get my RO unit?

 

[ZANYMASTER]

You'll find using R/O is beneficial to your tank in the long run.Using Tap is asking for all kinds of bad algae.You'll find the majority of us use RO/DI water here but whatever works for you.A simple investment in a RO/DI system goes a long way.

 

[kimbaco6]

Yes, that's the feeling I am getting.

Algae? Well, already had that spike, it was nuts, but my emerald crab seems to be getting things under control now.

Do you guys drink the RO/DI water?

 

[naples]

only drink the Ro NOT the DI... you will get sick!

 

[TonyHNY]

Check out Bulk Reef Supply.

Where's the best place to get my RO unit?

 

[PetShopBoy]

NYC tap is pretty clean. I suggest you get a meter to test the tap water if you want to continue to use it. If you are definitely going with a RO/DI, Air, Water and Ice who is an MR vendor is very reasonable and you get the MR member discount. Don't drink DI water though.