Tap Water Conditioner

[rosealeedawn]

I can't afford 18 x 5 Gallon bottles of distilled water to fill my 90G SW aquarium. Therefor I am writing to ask for the disadvantages of using water from the faucet with a tap water conditioner which removes the chlorine and heavy metals?

If the disadvantages are great, what other sensible options are there? Buying bottled distilled water really is not viable!

 

[Snail_Lover]

I used to be a hermit crab owner and I used chroline conditioner and I used that with my fish and they lived for years.I would say just make sure you don't forget to put the conditioner in.

 

[FishGeek]

I used to buy distilled water thinking that it was better. I know the expense. I asked the same question a while ago when I first started. You'll find that the majority of people on here use treated tap water. There is nothing wrong with it. Just make sure you treat it with the dechlorinator.

 

[OCCFan023]

problem with tap water that alot of people find is it can cause unwanted algae problems from the elements in it. Dechlorinators will take out heavy metals and chlorine but leaves some items behind that will cause algae problems as I said before.


Have you considered a RO filter? They are expensive but wll be well worth it over time.

 

[rosealeedawn]

I understand a Reverse Osmosis filter would in the long term be an economically option, but in the short term prices are steep enough as it is.

I'm curious as to where the chlorine goes when using a conditioner? Am wondering if it's nature changed so that it is no longer harmful, or does the conditioner enable the filter to lift it out, or......?

 

[Yazoo1970]

I started my tank with treated tap water and have battled an algae problem from day 1 the chlorine is not the real problem it is the phosphates and hardness of tap water that has caused me problems. I have spent alot more money treating my water to finally get it right then i would have if i payed 59 cent a gallon which is what it costs at my LFS for RO/DI water.

 

[KahluaZzZ]

You can get an ok ro/di system with all membranes/stuff in it for like 120 USD$.
Since i changed from tap to ro/di with a 165 $ ( canadian dollars ), my water became really clear and i don't have much unwanted algae. You don't have to buy a Kent or some super brands to get good results. You only need to change the filters/membranes every 6 to 12 months, depending how much you use it. Mine are still good after 7 months, i have a 10% water change weekly on a 55g for a total of 8.5g weekly 'cause i add ro/ti water due to the evaporation. Anways at 60 CDN cent a gallon and no need to go to the LFS, i think it's a good buy

 

[Henry22]

I used tap because the woman at the LFS which i trust alot said our water was fine unless I was doing a reef which Im not and so far I dont have any unwanted algae.

 

[dbacksrat]

try to use some RO water--that way, you can at least dilute the contents of your tap water a bit

 

[FroggyFox]

You could mix part and part...or you could get the test kits and see how the phosphate level is in your tap water? Like everyone said, from what I've read if you have a good/cheap source of filtered water and want to pay for that...it'll probably save you some algae headaches. What causes problems with the tap water is not the chlorine...its the other stuff that causes algae (ie high levels of phosphate).

Chlorine in your tap water will break apart and become harmless in your water if you leave it out and age/aerate it for awhile (say a few hours or overnight). Chloramines will not. You could contact your water board to see if you have chloramines. Those need the water conditioner to break apart and become non-harmful for your tank...the conditioner literally breaks the molecules apart into its components...I dont know the exact terms

Not to mention...the expense of filling your tank up ONCE with distilled water might be astronomical...but its not like you're going to be doing that all the time, and I'd think it'd be worth at least mixing some in. As wayne and camaro reminded me yesterday...your 10% a week water change will only be 9 gallons. Even though its a big tank, the water you'll be dealing with on a regular basis is a ton smaller.

 

[Yazoo1970]

From my experience i fought algae problems for 6 months i started my tank with treated tap water and have done at least 20 water changes 11 gallons apiece thats at least 220 gallons of ro/di water that i have changed into a 55 gallon tank. I bought a UV sterilizer which did nothing. Wayne told me i should check for phosphates and they were off the chart due to the original 55 gallons of tap water i treated the tank for phosphates and now its as clear as a bell without the uv sterilizer running. So with all that being said i wish i would have spent a little extra at first to get ro/di water it would have cost me about $40.00 and i have now spent over $200.00 trying to fix the problem. I feel its worth the $50.00 you are going to spend for the water for a 90 gallon tank

 

[wayne]

You'd better be real confident in your tapwater quality.

If chlorine is added as chlorine it will gas off in 24 hours, and franklyI used to do 10% water changes + all the time in my freshsetups and I don't think I ever dechlored once - it's just not that toxic. If your water board is adding chloramine, that is a lot more toxic and does not easily dissipate

 

[rosealeedawn]

I have found some "Super Strength Tap Water Conditioner" by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals which is used to remove chlorine and heavy metals and to break down the chloramine bond.

Am awaiting a call back from the local water company to confirm if chloramine is added.