RO water v.s. Tapp??

Question

my local fish store where i ussually get my RO water for topp offs on my saltwater tank went out of business and i have no idea of where to get RO water now.
is there any way i can turn freshwater from my tapp into RO water?
will it hurt my fish if i use the tapp water if treated with chorline removers?

can i use bottled water?

thanks

Answer 1

If you live in the US, Super WalMart has RO water. That's the process that Cullugan uses to filter their water, and most superstores have self-serve dispensers. From what I've seen quotes for prices on the forum, it runs about $0.33 per gallon (once you buy the refillable containers). Target stores have it already in jugs, but these run atbout $1.

You can also buy reverse osmosis units for home use (http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/cat/info/22859/category.web ), but these tend to be expensive, you have to replace the membranes periodically, and they waste a lot of water (about 8-9 gallons per gallon of RO made at a minimum).

I don't recommend using distilled water. I has beneficial as well as harmful minerals removed. It also lacks any buffering capacity (RO also has a lot, but not all removed). You can replace the minerals though, by using something like Kent's Osmo-prep. Just add the amount suggested with the salt mix when you make up new water.

Bottled water can vary a lot- some isn;t any more than bottled tap water, there are spring waters with differing mineral contents, and some which are essentially RO water. Not all bottled water specify their source or mineral content or type of treatment, so this is mostly guesswork what it may contain.

Tapwater isn't recommended. Water companies are permitted to have small concentrations of nitrate and phosphate (which can lead to algae problems) and metals which could harm invertebrates. I'll admit I used it at one time (when I lived in an area with naturally hard alkaline water), but when I moved to a different area, I started having problems with lower pH and algae growth, all because of the different water chemistry. I can't even use my tap water to top off the tank from evaporation.

Answer 2

You can buy distilled, it's close enough - or you can buy an RO filter and do it yoruself.

It doesn't harm fish to use tap water treated with conditioners. Almost every fish keeper uses this, myself included. My oldest living fish is a nicaraguan cichlid 13 years old. Algae can be a concern for some tap water, but it can also be maintained through light conrrol.

Answer 3

OMG:reverse osmosis systems are not that expensive.They aren't cheap either.For $300 to $500,depending on were you live,I've lived,literally from the west coast to the east coast,the whole system will cost about $400.The biggest draw back is the water flow from it.It comes from your tap.So,the water flow can be minimal It may take a while for water changes,in your fish tank,but the cleaner water might be worth it.

Answer 4

Bottled water is often just tap water, or tap water without the minerals that most fish need, which are substituted with other, potentially harmful minerals. Dechlorinator won't be sufficient for a SALTWATER tank, but they do make personal R/O machines. They are quite expensive, but they are necessary if you want to keep your tank running (assuming you have corals or sensitive inverts/fish. if you have hardy fish, you might be able to get away with dechlorinated tap water.)...

Soop Nazi

http://www.yourwaterneeds.com/DW_US_Reverse_Osmosis.asp

Answer 5

b8fff7aca771d27b8dd3e7ca6dc3a9ef3O+ is hydronium. it extremely is what you get whilst your water is acidic. Acids would nicely be seen only recommendations with extra beneficial H20+'s floating around. those H20+'s related themselves to any water it is around to type b8fff7aca771d27b8dd3e7ca6dc3a9ef3b8fff7aca771d27b8dd3e7ca6dc3a9ef+. This then floats around and form of consists of alongside extra beneficial water molecules to unfold the fee and you get issues like b8fff7aca771d27b8dd3e7ca6dc3a9ef3b8fff7aca771d27b8dd3e7ca6dc3a9ef[b8fff7aca771d27b8dd3e7ca6dc3a9efb8fff7aca771d27b8dd3e7ca6dc3a9efb8fff7aca771d27b8dd3e7ca6dc3a9ef]6+

Answer 6

USE BOTTLE WATER....Don't ever use tap water unless you want ugly looking harmfull algea.