Local tap water

[Guest Sgt Fury]

Im pretty sure this has already been addressed but here goes....Is anyone aware of the local, for me Leesburg, water quality levels?  Perhaps we really dont need all the RODI water treatment contraptions and the price tags that go with them.  Or to the contrary, this could explain the large number of algea, specifically hair, related usernames.  Anybody have any info?

[ctreptow]

Hey Sgt

 

Any local tap water will include unwanted minerals and phosphates. This will lead to algea problems and at worse coral death. RO water is a must to control these problems and RODi is even better.

 

Ebay has some nice units for reefers at a reasonable price.

 

Chris

[cabrerad]

I second what Chris said. Regardless of whether one area has better water than another, you are still going to be introducing various dissolved compounds into your tank.  My RO/DI water reads 0ppm, my Brita water reads around 50 (for reference) and I can't quite remember, but I think my tap is well over 200ppm.  So if I were to use tap water I would be introducing all kinds of stuff to the tank, some of which i can't test for.  I try to make it a rule to not add anything to my tank I cannot test the levels of.  You can buy a very good unit for not a lot of money (pm me if you want some suggestions on good models, i love mine).   For reefing I consider having at least RO water a must.  It makes life much easier in maintaining proper conditions in the tank.  This is especially true for those corals sensitive to things such as phosphates.

 

David

[Guest D33rex]

As I am sure many of those of us who started reefing before it seemingly exploded and all these chatrooms came around can tell you; if you try to go cheap in the beginning you will only just end up paying more in long run fixing what you screwed up. Not only with money, but with time and frustration as well.  Many of the things in the beginning you think you can do without or with the cheaper version of, you really just have to cough it up now and you will thank yourself later. Like the RO unit, it is simply a must have.  Also, you want to go ahead and buy the best protein skimmer, lighting, and circulation products you can afford, including setting up a sump w/refugium right from the start if you have room.  Doing it right the first time will save you money and high blood pressure.

[Guest Sgt Fury]

I totally agree with each of you.  I have been running an R/O filter for over a year and have just completed a filter replacement within the past few months.  I was just curious to know to what extent we should be cleaning our water.  Does my water in Leesburg contain an unusually large amount of dissolved matter.  If so, I'd be inclined to get an D/I unit. Also, let me ask this......Would it be beneficial to all of us if we incorporated a "local water quality" database on the WAMAS website?  Members could break out the test kits and post the results.  Would the local municipalities water quality reports make this redundant?  Food for thought.