"Tap Water Filter"

[fishfanatic2]

I'm debating as to whether or not the Tap Water Filter by Aquarium Pharmueticals is a good idea or not. I have not had problems with their products before. THis would be a good altrnative to a big RO unit, which is costly and may not be necessary.

Tank is a 29 gallon, non-SPS reef.

About 5 gallon water changes every other week.

A small hair algae problem, and the water seems a bit cloudy, so that is the reason I'm interested in switching.

Plus, everyone else is doing it. :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

I think you should measure the TDS of your local water supply first, and get an idea of hop much needs to be removed from your water first.

Don't know if Mars has any local reef clubs, but if so someone is sure to have a TDS meter you can borrow. Few areas have relatively pure water, but if so you can get away with not much in the way of a purifier. But if you live somewhere that has higher levels of dissolved solids in the water, you will be wasting your time and money.

My RO doesn't even get my water pure enough for my reef where I now live. Of course I filled up a glass from the tap tonight and the water was brown. :roll: Water is particularly bad here.

 

[Anonymous]

Last time I visited Mars, it was really difficult to find water there.... it is very red if you are lucky in finding an underground aquifer...

Seriously, I agree with Laura in finding out your TDS of you tap water. If it is very hard (mine is 500-600 ppm), then it is not a good idea consider the amount of water change you are doing. It will be more economical, in the long run, to get RO or RO/DI. However, if you are blessed with very soft water, then it is possible to make good use of TAP since each cartidge (~$18) will give you reasonable amount of purified water.

So, what is your TDS of your tap? If it is soft (<100ppm) then you are on the borderline of either TAP or RO. For long term use, RO is better alternative.

 

[fishfanatic2]

Hmmm, not sire, but I'll check it out.

As far as I know, my are is known for good water (people flock to use it!) 8O :wink: But I'll look into it.

 

[GSchiemer]

For the amount of water you're changing, I think it's a good idea. It works as advertised.

Greg

 

[Fastmarc]

I agree with Greg.
I used to use it to do both water changes and replace evap water on my 55 gal (it now only supplies evap water as I use natural sea water for my water changes) and it lasted a reasonable time. I did measure how much water it gave before needing to be changed and I think I got about 100 gallons which I thought was reasonable.
If you tap water is bad, it will shorten the amount of water you get

 

[StevenPro]

Because of the size of your tank and your water needs, the AP TWP is a very reasonable option.

 

[baseman]

I agree they do work. I would also check the water first. I have one, but because my well water has a lot of iron, it's not cost effective for me. I don't know what the going price on these, but I'll sell you mine (with a brand new cartrige) cheap. 8)

 

[Anonymous]

There is no question about rather TAP work or not, since it is basically a DI filter. However, I just want people to be aware of the fact that it only give you 20-40 gal of water before the cartidge get trashed with my water, which means that I can end up paying $5 for a water change every other weeks.

Don't get me wrong here. For some water source, TAP is perfectly fine.

 

[hockeyboy]

I used one with a 50 gallon reef for a year. It provided about 60 gallons of excellent water per cartridge.

Buy the unit on line and order a couple extra cartridges at the same time. You get a price break on the cartridges if you order more than one. At least at Drs. Smith/Foster.

mjd

 

[Anonymous]

Michigan got much better water than we here in So. Cal. I used to live in Ann Arbor.

 

[fishfanatic2]

So the frequency of the cartridge change really dpends on how bad your water is. Considering everything, I think I might go for it.

 

[Quigonsean]

It's all I can use. My father will not let me use a RO because of the amount of waste and us being on a well. I get about 45-65 gal per cartrige but our water is crappy it ph is 5 but dkh 15 out of the tap. Dad may let me use RO for top off but not filling system or changes. This thing does work nice. I just filled my new 75Gal system last weekend. Cartridges ase costly
Petsmart $19.99
Petco $27.99
Exotic Aquatics(Local Ma and PA LFS) $24.99

But online.. They go for about $13.99-$15.99 Ea. Which ain't bad atleast not when you can use it or nothing and you need purified water. I would highly recomend it. And if you get an RO system down the road get one without DxI and run the RO's output through the Tap Water Filter as it is a DI filter then you get RODI water so it can't hurt to get as it can be used down the road with RO if you go that route later.

But I love my Tap Water Filter much.. My water has way high silicates before.

Sean

 

[sammy stingray]

As some have already noted, tapwater discussions often lack reason since all tapwater across this country and others can be completely different. Every American is entitled to a FREE water quality report from their water company, just call, ask, and post a scan of it here for folks to look at. I appologize, I don't know much about the product at hand, but I wanted to mention that you can get a water quality report for FREE from the water company. This report may very well include some things that you can not, or do not, test for. It's up to you, but many folks on these reef boards always love to see tapwater reports from the companies, they are actually quite interesting, and if you are going to use tap, and IMO it can be done, you may want to think about checking out the report since it's free, and lots of reefers are interested in seeing them if you will scan it when it arrives. Also, ask them if and when they "flush" the lines, and what they use. good luck, just throwing an idea at you. Happy Thanksgiving as well.

 

[discocarp]

I agree with the others, it won't give you a lot of water per cartridge and it can get expensive. But, they work well. I started off using these. When the expense finally got to me, I added an RO system and I STILL use these for my DI stage (they last a LONG time when used in this manner). So, even if you add RO later, they're not a waste (you can just buy RO without a DI stage). Worth a try, but I think down the road you'd be happier with adding RO.

Peter

 

[Anonymous]

Mine made about 15 gallons before being used up.

My tap is around 5-600 ppm as well.