I have a 4 gallon pico reef with mainly hardy soft corals and I'm wondering if I can make salt water out of Manhattan tap water? Reason I ask is that a gallon of distilled water costs about $3 around me and doing a 30% water change every week is getting expense/time consuming. Was wondering if I can just use dechlorinated tap water and have the Caulpera in my tank absorb any heavy metals?
Is it safe to use Manhattan tap water?
- Thread starter discofan
- Start date
- Location
- The Big City
NYC tap water is pretty good, though it matters where you live, as some areas the water may be heavy with sediment and you may need to filter it first before using it. You could buy a 2 sage RO unit or get a one of those fish water filtration units that you can run the water through just to be safe.
Have you looked in Nature's Ocean Nutri Seawater 4.4 gallons? It's about $25.
Have you looked in Nature's Ocean Nutri Seawater 4.4 gallons? It's about $25.
It depends which part of Manhattan you live in, as there are two sources of water to the city, and sometimes they change due to reconstructions etc.
One has a TDS of ~40 (Catskills), the other of ~120 (Croton, it tastes metallic).
You can see it live here: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dep/water/current-water-distribution.page
If it's the ~40, you could probably use just the DI cartridge of an RO/DI and be good with that.
As Marrone is saying, pre-packaged seawater isn't bad at all if you won't want to buy an RO/DI system.
One has a TDS of ~40 (Catskills), the other of ~120 (Croton, it tastes metallic).
You can see it live here: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dep/water/current-water-distribution.page
If it's the ~40, you could probably use just the DI cartridge of an RO/DI and be good with that.
As Marrone is saying, pre-packaged seawater isn't bad at all if you won't want to buy an RO/DI system.
I’m in Westchester and share the same 30-40 tds water. I generally use tap for water changes but still top off w RO. Even 30-40 tds will add up over time if you use it as a top off.
Agree w the others that an RO unit isn’t a huge buy in but depending on space can be a hassle
Agree w the others that an RO unit isn’t a huge buy in but depending on space can be a hassle
- Location
- Brooklyn 11229
If you can't use RO water, at least try a passive water filter. I think Zero water is better than a Brita filter. Zero water also comes with a tds meter. Just change the filter as needed.
How often do you get your water change done?
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
