masterswimmer

Old School Reefer
Vendor
Location
NY
Rating - 99.6%
448   2   0
marrone said:
No that's not the case, since he from NYC the water is actually pretty good and if the tank is only going to have fish the water will be fine. There isn't a need to use RO/DI or even RO water.

Sorry Mike. We disagree, apparently vehemently. Not using an RO/DI filter (especially considering how inexpensive they are these days) is only asking for algae problems, regardless of whether the aquarium is reef or fowlr. I can't even think of one scenario that would warrant recommending to someone NOT to get an RO/DI. If you could possibly enlighten me, that would be greatly appreciated.

swimmer
 
Location
Howell, NJ
Rating - 100%
64   0   0
masterswimmer said:
Sorry Mike. We disagree, apparently vehemently. Not using an RO/DI filter (especially considering how inexpensive they are these days) is only asking for algae problems, regardless of whether the aquarium is reef or fowlr. I can't even think of one scenario that would warrant recommending to someone NOT to get an RO/DI. If you could possibly enlighten me, that would be greatly appreciated.

swimmer

i agree with russ on the rodi unit... i would never ever think about starting a tank with nyc water... even though it comes up 38 on my tds its lower then many other places... rodi is the way to go... a good skimmer as spykes said is needed... fish deserve nice clean water to swim in.. i wouldnt want to swim around in my own crap.... lolz:thrash: :thanks: :givebeer:
 

marrone

The All Powerful OZ
Staff member
Location
The Big City
Rating - 98.8%
80   1   0
There is no reason to have one on a FO or Fowlr tank. Also just because your using RO/DI water that is not going to keep algae from growing in your tank or having bad water quailty.

In a fish only tank where you have a large load of fish and feed a lot, your going to have algae growth in the tank as your nitrates are going to be high. So reguardless if you use RO/DI water or tap your going to have a chance for algae growth in your tank. You also see plenty of reef tank that use RO/DI that have algae growth all the time and have to use hermits or snails to keep it under control, so you see it's more than just the water. In a FO/Fowlr tank, with the load and feeding, you can expect some algae growth. The amount of stuff that RO/DI will take out of the water will not have that much of an impact over tap, specially if the tap is good like NYC water.

If you do water changes and keep your tank clean, not to mention having fish that may eat the algae, it should never be a problem. In my tanks I've been using tap water from years and years and I don't have any problems with algae except maybe what grows on the front on the glass. And a lot of other people that just use tap water don't either. But some people do and that's because of the load and feeding and that can be excepted and using RO/DI wate isn't going to change that.

Reguardless of the cost, high or not, it's not some thing that is need for a FO/Fowlr tank. If the local water is good enough you should have no problems using it in the tank. I think people think RO/DI water is magic and it's going to cure all of your problems but that it not the case.

IS RO/DI water better than tap? Yes it is. Is it needed in a FO or Fowlr tank? No it's not.
 
Location
Howell, NJ
Rating - 100%
64   0   0
marrone im not fighting wit ya on this one just giving my insight. but if you can eliminate most of the crap in nyc such as various things found in nyc water y not... the fish would love you even more... pretty much nyc water off the tap has worked for you and thats great.... but as a newb i wish i would of listend and got a rodi unit in the 1st place.... its purer and cleaner.. . and if they feed alot you do more water changes and get a big skimmer...lolz . just my .02c
 

marrone

The All Powerful OZ
Staff member
Location
The Big City
Rating - 98.8%
80   1   0
Tony

Don't apply the principal of a reef tank to a FO or Fowlr tank. The amount of stuff that a RO/DI is removing from the NYC water isn't going to make a impact on a FO or Fowlr tank where you have a lot of fish and feed a lot.The impact on feeding alone will have a much great impact on the tank than using tap over RO/DI water. Remember this isn't a reef tank and the fish aren't as sensitive as the corals are nor does using tap water mean your going to have bad water quailty or by using RO/DI your going to have good water quailty.

The problems that using RO/DI water correct in a reef tank, helping reducing unwanted aglae growth, aren't the same problems your going to have in a FO or Fowlr tank or even need to worry about.
 

Quang

Advanced Reefer
Location
NYC
Rating - 100%
32   0   0
Jada, I hope you are not lost in this debate. In case you don't understand what a FOWLR or other acronyms, here are a few links I posted in another thread to help you out. Have a good read!

This thread on ReefCentral.com is very good...I've always thought it to be extremely helpful and the guy the wrote ot (WaterKeeper) is very animated/comical as well:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...79#post1838479

This one is on commonly used Reef acronyms:
http://wetwebfotos.com/Home?actionRe...&articleID=253

This last one I just googled...it's on About.com. After you finish reading it, click on some other topic/links on the left-hand side:
http://saltaquarium.about.com/c/ec/1.htm

-Q
 
Last edited:

jenniebutterfly

Senior Member
Rating - 100%
14   0   0
marrone said:
There is no reason to have one on a FO or Fowlr tank. Also just because your using RO/DI water that is not going to keep algae from growing in your tank or having bad water quailty.

In a fish only tank where you have a large load of fish and feed a lot, your going to have algae growth in the tank as your nitrates are going to be high. So reguardless if you use RO/DI water or tap your going to have a chance for algae growth in your tank. You also see plenty of reef tank that use RO/DI that have algae growth all the time and have to use hermits or snails to keep it under control, so you see it's more than just the water. In a FO/Fowlr tank, with the load and feeding, you can expect some algae growth. The amount of stuff that RO/DI will take out of the water will not have that much of an impact over tap, specially if the tap is good like NYC water.

If you do water changes and keep your tank clean, not to mention having fish that may eat the algae, it should never be a problem. In my tanks I've been using tap water from years and years and I don't have any problems with algae except maybe what grows on the front on the glass. And a lot of other people that just use tap water don't either. But some people do and that's because of the load and feeding and that can be excepted and using RO/DI wate isn't going to change that.

Reguardless of the cost, high or not, it's not some thing that is need for a FO/Fowlr tank. If the local water is good enough you should have no problems using it in the tank. I think people think RO/DI water is magic and it's going to cure all of your problems but that it not the case.

IS RO/DI water better than tap? Yes it is. Is it needed in a FO or Fowlr tank? No it's not.

i would have to agree with this statement. i do not use ro/di, and never have. i do not have an algae problem. my rocks are clean, the only algae i have is on my back glass right at the rocks edge where i cannot get to with my scraper. i hardly ever clean the front or sides of my tank. i only leave the halide on for about 6 hours a day, which helps, and i feed a small amount once a week or so. oh and i don't run a skimmer either :D
 

Chiefmcfuz

Old School Reefer
Location
Westchester, NY
Rating - 100%
47   0   0
Jada Give us an Idea of what direction you want to go in with your tank.

Fish only / Reef, If a reef what kind of corals, SPS,LPS, Soft?

Hook us up with that livestock list of what you have in there now.

Froggie you are a good padawan, maybe someday you too will be allowed into the ranks of the jedi knights, work you must, but tried and true are your intentions a jedi you will be.
 

fritz

OG of this here reef game
Location
Marine Park
Rating - 95.9%
47   2   0
Knowing a little bit about our city's water supply I must say that you cannot group NYC water in one group. You will find very different water in different parts of the city. For example the water in eastern Queens does not come from upstate, it comes from the ground and it's bad.

Some links for NYC water reading enjoyment:
Queens ground water
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/groundwater.html
Five Borough water supply maps
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/wsmaps.html
(Notice where your water had to travel through if you live in Brooklyn. Also keep in mind what your water is traveling through if you live on the 36th floor of a building in midtown, a prewar building or an 1890s brownstone.)
Water Sample data from all over NYC
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/sampling.html
 
Last edited:

spykes

Senior Member
Location
Brooklyn
Rating - 100%
23   0   0
jhale said:
to some extent that's true mike. I had a FOLR set up for six years and used NYC tap water. There was never a time when I did not have an algea problem. I'm guessing it was the phosphates in the tap water. RO filters are pretty cheap these days. If you have live rock in the tank I would use an RO filter, there could be cool hitch-hikers on the rock that could benifit from it.
po4 isnt to much in our tap, but ferric ions and other heavy metals increase macro and microalgae growth
 

spykes

Senior Member
Location
Brooklyn
Rating - 100%
23   0   0
marrone said:
There is no reason to have one on a FO or Fowlr tank. Also just because your using RO/DI water that is not going to keep algae from growing in your tank or having bad water quailty.

In a fish only tank where you have a large load of fish and feed a lot, your going to have algae growth in the tank as your nitrates are going to be high. So reguardless if you use RO/DI water or tap your going to have a chance for algae growth in your tank. You also see plenty of reef tank that use RO/DI that have algae growth all the time and have to use hermits or snails to keep it under control, so you see it's more than just the water. In a FO/Fowlr tank, with the load and feeding, you can expect some algae growth. The amount of stuff that RO/DI will take out of the water will not have that much of an impact over tap, specially if the tap is good like NYC water.

If you do water changes and keep your tank clean, not to mention having fish that may eat the algae, it should never be a problem. In my tanks I've been using tap water from years and years and I don't have any problems with algae except maybe what grows on the front on the glass. And a lot of other people that just use tap water don't either. But some people do and that's because of the load and feeding and that can be excepted and using RO/DI wate isn't going to change that.

Reguardless of the cost, high or not, it's not some thing that is need for a FO/Fowlr tank. If the local water is good enough you should have no problems using it in the tank. I think people think RO/DI water is magic and it's going to cure all of your problems but that it not the case.

IS RO/DI water better than tap? Yes it is. Is it needed in a FO or Fowlr tank? No it's not.

mike i agree with you, i have a tap water softy system that hasn't had a water change in 10 months in a 10 gallon in poconos. no algae bloom whatsoever. WHy are you guys talking about this? our tap has 30PPM in TDS. IT depends on the user and how experience is he in this hobby. GET a bigger skimmer it will be great on filtration for any coral system. SOfties SPS and FO all need a kick ass skimmer. Invest on something useful and you wouldnt need to spend to much. I swear on these bags of newbs that this method works. 3 month no water change on SPS infested with flatworms and my corals are still growing... my tank is all pink cant see thru it ask anyone that came over my place.
 

jhale

ReefsMagazine!
Location
G.V NYC
Rating - 100%
52   0   0
spykes said:
po4 isnt to much in our tap, but ferric ions and other heavy metals increase macro and microalgae growth

the last time i tested my tap water it had plenty of po4, I'm sure all the other stuff helps the algae as well.
 
Location
Howell, NJ
Rating - 100%
64   0   0
jhale said:
the last time i tested my tap water it had plenty of po4, I'm sure all the other stuff helps the algae as well.

yes sir....... pretty much for newbs and even so many experts use rodi. its the way to go of course with a big skimmer as well(if your doing a reef tank) and even fish only tank.. it just prevents so much other stuff from happening:bigeyes: when i say stuff its less likely all the crap such as phosphate metals ect.ect. found in our waters is not put into our tanks...... its only 150.00 for a rodi unit on ebay:letitallo .. not much money wasted there and u can hook up the ro sep. so u have good drinking water:idea: anyways back to topic... i forget wat this thread is about...:spin: My rodi is the 2nd best piece of equipment i have every purchased... 1st being my skimmer ;)....
 
Last edited:

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:


Top