NYC tap water, no skimmer, Nano!

[ecvernon]

hey man any updates???

 

[Tito]

I live in Perth Amboy - do we get NYC water?: Cause I use TAP and have no algea issues. Corraline grows pretty good under my T5 Actinics. I have yet to add a Skimmer but will do so shortly. Corals are good, macro algea is good, fish are good, lots of nighttime creatures. Hey - TAP is ok for me.

 

[mcnuggget]

everything is " good " and i bet you have 0 phosphate too, lol :biglaugh:

 

[Tito]

everything is " good " and i bet you have 0 phosphate too, lol :biglaugh:

Just one question fior you....

Who says that you have to have 0 phosphates?

There are probably millions of salt water and fresh water tanks with some kind of detectable phosphates that succesfully house living creatures with no problems.

My experience with phosphates has always been that it casues "red algea" which is not even an algea at all. It is diatoms. Typically diatoms are promised to most new tanks and then the tank ages and the diatoms are taken over by green algea - a sign of a healthy tank.

I have no Red Algea.

It's all about your tank finding it's equilibrium. Once you're tank is settled - you don't have to play with it too often. In my younger fish keeping days - I would be Dr. Frankenstein and could not keep my hands out of the tank - always playing with teh water parameters trying to be a perfectionist - well, those were my worst tanks!

Any Frankenstein's out there LOL

 

[rookie07]

NYC tap water has changed for the worse this past month!
While it's been 40-50 TDS for as a long as I have been checking TDS, this past month it jumped to 170-220!

Be careful with your tap water tank, it might have worked in the past but be aware our water quality has changed

Same in tribeca.
Water normally came in at 35 (TDS ppm), but recently jump to 170, and now it is 150 as of two days ago.

 

[cali_reef]

I live in Perth Amboy - do we get NYC water?: Cause I use TAP and have no algea issues. Corraline grows pretty good under my T5 Actinics. I have yet to add a Skimmer but will do so shortly. Corals are good, macro algea is good, fish are good, lots of nighttime creatures. Hey - TAP is ok for me.

Please post a picture of your tank, how old is the tank and what is in it?

 

[junglebase]

Please post a picture of your tank, how old is the tank and what is in it?

I think that tank is the one for sale now....

 

[mcnuggget]

i fail to find 1 speck of Coralline in that tank or the rocks. it must be a diff tank.:lol:

 

[meschaefer]

Just one question fior you....

Who says that you have to have 0 phosphates?

There are probably millions of salt water and fresh water tanks with some kind of detectable phosphates that succesfully house living creatures with no problems.

My experience with phosphates has always been that it casues "red algea" which is not even an algea at all. It is diatoms. Typically diatoms are promised to most new tanks and then the tank ages and the diatoms are taken over by green algea - a sign of a healthy tank.

I have no Red Algea.

It's all about your tank finding it's equilibrium. Once you're tank is settled - you don't have to play with it too often. In my younger fish keeping days - I would be Dr. Frankenstein and could not keep my hands out of the tank - always playing with teh water parameters trying to be a perfectionist - well, those were my worst tanks!

Any Frankenstein's out there LOL

I don't mean to be rude, but I am pressed for time and that is just ignorant.

Not sure what you are referring to as "red algae", but I have never seen diatoms referred to as "red algae", I believe you are thinking of cyanobacteria which is a ...well a bacteria.

Either way, phosphates are a basic building block for not only cyano but "green" algae (and quite frankly "life" in general). Phosphates are one of the main ingredients in fertilizers, along with nitrates (used to provide phosporus and nitrogen). Fertlizer run off is routinely blamed for costal algae blooms.

 

[Matorral]

here is an update: 9 months old
still with tap 5 gallons change a week for my 24g nano. only one fish still, no skimmer

 

[Matorral]

9 months

still tap

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

I would love to see pics of this miracle "Red algae"

 

[nikkibabee]

This is a double thread.

 

[ecvernon]

looks likes it working !!!for you thats good

 

[Matorral]

for now, soon ill add another fish, maybe another yellow clown goby, thay are fun fish and small, not much more poop to add to the tank.

 

[inkblue]

it's nicE

 

[bueller]

looks great! it's funny, if you go to dr's forster & smith and look at their video on how to set up a marine tank they use tap water with a additive and say nothing about using a RODI system.???

 

[JLAudio]

I also setup my 125 with half tap water and no crazy algae bloom or detrimental effects. great thread!

 

[Matorral]

Algae!!! So after 2 years, tap water. One fish no skimmer. Like 6 month ago started noticing algae that first was just a little. Now have a lot of the brown slimmy sh*t . The tall coral are still fine but all the short stuff is being bothered by the sh*t. Probably the bio load has surpass my tank capacity. Now I have three options that I can think off.
1. Get rid of the fish and don't feed for a couple of months
2. Get rid of a lot of coral
3. I was thinking about doing massive water changes like 80percent and changing the sand for brand new one. This sound to drastic and never done it! But kind of tempted of doing that.

But for sure not switching to ro, skimmers or any sort of fancy stuff. Have been water changes for two years.

 

[Rayzor]

Great thread Matorral.....two yrs with no noticeable ill effects is interesting....so many reefers swear by ro only....and (as a previous post stated) Foster&Smith does show a video for saltwater set up using tap water....
Wondering if u ever used any of the API chlorine and chloramine reducing additives u see in the LFSs....over that time period? What do u think is causing ur problems now....eg- buildup of phosphate over time in the lr/ls? or something else?