New in this hobby

[Merry Goround]

tap water or nsw better?

[xiggie]

tap water or nsw better?

Both no good .. Got rust in the pipes and tanks.

[Merry Goround]

If really die die have to choose between this 2 to top up the tank? which is the lesser evil. Just curious

[xiggie]

Don't buy coral from LFS also .. Coz they use their wash/unwashed hands to handle the corals and tie them in bags of unclean rusted NSW.

The corals/fish will die the next day.

[xiggie]

If really die die have to choose between this 2 to top up the tank? which is the lesser evil. Just curious

I dunno , I use NSW which many people say is unclean and my fish will die due to the rust that came from the truck that transport them.

[xiggie]

Oh sorry u don't use salt water for top up. Marine tank basics 101 . Top up with fresh water

[asg]

If really die die have to choose between this 2 to top up the tank? which is the lesser evil. Just curious

Bro, top up is to replace evaporation so the water shall be non salt water.

NSW is for WC, to replace salt water.

Both are for diff purposes...

[Merry Goround]

oh cause I am trying to keep my salinity around 1.017, so sometimes I just use tap water, sometimes I get nsw.

currently is like 1 week evaporate, top up tap water. 2nd week wc+top up with nsw. and repeat every week/fortnight.

is it bad?

[asg]

oh cause I am trying to keep my salinity around 1.017, so sometimes I just use tap water, sometimes I get nsw.

currently is like 1 week evaporate, top up tap water. 2nd week wc+top up with nsw. and repeat every week/fortnight.

is it bad?

Bro, i suggest u go get a list of recommended para range and follow it. Dont deviate till u really understand ur whole tank eco system requirements.

Eg if u set ur SG at 1.017, all ur other para would be lower too kh ca ph etc. So if u are keeping SG low for ur fish, then u shall dose to up other para.

As for how bad... just ask ur self what is the mati rate in ur tank...

Do yourself and your future LS a favour, go www.wetwetmedia.com and spend the next two weeks reading there.

[Merry Goround]

mine is fish only, I did read through some forums and websites, most posts I've seen recommended to keep it at lower salinity to prevent parasites or something, didn't know about the dosing up other para stuff.

wetwetmedia seems like a lot of resources, will read it thanks

[diki88]

mine is fish only, I did read through some forums and websites, most posts I've seen recommended to keep it at lower salinity to prevent parasites or something, didn't know about the dosing up other para stuff.

wetwetmedia seems like a lot of resources, will read it thanks

if you keeping fish only, dont bother about other parameters like CA,KH or whatever.

unless your fish mutates a calcareous horn, only then you can bother about it.

if u planning to keep fish only exclusively, then use tap water is perfectly fine since you dont need to bother about the phosphate/nitrates that come with it.

nsw is a better choice, just more leceh/ troublesome to buy from farm and lug it back. if got copper in the nsw from the rust in the holding tank, all the better. free copper treatment for your fishes.

personal experience for my previous FOWLRs during WC is like this :

1. drain water from tank to pail

2. empty pail of tank water.

3. replace with fresh tap water.

4. dump in salt and let it mix for 20 minutes.

5. put in fowlr.

for water top up,

1. return pump noisy cause running dry.

2. grab pail, fill with tap water.

3. refill tank until return pump quiet.

Please note what I do and how i do it, many people and websites will disagree and say its bad.

but it has been working for me in keeping whatever fishes i put in my tank.

[diki88]

and sorry, to TS : lower your nitrates first like many bros has mentioned before adding new fishes.

Big Nitrate reading = big water changes.

whether NSW or whatever salt water u use, change first before adding any fishes.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/

the link above will help in showing you the benefits of big water changes for nitrates.

although my suspicion is not the nitrate reading but somehing else that is killing your new fishes.

[xiggie]

Well explained ,easily understood especially the first paragraph

[Sani Boyan]

Well said bombom. Till date, I still haven't join the so called club. And no intention to.

[asg]

if you keeping fish only, dont bother about other parameters like CA,KH or whatever.

unless your fish mutates a calcareous horn, only then you can bother about it.

if u planning to keep fish only exclusively, then use tap water is perfectly fine since you dont need to bother about the phosphate/nitrates that come with it.

nsw is a better choice, just more leceh/ troublesome to buy from farm and lug it back. if got copper in the nsw from the rust in the holding tank, all the better. free copper treatment for your fishes.

personal experience for my previous FOWLRs during WC is like this :

1. drain water from tank to pail

2. empty pail of tank water.

3. replace with fresh tap water.

4. dump in salt and let it mix for 20 minutes.

5. put in fowlr.

for water top up,

1. return pump noisy cause running dry.

2. grab pail, fill with tap water.

3. refill tank until return pump quiet.

Please note what I do and how i do it, many people and websites will disagree and say its bad.

but it has been working for me in keeping whatever fishes i put in my tank.

Bro are u aware that low kh will result in PH swing... what this thing about dont need to care abt other para if keeping fish only? Just bcos fish can tarhan worst water para does not mean that we shall subject them to...

[Merry Goround]

Actually I have been using tap water without salt for almost 2years now, the only casualty I ever had were tangs and angels that died to ich. Which is why I am trying to keep at a lower salinity now. And not keep tangs and angels.

I used to have a smaller tank which I would fill up with tap water and leave it there forever with a pump in it just to prevent water from being stable and breed mosquito. And top up tap water from that smaller tank into my DT when needed but not anymore now. Now is just straight from the tap to top up.

But to be honest, almost all the readings online on tap water, nsw, distilled water, are very vague. Which is mostly the same answers like tap water will cause brown algae, nsw may have other bad stuff etc. I believe from all the reading that distilled water with salt is the best though troublesome, which was why I asked my question of, tap water and nsw, which is the lesser evil. Not much debate on that.

But I think enough of that for now,

Back to the TS,

From my own experience, like everyone said, each tank is different etc.

My house had renovation once, and some of those powder stuff for false ceiling managed to get into my DT, I did a drastic water change, about 70% with tap water + salt, 0 Fish died.

Another time 2 months back when upgraded a new tank x3 my current size, 55g to 175g, I use back all the water in the 55g+ top up the rest with nsw, which is also about 75% water change, 0 fish died after transfer. But do note that my tank has no corals or live rock/sand etc.

I think for your case, you may want to remove corals first. Give them away or something. Do a drastic water change with NSW, or can get some "stable water" from some experienced reefers here, and top the rest with NSW, who knows. Just keep your rocks, sand and fishes first. When stable then start to slowly add corals. From my personal view at least. Corals are more troublesome/harder to maintain, and when they die they stink up your tank so bad, so if you add corals in first, you may not know where the shit is coming from, your dying corals or something else. You may not have the proper conditions, or lighting etc to keep your corals alive, and the culprit could most likely be your corals.

Most likely I am going to get flamed, but like I said this is just through my own experience over the past 2 years, definitely not saying I am an expert so might miss some important points, so yea. I think this hobby is more trial and error, everyone has killed some fishes and corals along the way, of course we all try not to. I don't believe any one person in this hobby has not killed a single fish or coral before. You should be glad you have the balls to step into this hobby and be proud of it.