Tap water or RO/DI for SPS dominant tanks

[boxerz]

Any opinions are appreciated.

[boxerz]

ok means the SPS are surviving but not thriving.

[Guest]

you need to have optimum water condition to bring out the growth and color of the SPS, so i would vote for it as a must ?

[Copperband]

majority of the people is using DI alone as a source of pure water... (should have included that in the list of answers) but anyways moving forward if given a choice between RO/DI and Tapwater... of course RO/DI would be a better option... Remember Tapwater quality varies from area to area.... and also how old the flats are...

[solasido]

In Singapore our water is very clean. Our new water is from reverse osmosis process. Hence DI alone is sufficient.

Our tab water TDS reading is generally below 100. In the US it can be as hight as 400.

[honkit]

Definitely RO/DI water. You will have a LOT less algae problems and impurities (such as heavy metals) in your tank water if you only use RO/DI water for all saltwater mix.

[tqut]

My RO/DI cartridge was last changed 1.5years ago. Using RO/DI gives me peace of mind especially when there are so many other things to worry about.

[sanhas]

Ever use tap water and have to deal with aalgae issue.

[brojj]

Last time used tap water when I first started. NO3 was over range, more than 100 & PO4 was 3. Alage everywhere. Lucky that time was keeping FOWLR. Have switched to DI after keeping mushroom ( my first corals) & they cannot survived. Since then, a lot have changed & improved (equipment wise, time spent & amount of efforts put in). It is a real long journey in reefing. Have learnt a lot from this forum & fellow reefers. DI is a must.

[erikokelf]

Surely no tap water at all.

Unless you are ready to battle with algae constantly.

[brojj]

SPS cannot survive at all, with all the high NO3 and PO4.

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[l3lackKaho]

RO/DI good for SPS tank

[tqut]

can't save on this basic equipment if you want to have a sps tank. if you use tap water, you are probably going to kill all the sps you put in tank. the dead corals will cost much more than the RO/DI.

[james72]

I buy distilled water from uncle Patrick $6/20L for my salt mix and calcium / KH dosing. I find its good enough for sps. Alternatively, I think DI/RO is a must.

[MarcoVan]

I use tapwater

[cedricang]

I use tapwater

Me too

[cedricang]

I use tapwater

IMO it is not a 'MUST' to have a DI for SPS, that's for sure

[brojj]

Something new i learn today.

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[JeffL]

I use tapwater

Me too

dear seniors, kindly share what do u use to treat the tapwater before u use it for water change? I am guessing I won't have much time for my time in future as compared to now so if tapwater can be used I like to explore that. TIA

[cedricang]

dear seniors, kindly share what do u use to treat the tapwater before u use it for water change? I am guessing I won't have much time for my time in future as compared to now so if tapwater can be used I like to explore that. TIA

Dear Bro,

On the contrary, since time is a constrain ( not money ) for you, then it's better u spend some money and get a good DI unit that will last you for a longer period of time with a much prestine water source.

What i am sharing here is that DI is not a MUST ( though it's nice to have ) for keeping SPS. Those who has seen my tank frequent enough would know what i mean

Treatment of tap water for me is basically passing through canister of carbon blocks ( crytal pro unit ), purpose is to remove as much unwanted chemical residual as much as possible.

While i do have ( and have expected ) algea growth, it's still within my tolerable limit and it actually fits my ecological expectation...my herbivorous fishes gets to graze the rocks without having to introduce external food source. None of the fish has been stave to death from day one.

In any case, introduction of food for your corals and fishes would eventually leads to build up of nutrients as well. So you wil still need to have a good filtration and nutrient export system to support and maintain your water quality in a sustainable way. ( info on these areas is aplenty in the forum here and abroad ).

For those others who are keen to explore this area further, I would be happy to share more whenever we meet in person. But please do some home work and read ups first...

DI - Good to have but not a must..or at least in Singapore's tap water context.

[JeffL]

Dear Bro,

On the contrary, since time is a constrain ( not money ) for you, then it's better u spend some money and get a good DI unit that will last you for a longer period of time with a much prestine water source.

What i am sharing here is that DI is not a MUST ( though it's nice to have ) for keeping SPS. Those who has seen my tank frequent enough would know what i mean

Treatment of tap water for me is basically passing through canister of carbon blocks ( crytal pro unit ), purpose is to remove as much unwanted chemical residual as much as possible.

While i do have ( and have expected ) algea growth, it's still within my tolerable limit and it actually fits my ecological expectation...my herbivorous fishes gets to graze the rocks without having to introduce external food source. None of the fish has been stave to death from day one.

In any case, introduction of food for your corals and fishes would eventually leads to build up of nutrients as well. So you wil still need to have a good filtration and nutrient export system to support and maintain your water quality in a sustainable way. ( info on these areas is aplenty in the forum here and abroad ).

For those others who are keen to explore this area further, I would be happy to share more whenever we meet in person. But please do some home work and read ups first...

DI - Good to have but not a must..or at least in Singapore's tap water context.

thanks for the good explanation, appreciate it!

[KELVINx3]

Dear Bro,

On the contrary, since time is a constrain ( not money ) for you, then it's better u spend some money and get a good DI unit that will last you for a longer period of time with a much prestine water source.

What i am sharing here is that DI is not a MUST ( though it's nice to have ) for keeping SPS. Those who has seen my tank frequent enough would know what i mean

Treatment of tap water for me is basically passing through canister of carbon blocks ( crytal pro unit ), purpose is to remove as much unwanted chemical residual as much as possible.

While i do have ( and have expected ) algea growth, it's still within my tolerable limit and it actually fits my ecological expectation...my herbivorous fishes gets to graze the rocks without having to introduce external food source. None of the fish has been stave to death from day one.

In any case, introduction of food for your corals and fishes would eventually leads to build up of nutrients as well. So you wil still need to have a good filtration and nutrient export system to support and maintain your water quality in a sustainable way. ( info on these areas is aplenty in the forum here and abroad ).

For those others who are keen to explore this area further, I would be happy to share more whenever we meet in person. But please do some home work and read ups first...

DI - Good to have but not a must..or at least in Singapore's tap water context.

seriously? can pm me how your setup works? quite amused that bedok clinic is using "tapwater" haha

[cedricang]

seriously? can pm me how your setup works? quite amused that bedok clinic is using "tapwater" haha

Hi bro, go with what already works for you. As i mentioned earlier, the fresh water goes through a series of carbon canister and i used that for my ATO as well as salt mix reservoir...nothing more

[cedricang]

thanks for the good explanation, appreciate it!

Not at all bro, am just sharing my personal view points. Imo, this topic may seems like a straight forward one. But when dwell deep, it has a far reaching and rather complex implication.

Keep it simple if possible, enjoy watching the reef and dont be a slave to it

[KELVINx3]

Hi bro, go with what already works for you. As i mentioned earlier, the fresh water goes through a series of carbon canister and i used that for my ATO as well as salt mix reservoir...nothing more

now im using pure water from NTUC. pocket cannot tank burning already. maybe getting RO/DI unit soon haha. weekly 2 carton is killing me