Help With Water Situation

[Ziana]

Hey, yesterday i sold all my live rock, but my RO machine has decided not to give me any more water.

Is it safe to top up with treated tap water? my tank is now FO.

Also whats wrong with the RO machine? its been getting slower at producing water, water comes out the waste one, but not the good one? Do i need to change somthing?

 

[ben1987]

im not sure on your RO machine. But for Fish and live roack normal treated water should be fine. You will probably get more algae that way though. Its when your going for corals that RO is a must

 

[Ziana]

Okay thanks =D

 

[ben1987]

if you can get RO from somewhere like a friend or LFS i would do that

 

[Ziana]

Unfortunatly i dont have any friends with fish, and i dont drive.

 

[Jonny967]

Hello! do not use regular treated tap water in a marine tank regardless of not having corals, if you do then chances are your fish will suffer and maybe die!. You need to replace the filters of the RO i'm not sure which one with out seeing them but if you have a look inside then they will be mucky or dull.
Thre is all sorts os crap in tapwater like manganese, sulphur etc that is used to treat the water safe for drinking but this will be deadly for fish as the treatments you can use for frshwater tanks are not capable of removing all trace elements. If you need to replace the filters look online at advanced aquatics they do a next day delivery on all items.

Good luck

 

[ben1987]

actually many people do run Fish only tanks using de-chlorinated tap water or a 50/50 mix. Algae blooms are likely and trace metals such as copper can be harmful to inverts. But so long as you are in an area with good tap water you can do it. There are a fair few problem associated with it but it is possible

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=253976

Pretreat the tap water with chlorine, then dechlorinate it before pouring it into our system or making-up your sea salt mix. This method of treating tap water may be good for killing off potential bacteria that may be present, but it does not remove contributory problem chemical elements such as phosphates, nitrates and silicates that give rise to algae blooms, or heavy metals such as copper or iron that are detrimental to reef animals.

There is nothing that says you absolutely cannot use tap water in saltwater aquarium systems

i use RO water and wouldnt use anything else but it is down to persoanl experience/preference. I would try to hold out so long as the SG and water stats are at an aceptable level for marine life

 

[Ziana]

Okay, i have another problem now, since i re filled the tank the water has gone really and i mean REALLY cloudy, i cant even see in it its so bad, and it hasnt settled over 48 hrs at all.

What would be the best corse of action, i was thinking of popping to the local fish shop and picking up a cheap filter to see wheter it would sort it out.

Btw my fish are in my quarentine tank but i cant keep them there forever.

 

[Jonny967]

What water did you use in the end - RO or treated tap water?, if you used treated tap water it could be a reaction between the trace elements and the salt mix.

 

[Ziana]

Its not that i havent added the salt yet, its some dust like kinda thingy that came of the live rocks and out of the sand when i took them out the water. Its browny looking.

When all my normal water was in the tank it looked the same and didnt settle either. I drained most of the water and put back new stuff, but its gone all dusty again.

 

[Jonny967]

Sounds just like the stuff that comes off all rock when moved, nothing to worry about my tank usually settles within the hour though. Check your filtration is working and the wool/pads are clean.

 

[Ziana]

So filter it out yea?

Ill go to the shop later and find some really fine media then, should do the trick?

 

[SkiFletch]

Pics? Sounds like it's either suspended particles, or a calcium carbonate precipitation. Do some mechanical filtration, or increase surface agitation in either case...

 

[caitlin01]

Hello! do not use regular treated tap water in a marine tank regardless of not having corals, if you do then chances are your fish will suffer and maybe die!. You need to replace the filters of the RO i'm not sure which one with out seeing them but if you have a look inside then they will be mucky or dull.
Thre is all sorts os crap in tapwater like manganese, sulphur etc that is used to treat the water safe for drinking but this will be deadly for fish as the treatments you can use for frshwater tanks are not capable of removing all trace elements. If you need to replace the filters look online at advanced aquatics they do a next day delivery on all items.

Good luck

Just thought i would correct you, many people use treated tap water with great success, your fish will not "suffer and maybe die".

 

[JP-79er]

Your RO machine, Have you changed the sand/sediment filters as these could be clogged and flow reduced enough to pass a 100% through the flow restrictor only and therefore not creating enought pressure to force the water through the membrane itself?

As a thought in the first year of my tank i used treated tap water with no adverse effect to my fish or my soft corals of which some thrived in this environment. Eventually i did by a three stage RO machine though.