Ro Water ?

[1234-fishy-freind]

I see it used often on here & because i am starting marine i want to know what it is, also if RO is the only water to use in a marine tank does this mean i cant use water from my tap to full up my tank ?!

 

[smithrc]

If your starting marine I'd do a lot more reading first

RO = reverse osmosis = very well filtered water.

it has nothing left in it so you have to add minerals to it.
Most commercial salts will add the majority of the elements that you will need when you mix up your new water.

Tap water can be a either very problematic or simply deadly in a marine aquarium.

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

By tap water i ment after i had de-chlorinated it and added salt to it... or even when i have done that, is it still dangerous to use?

 

[andywg]

It's not dangerous at all.

It will likely have a higher than desired amount of phosphates and silicates in than one would want in a reef tank, but is absolutely no problem in a FO or FOWLR tank.

 

[SkiFletch]

Tapwater can also contain copper which over time can buildup to harmful levels to many invertebrates and reef aquaria. As Andy says, rarely a problem for FO or FOWLR, but inverts won't tolerate copper if your tapwater does have it.

 

[Musho3210]

depends on whats in your tap water.... Most tap water is not dangerous, but can make your tank a bit ugly with algae, well water is a bit more dangerous since those are normally so full of crap.