Water that is safe for marine use?

[sammydee]

Hi. I have got hold of a 20 gallon long for a tenner, and am getting some lights min the post soon.

Just a quick question - I know tap water isn't safe for fish because it's got phosphates and stuf, but is rain water ok? It might be cheaper than buying Ro/Di from the shop.

Also, the pH of RO/DI water should be 7 right? So wouldn't that upset the pH of the tank if it is supposed to be 8.2?

BTW What was your idea that you never ended up explaining great lakes?

 

[blout]

Hi. I have got hold of a 20 gallon long for a tenner, and am getting some lights min the post soon.

Just a quick question - I know tap water isn't safe for fish because it's got phosphates and stuf, but is rain water ok? It might be cheaper than buying Ro/Di from the shop.

Also, the pH of RO/DI water should be 7 right? So wouldn't that upset the pH of the tank if it is supposed to be 8.2?

BTW What was your idea that you never ended up explaining great lakes?

rain waters bad aswell stick to RO, ive also thoght that ph was low for water changes see what should thread for answers on that

 

[hyrookin]

yeah, if RO is not an option for you, then
tap water would probably be better than rain water.

I myself am fortunate to have tap water that is low in phosphates,
hopefully yours will be too.

 

[Navarre]

Do not use rain water. it will carry lots of pollutants as the rain clouds pass over cities and agricultural lands

RO water has a PH of 7.0 thats true but using salt will buffer this back up again to around 8.0 or higher. If you use liverock and aragonite sand then it will stabalise the water.

 

[Dragonscales]

If you are thinking along the lines of tapwater then I would suggest getting in touch with your local water authority and asking them to send you out information on average water content levels. Some water sources, as well as the aforementioned phosphates, etc, can also contain traces of heavy metals such as copper which is a really big no no for inverts.

This list should be fairly comprehensive in most areas including average ph, hardness, salts, etc, etc and is a good guide to have in addition to your own tests when owning any sort of tank, fw or sw. Especially considering that it isn't possible to get a home testkit for some of the things which can be important.

Depending on where you are, the local water board in your area may send this out as a yearly, monthly or quarterly chart. Either way, it is a great way to aid in knowing any potential problems which may arise in your tank if using tapwater and is a valuable resource.

 

[RamJet]

The problem with tap is that it can check out fine one month but not the next. RO is the best way to go. You can make it yourself the unit runs around $200.00 US

 

[sammydee]

I don't have $200. I'm on a tight budget and I can't fork out that much. I think I might end up having to buy it from the shop

 

[RamJet]

My local grocery store has a machine that in a pinch I buy from them. 25 cents a gallon. You should also be able to get five gallon bottles from them free of charge, well, with just a deposite any way.

 

[sammydee]

Cool I'll check that out - thanks.