Tap Water Filter

[tuckrule]

Ok, I'm probably going to get laughed at out of this forum, but blame it on being new. I use the tap water filter by aquarium pharmeceuticals. I do not have a problem with algae in my tank. I noticed that some of the more advanced reefers use ro/di units or some combination. I am coming along quite well as far as my tank is concerned. No algae, chemistry is fine. Are there people out there that think this is a bad unit to use? Please let me know what you guys think about this. Good or bad, I really would like to know everyone's opinion.

[SkiFletch]

In theory, RO should be the only way to go. There's lots of reasons and I'm sure others will get into them, but I'd like to point out a little addage:

"If it aint broke, dont fix it"

[Rwojick]

I agree with skifletch. Whatever works well for you continue doing it. I live in an old house and am worried about copper leaching into the water through the pipes so i have the full setup.
Rob

[bjromaine]

I agree with skifletch and Rob but with the caveat, what you see might be what you think you see.

For instance, in the beginning for me, I was told my tap water was fine for a reef system....
I set the tank up, started out with some LR and finally added some fish....
Well the fish did not do well after sometime.....
Then when I started adding corals...it became very apparent that my tap water would NOT do....
So long story short, I am in the process of updating to use RO/DI water, use a sump with refugium and I am sure abit later, MORE changes will come...
It all depends on where you are in the process...how deep you want to go...but I guarantee one thing, the deeper (more involved) you get, the more you will learn and very likely by the school of Hard Knocksss

BUT IT IS ALL WORTH IT IN THE END!!!!

Just my 2 cents

Bryan

[bosborn1]

I used a AP tapwater filter when I first got into Discus. I never used it for my reef aquarium. One of the reasons why is it was cheaper to buy water from my LFS that to pay for those over priced carts that dont last very long. I then switched to a Koldsteril and still had some algae problems..Now I use a RO/DI and have been for 7 years now. Seems to me the most cost effective way to produce pristine water for the least amount of money.

BTW I could never get the TDS below about 30 with the APTWF.

Scott

[jerrym21]

I use tap water thats run through a carbon filter. I know its not the best way to go but I have no alge problems and all of my corals and fish have been growing for about two years without incident.
I do plan on going ro/di and making alot of changes but I'm holding off till my wife and I sell our house and upgrade to something bigger. I already have the go ahead from her for a bigger tank (300) and an equipment room in the next house.

[dreaminmel]

I used to use the same filter last year. Then my tank crashed on me. There were a number of issues but the fact that the filter did not remove silicates and they built up in my tank did not help matters. I did not notice any algae issues for almost a year until about a month before the crash.

At the very least I would suggest testing the TDS of the filtered water. May also be a good idea to run all other tests on it too though including silicate.

(Some say silica is not a bad thing but I think a bad level does exist... kinda like there is such a thing as too much calcium.) After running my tap through the filter I was testing out at 2ppm on the Silicate test.

[jacksonpt]

I used tap water back in the day with good success (I used Aquaclear purifier/treatment). Then I got an RO/DI unit and saw no change in water parameters. I got out of the hoby and sold everything off, now I'm getting back into it and I'm using AquaClear again.

I may go with an RO/DI unit at some point, but we'll see how things go in the short term.

[tuckrule]

If I was to get an RO/DI How much waste water is generally produced compared to usable water?

[jacksonpt]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8492133#post8492133 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tuckrule
If I was to get an RO/DI How much waste water is generally produced compared to usable water?
I don't know the actual numbers, but my old Kent RO/DI produced a whole lot of waste to not very much usable. My guess would be a 10:1 ratio of waste:usable.

[tuckrule]

that doesn't seem more economical than the tap water filter to me then

[jstraka1]

Its more like 4 to 1 if it is working properly. I routed my wastwater to the washing machine, that way it isnt wasted :)

[Gary Majchrzak]

4 to 1 is more accurate for RO. The end product from one of those tap water filters is not comparable to what you get from RO. Nobody is laughing at you but it's like comparing apples and oranges. Check the product (purified water) from both types of filter with a TDS and you'll see.

[magdelan]

gary, what does TDS stand for??

[xxpipedreamxx]

total dissolved solids....

[Rwojick]

waste water production is high mostly due to low pressure forces less water through the membrane which equals higer rejection and more waste water aim for 40-80 on the pressure gauge with the upper end more desireable.
Rob

[bjromaine]

Well I think it boils down to one factor, whether to use RO/DI or not....

when you see very successful tanks it is the single most common factor that all have, RO/DI water........
that is proof enough for me.....

btw by successful I don't just mean that livestock doesn't die, but that it flourishes....

Bryan

[rjweng]

ok next question then do you need to buy the RO/DI unit or can you just get a RO unit? as I need to get one, as I am having algae issues from tap water.

[Gary Majchrzak]

I've only ever used RO to this point in time. You can get RO units without a DI and add the DI later.

[becon776]

OOOHHHH I know!!... ;) The tap water filter is AWESOME and will turn out water just as pure as ro/di.... I used to keep discus and fw planted tanks and it worked AWESOME!!
why don't we all use it then??
here is the problem... lets say for arguement that the tap water has 300 ppm tds. now those with rodi will have this happen... the RO will take the water down to like 5-25 ppm TDS and then the DI will take that down to like 0-5 ppm tds...

all of our rodi units would take the tap down to 0-5 ppm tds if we just ran the water through the DI but guess what... we would have to replace the DI (the beads) frequently... some of us (with bigger tanks) would have to replace them after each water change. it is because the DI portion can become spent as you should know the "beads" change color.

thus, in the long run (and for some of us in the very short run) it is much more cost effective to first run the water through an RO membrane and then through the DI beads... the Di for rodi is kind of the finishing touch. Those that use RODI still need to replace the DI component periodically (annually at least we are supposed to). There is a way to recharge the beads but it is very messy and requires strong acids.

Bottom line: For small tanks the tap water purifier is great! but in the long run it will cost you more.

Also FWIW I have used RODI, I have used the TW purifier, and actually *cringe* I have been using tap water for the last year. My tank looks fine and the acros grow nicely. Remember that with our water if you have 300ppm tds... that 250 of that or maybe even 295 of that will be calcium e.g. we have hard water here. I only had to deal with a small diatom issue at setup, but once the coralline kicked in I have had no problems with algae at all. the moral of the story..... PRAY to the reef gods!! ;)

[becon776]

or if you really want pure then rent a untility included apartment and set up a distillation unit ;)

[fat-tony]

I too used one for a while. I now have and RO/DI unit and measure in and out. TDS going into the unit is only 90. I imagine it would vary for everyone based on what they're starting with.....but I don't think it was really "hurting" me to use that with my 25.