water?

[mattseattle]

hey guys and gals!

i'm new here i am in the process of buying and setting up a 55 gallon saltwater tank. i'm curious of the tapwater quality here in seattle. should i use tap water and instant ocean to make the water? or what are the recommendations for a new tank and filling it with water?

matt

 

[thecassels]

I don't live in the city but I think using any tap water is just asking for trouble down the road. IMO, RO is the way to go!
Erika

 

[Mushroom Boy]

I agree with Erika. While the water in Seattle is pretty good (mine reads 27 on the TDS meter), I would recommend going with RO (and use it myself) to be on the safe side. It's better to know exactly what's going in your tank IMO

 

[mattseattle]

where?

so where can i get RO water? or you recommending buying a RO for the house?

 

[Mushroom Boy]

Most LFS sell it by the gallon. A lot grocery stores also sell it. They've got a dispenser and you bring in your own container. The last time I checked, it was about $.30/gallon. Having said that, I've got an RO unit in my house. It's nice because it also provides mmm mmm good drinking water

 

[MtnDewMan]

If you are in the hobby for the long haul, then your own RO unit is the way to go. If you are testing out the waters so to speak, the grocery store water dispensers are a great way to go.

 

[mattseattle]

seattle aquarium?

has anyone tried the Seattle Aquarium for saltwater sales? their web page says it's .05 per gallon.

probably once i get a little more established i will get a RO unit for the house but for now my expenditures are going to get a good skimmer unit, sand and other stuff.

 

[Jim]

Just make sure you fill your new tank with RO or RO/DI.Might as well get started on the right foot.

 

[jazznreef]

see aquarium salt water

There was a thread on reefcentral regarding the quality of salt water at the Seattle Aquarium. This topic is really mixed. For the price, it can't be beat. As for quality, some people swear by it and some don't. If it comes down to money though, I woud suggest looking into it. I used their water for a couple years and had pretty good results. I ended up having a hair algae problem but who knows where that came from. A lot of people have hair algae using RO/DI units, so who knows. For a beginner it is a really good way to go IMOP.

 

[Mushroom Boy]

I used the Seattle Aquarium water as well for awhile with good results. Definitely make sure you test the salinity and augment salt content as necessary. It was usually at 1.019 straight from the pump.

Also, I agree with MtnDewMan, if you're just "testing the waters", then grocery store RO is the way to go...

Paul.

 

[jazznreef]

sea aqu

it also seems to be light on trace elements. when i did water changes i added sea chem reef complete, calcium and kent tech-i. this brought levels up and maintained the overall cost effectiveness.

 

[mattseattle]

thanx

great - thanks alot for the information.

 

[Katchupoy]

Also make a note about water quality from Seattle Aquarium.

They said that if it rains big time.... try not to get water from them, because of tide bacteria, garbage or what have you.

Regards

 

[mattseattle]

yeah i found the review on reef central and one of the notes was wait about 3 days after a big rain due to run off/etc.

 

[thecassels]

I read (I think on RC) that they don't use their own water for their reef tanks or the sea horse tanks; only for fish only and local tanks. They mix Artificial water.
Erika

 

[bobfnp]

It is less expensive than you think to get an RO/DI unit on EBAY... check it out... I was surprized, just don't get the absolute cheapest... you'll get no customer service if you need it.....and you will need to replace filters at some point, they should give you a good deal. BoB

 

[Skimmy]

hey guys and gals!

i'm new here i am in the process of buying and setting up a 55 gallon saltwater tank. i'm curious of the tapwater quality here in seattle. should i use tap water and instant ocean to make the water? or what are the recommendations for a new tank and filling it with water?

matt

he he....i love it when 3 year old threads pop up like this...
is your 55g even still up?? did you figure out your water quality:lol:

 

[jesshimom]

He's still trying to figure things out.. :badgrin: :badgrin: I think...

 

[bobfnp]

oops! what do you want from a newbie....

 

[Skimmy]

no worries bobfnp, it's kinda cool to see threads from when people were noobs