faucet parameters

mullinsd2

Phosphate 0
PH 6.6
Total alk 60
Calcium Hardness 20
Copper 0
Iron 0
Phosphate 0

Can I use my water straight from the faucet for to begin cycling my tank??? Please say yes (only if it wont be a problem of course)!!!

Kellsindell

it will be a problem... There are many things that'll go wrong. You need to purchase RO/DI from a LFS, get a RO/DI, use distilled water or use RO/DI water. You will have success with this and not have the issues.

mullinsd2

Whoops! I guess that's the first mistake I will make in a line of them. I did go and purchase 12 gallons of the purple capped water from walmart to use from now on. This will be the only water I use from here on out. Just did not have a way of getting 45 gallons to my house from somehwere else, so I used my water. Hopefully things will turn out okay.

Kellsindell

You did at least put declorinator into the water?

You can go to the LFS and get 5gallon jugs and refill them up and it's normally $1 per gallon if not less for RO/DI water. Which is better IMHO. Someone, i think Onefish, said that Deionized water was stored in copper containers which could be detrimental down the road, potentially of course.

Kellsindell

After i reread your first post a thought occured to me.

You are waiting for your cycle to start? You need to be testing nitrate and nitrite too. Don't remember what order they are, but it should be something like this, once the cycle is started.

You will have:
Phostphates increase and be very high
then drop off
then nitrite increase and be very high
then drop off
then nitrate increase and be very high
then drop off
and then diatome bloom.
Then you're ready to add a Clean up Crew (CUC).
Will you be using LR and what type of tank is this?

mullinsd2

Yeah, I have a thread for my tank with pictures and everything. About 50 lbs of rock in a 45 high. 20 is live. 4 inch sand bed...... Yeah, I used Prime as my dechlorinator. I have only read good things about the pre-distilled walmart water, including a couple of posts from reefers that only use that water.

mullinsd2

Also, I forgot to mentoin that I do have nitrite and nitrate tests, but I have not tested for this yet.... I made a mistake with my sand bed and had to redo my aquascape, I was just posting ammonia and ph first because I thought ammonia would be the most important for the start. I was not doing a check on all my parameters at that time. Still need to purchase alk. and calc. test. If you have any more info on this walmart water, I would appreciate the enlightment!!

SKAustin

Wal-Mart has an R/O Culligan Water Machine that you can refill 5 gallon water bottles with. The rate up here is $0.37 per gallon. I used that for a few years with minimal problems. The water does have a TDS of about 20, but it will hold you over until you can afford to buy an RO/DI system. Some LFS also sell the RO/DI water for about $0.50 per gallon.

onefish2fish

i have heard of DI water being stored in copper storage bins. i am unsure or dont rem. if it was walmart in particular but thats what ive heard.

SKAustin

OF2F, I believe what you are referring to is the bottled "distilled" water. It has been stated in the past that some distilleries use copper piping and/or copper storage tanks. It is unknown if this is true for the Distilled water sold by Wal-Mart. As I stated, Ive used the R/O Culligan Machine in the past, and again for the past 6 months since we moved. I had several months of cleaning out to be done before I was able to set my RO/DI system back up so I had to go back to the Culligan Water. Ive had no issues with fish or coral health during that time, and Ive noticed no changes since returning to myown RO/DI. Ive got several SPS corals doing exceptional throughout the past several months, and have noticed unbelieveable growth and color since the move (much of which i'm sure can be attributed to the lighting upgrade)

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