[meat]

hello everyone-
is there any type of coral that could live in a tank with out an ro/di system?
thanks

[zhenya]

Hi meat,

Originally Posted by meat

hello everyone-
is there any type of coral that could live in a tank with out an ro/di system?
thanks

I'm not sure if I understood your question correctly.., but if you asking if you can keep corals in a tank set up with tap water then the answer is yes.
If you at least dechlorinate the water you can certainly keep some of the corals in such a tank, especially if the tap water in your area wasn't all that bad. I personally wouldn't do it because our local water is terrible, very high Nitrate and Phosphate levels which leads to algae problems and makes it difficult to keep corals alive long terms.

[meat]

hi and thank you-
what kind of coral would i be able to keep in tap water?

[wozza]

while i dont know if this is what you are limited to, i would say you could keep most soft corals provided you have sufficiant lighting for them, maybe some of the more forgiving LPS but im unsure about them.

cheers james

[chefrt]

It a simple question for you.
1st question, why you want to used tap water.
2nd question, do you really like to do the cleaning of your tank on everyday especially when algae start to bloom?
3rd question, do you like to see ugly algae think on your live rock and live sand?
Think about it.

[Reefland]

Hi Meat,

Many other things would need to be known about your tank before any coral recommendations could be made. What kind of lighting, filtration, etc. What size is your tank? How old is it? What do you currently have in it?

[Ninong]

If your tank is not very large, consider purchasing R.O. water (or distilled water) from the local supermarket. Wal-Mart Supercenters sell R.O. water for only 25 cents a gallon if you supply your own containers. Or, you can buy distilled water at just about any supermarket for anywhere from about 60 cents to a dollar a gallon in one-gallon "milk" jugs.

[meat]

hi guys-
i dont have powerful lighting for the tank yet, but right now it is just a fowlr, but the fish are reef safe. i have had the tank set up and running for about 7 months. i wasnt planning on purchasing powerful lights beacuase i just want to keep soft coral. i read that they are more forgiving than hard coral. the tank is a 55 gallon and i only have a hob filter and lr for filteration. i want to get more lr. i use tap water and i just ordered a skimmer.
thanks for the help

[Reefland]

Hi Meat,

I think I would hold off on any corals until you can at least upgrade to a small PC or VHO setup. There are a few corals that could be kept under normal output lighting (non-photosynthetic corals) like Tubastrea spp. but these will require manual feedings and a lot of personal care.

[meat]

well i wasnt planning on getting coral any time soon and i know i will need a light upgrade, but i was just wondering what coral could survive in tap water

[weez1959]

Just my 2 cents, but for the price of 3-4 nice corals you could buy an ro/di unit and in the long run you may save yourself lots of problems including losing some corals to algae. I bought one 7 months ago and it has paid for itself at least 3 times now!

[meat]

Originally Posted by weez1959

Just my 2 cents, but for the price of 3-4 nice corals you could buy an ro/di unit and in the long run you may save yourself lots of problems including losing some corals to algae. I bought one 7 months ago and it has paid for itself at least 3 times now!

thanks. how much was yours? i just wouldnt know how to use one. i have been looking at some and i wouldnt even know how to hook one up or turn it on ....thank you for your reply

[meat]

????????? ????????

[weez1959]

I got mine here: ReefSolution Magasin En Ligne: RO/DI 100 GPD

There's also this one that isn't too expensive from the U.S.:
AquaFX - Reverse Osmosis Water Filters - Dolphin


I test and drink this water and have had no problems with it yet. It never did pump out 100 gallons a day but I don't need that much anyways I even supply my Mom with drinking water

They come with good instructions so it's nothing to worry about. Mine is connected to a pipe next to the basement sink so when I fill up (I use 3 and 5 gallon bottles) I leave it in the sink and turn on a timer upstairs to remind me to turn it off when it's full.

[bongobrian]

Hi meat!

The short answer is that you can keep corals successfully when using tap water.

as zhenya said earlier it depends on your local water supply. If the nutrient levels aren't too high, it can definitely be suitable for a reef tank. I personally use RO water, but there have been times in the past that I have used tap for long periods of time without any problems, and I keep a large variety of LPS and soft corals. There are even some added benefits to using tap water, such as the higher alkalininity it typically has.

Using tap water would also depend on your filtration. Having the right kind of filtration, such as a refugium, can help make your tank more suitable for using tap water.

For keeping corals, I think your lighting and filtration are probably more of a factor than using tap water or not, but again, it depends on your local water supply... everyone's water is different depending on where they live.

[meat]

what should i use as filteration? i have seen tanks with coral and they were just using live rocks, a protein skimmer and a hob filter for filteration. i think i am going to start slowly adding more lr to the tank, but i always have real good levels.
thanks for all the help guys

[mad_dog01]

I also used tap water in my tank.....I was able to keep colt corals and zoo's and xenia without any problems....but I do have medal halide lighting with pc actinic suppliment. I just installed a 5 stage RO/DI unit that feeds a 10 gal tank with a auto topoff unit to my sump for under 300 dollars for the RO/DI unit and the auto topoff. Complete setup time was 2 hours for me and was very easy. My RO/DI unit came from the Filter guys....website is The Filter Guys they were very helpful and the auto topoff unit came from Premium Aquatics INC - live rock and aquarium supply. I figure with water changes and 2-3 gals of day of evaporation most of the tap water will be cycled out in about 3-4 months.

[meat]

what about xenia, leathers mushrooms and zoanthids??? will they live a nice life in tap water?

[mad_dog01]

I think what everyone is trying to say is that it's not the best way to run a reef tank with tap water. Money sometimes gets in the way and we do what we have to do to be in this hobby. Some people are more forgiving about not be a purist in this hobby...but enough of that. I think all corals can be kept in a tank using tapwater. As long as the parameters of that water are good...ie. calcium, magnesium, alkilinity and nitrates, nitrites and amonnia are all in acceptable levels. I would read up on the species of corals you are looking to get and make sure you have the right lighting and flow requirements before purchasing anything. It will save the corals in the long run to have proper equipement first.

[weez1959]

Originally Posted by mad_dog01

Money sometimes gets in the way and we do what we have to do to be in this hobby.

Money is a big concern in this hobby and at some points it's like a domino effect, one thing after another especially if you didn't do any research into saltwater aquariums like I did.
Here's how it started for me:

Me to LFS clerk: So, is it complicated or expensive to start one of these saltwater tanks? I'd love one with corals and maybe a clam or two.

LFS clerk: Bof! not to worry, just a bit harder and more expensive than freshwater.

So I bought a 75 gallon tank, a fluval 404 (which I sold the following week on ebay) some crushed coral and some salt. He said fill it with a garden hose.

Then the rock surprise! 500$ worth!

Then he says, hey that light fixture on your tank is no good for corals, another 1000$, let's not forget the skimmer cuz the fluval is a nitrate trap I'm told :slap:

Anyways what I'm trying to say while venting and remenbering those frustrating days is that taking any shortcuts will almost surely come back and kick you in the butt eventually. If you can't afford it right now go slower and read read read along the way.