My LFS uses TAP WATER!!!

[NanoReefer1]

I talked to my LFS today, and found out they use tap water in their tanks with applications of chemicals in order to make the water safe. Quote unquote the guy was quoted saying "Ohh yea well it isnt that bad R/O water actually doesnt have enough trace elements, and I use tap water in all my reef tanks." end quote. I originally called him to ask if the minerals in SAMS choice water would affect my tank

Purified Water (Don't forget. It's triple filtered and ozonated!)
Magnesium Sulfate
Potassium Bicarbonate
Potassium Chloride

I was pretty upset seeing as how I have had recent outbreaks of crap loads of green hair algae that I could not figure where the heck it had came from…yep thats right my clean up crew TERRIFIC! Man I am, and was pretty upset.

Since this is the only LFS for like 40-50miles I have no other choice, but when introducing livestock, and more cleanup crew is there anything I can do to prevent the crap from their tap water entering my tank? I have tried to get the past clean up crew into the tank without having to put their water in my tank, but it sometimes just seems impossible.

Any Opinions, Advice, Suggestions, or LFS stories of the same thing happening to others?


Thanks!

Website used = Bottled Water... Why even bother. [Archive] - Flash Kit Community Forums

[Bullet]

Buy yourself an ro/di unit and make your own! Then you don't have to buy bottled water anymore and you can make it yourself. I have a airwaterice.com unit that is fantastic. I tested a batch of r/o water from one of my LFS that had copper in it, and a high tds reading. No wonder his tanks are full of hair algae!

[NanoReefer1]

I use culligan water, but I was like a quart or more short on a 2 gallon change in which I ran out of culligan for so I used a bottle of sams choice.

[kronos5]

Culligan is the best, have used it for almost three years now.

[FireEater]

So your question is, will the tap water from the purchase in the bag affect your tank and how to avoid adding that water to your tank?

To avoid adding their water to your tank through your purchases, you can simple dump the contents into a cooler, livestock and all. Then drip acclimate into the cooler for however long you do.

If your cooler starts to fill up to the top, simply scoop out some water and toss away.

Then just remove the livestock and add to your tank leaving the water in the cooler.

This is how I see LFS do it all the time anyway.

[NanoReefer1]

That sounds like a great idea! Thanks I am definitely going to have to do that.

[Ninong]

Do not let the water from the bag get into your tank. There are several very good reasons for this. There are a few exceptions where you have no choice. For example, if you ordered some copepods & amphipods from Inland Aquatics or IPSF, etc., you would have to dump the contents of the bag into your tank.

In most cases, you would be safe letting the bag water get into your tank if you purchased invertebrates because the LFS can't possibly run copper with inverts. But some LFS run copper all the time in all of their fish tanks. That's why you should never allow any of the bag water that came with a new fish to get into your tank, assuming you have a reef tank. Here's another suggestion that I have found works very well. I found a nice smooth plastic colander that fits nicely into a larger Tupperware container. I place the plastic colander in the container, then I empty the bag with the fish into this. I do this next to the tank. Then I lift up the colander with a plastic lid over it and then submerse the colander into the tank and allow the fish to swim out. I have never used a net to remove fish from a bag. I invented that little trick because my very first fish was a foxface rabbitfish with venomous dorsal and anal spines and I didn't want to get its spines caught in the net.

Tapwater used to be quite common in the hobby but that was before people knew better. Tapwater is hit or miss, even if you have reasonably good tapwater. That's because virtually all water districts will add stuff to their water once every six months or once every year to "clean out the pipes." The manufacturer of the most popular brand of salt mix tells you right on the bag that it is supposed to be mixed up with regular tapwater. They've been saying that for decades now.

[kronos5]

Also, Fish tend to excrete waste when stressed caused by being scooped up and put into a bag, so you probably not want that water in your tank if you can help it.

[kimberfish]

Once upon a time I had an LFS set up a tank for me and they filled it with tap water - I didn't know they did this and it was too late at night to get water so I had no choice but to go ahead with it. However, I did let them know my feelings about it. Their response was that the salt mix would act as a dechlorinator - they didn't go into specifics about other chemicals but I can say all went well and I didn't get any HA and didn't lose any livestock at all.
But I still wouldn't do it again!! I only use ro/di

[Ninong]

Their response was that the salt mix would act as a dechlorinator -

This is true of most, but not all, salt mixes. You have to check the bag to see if it contains a dechlorinator/dechloraminator. Instant Ocean, for example, contains a dechlorinator/dechlorominator. Crystal Seas Bioassay Laboratory Formula does not. The regular Crystal Seas does but the Bioassy version does not. So you really need to check the bag first on any salt mix.

Some salt mixes contain a heavy metals chelator and some do not. Reef Crystals does contain one and Instant Ocean no longer does. You should always know what you're adding to your tank. In most cases, the information on the bag will tell you almost everything you need to know. Reef Crystals refuses to name the chelator but everybody knows what it is anyway. It's the same one they used to use in Instant Ocean a long time ago.