newbie might need help

[dupont603]

Today i set up my 75g reef tank with the help from the guy i bought the tank from.I went out and bought an RO filter and the guy that was helping me out said that we could also use the waiste water to cycle the tank.Is this true?We also used marine tap water conditioner as we added the water.I have been told by different people different stories.Am i swimming up or down stream at this point?Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanx Wayne

 

[MikeG]

Do not use the waste water for the cycle. If you went out and got a RO, what you are doing now essentially would be filling it with tap water. Not the best idea. Use 100% RO or RO/DI on the initial fill and it will save some headaches down the road with possible excessive algae issues. If you already filled it but don't have any fish or corals, I would think about emptying and refilling with pure water. I would definately ask here for any advice based on what he has told you so far. Good luck with the tank.

 

[Leroy]

You've just taken the first step in the right direction by purchasing an RO system for your reef tank. As MikeG has explained is not to use the tap water or even using any water conditioner if you want to have a reef tank. Let that waste water go down the drain. Once you've got your RO filtering system set up you do not want to use any of the waste water. Find a good place to hook up your RO system so you can begin filling buckets or a large barrel to store your clean water. If you would need more help as to how to set up an RO system to fill a barrel with a float valve to prevent overflow and a spigot and pumped water I'd be glad to show you the basics if you want to drive to Lowell or happen to be in the area let me know. We've all been new to this in the beginning and this forum is here to help all of us along as we go. It can be challenging at times.

 

[swreef103]

never heard of using waste water for top off...tds is always a factor...i won't use anything under 0.08ppm..i wouldn't recommend the tap water conditioner either..try to minimize chemical treatments and find a more natural approach at whatever your situation may be in the future...

 

[Sherri]

Wayne -- I am just down the road from you if you want to come and visit. Will show you my current set up and will answer any and all questions. Am in full agreement with the above. Waste water is called that for a reason. Conditioner is a last ditch effort if ALL you can get is tap water.

 

[cujo6984]

I agree with the above. All waste water is good for is plants lol. This forum is the best thing you have done so far u will learn everthing you need from here. Good luck

 

[jbishop]

I agree with the above. All waste water is good for is plants lol. This forum is the best thing you have done so far u will learn everthing you need from here. Good luck

+1 Water the plants with it and both your plants and tank will be doing a lot better.

 

[Sokretys]

Your waste water is going to contain all sorts of nitrates, phosphates and heavy metals. all of which are very difficult to remove entirely from your tank afterwards. Even a 50% water change is only going to dilute the toxins in your tap water. Using pure h20 with a high quality reef mix like reef crystals or tropic marin creates perfect sea water. And is def ur best bet for success.

grab yourself a TDS meter. you can grab one on ebay for 22. If the reading isnt low enough after your RO you can always pick up an additional stage of DI. if your RO unit alone is sufficient it will at least let you know when to change media.

 

[dupont603]

Heres an update on my tank.It was already full of a combo of waiste and RO water before i posted here.I went to my LFS and found out that they use tap water with conditioner in there tanks and have no problems.This place is one block from my house.I am slowly getting my salt level to where it should be.I'm at 1.012 now with the temp at about 78.I do not plan on doing anything as far as putting fish in this tank for atleast 2 months if i can get all of the levels correct.Any thoughts?I also added a bio filter to my sump today.

 

[MikeG]

I would strongly advise emptying it and refilling with RO. If I had a RO unit, I would not start a tank with tap water. Although you can run a tank with tap water, it will be much more difficult to figure out what is going on if you have problems. I would take a look at all the advise you get. Lots here so far saying to go with RO on the initial fill and the LFS saying you will be fine with tap.

 

[Sherri]

The LFS -- while they are nice -- specialize in freshwater tanks. I have known the people for years and have never taken reef advice from them. They have very few saltwater tanks and their tanks are mostly empty. They do not know what they are talking about. You need to listen to what you have been told on this thread. Empty the tank and start over. It will save you time, money and difficulty in the long run. Or you can ignore us!

 

[alpha0r]

A couple of thoughts.
1) Waste water is worse than tap water because it contains all the bad stuff from tap water plus the bad stuff from the now purified water.
2) Rocks and substrate can absorb chemicals, nitrates, phosphates, ect. So even after you remove the bad water these things could leach bad stuff into the tank for awhile.
3) Your LFS keeps things in there tank for a couple of days or weeks so they can get away with less than perfect water quality. However, we try to keep animals for years and these chemicals can cause damage over the long haul that the LFS wouldn't see in such a short time span.
4) If you don't have anything in the tank I would just take the salinity up to 1.025-1.026. There is no real reason to raise it slowly.
5) If you have live rock in there during the cycle the waste water will kill all kinds of good stuff.

In general I agree with MikeG that you should drain the tank and start over with RO/DI water.

 

[Reefried]

I would dump the water and start over the initial set-up is extremely important, you want your reef built on a solid foundation, starting with waste water your pretty much doomed you will battle nitrate for the life of the tank even if you do 50-75% water changes with RO later the damage will already be done, waste water has 2-3 times more TDS than tap water, and as far as the LFS goes its perfectly fine to use waste water in a fresh-water tank, most LFS do that, but never in their salt systems....it will cost you pennies now (the only cost will be the salt you need to re-fill it) to refill it the right way, compared to what you will spend in time and effort to rid the system of algea, and nitrate issues down the road...good luck

 

[Sherri]

I am so sorry -- I came on a bit strong! The people there in Milford are nice but I have never seen coral in their tanks. I guess what we are trying to save you from is a big mistake. It may seem too much to drain and refill but it really is the best thing to do.

 

[MikeG]

Guys don't forget he is using the fresh RO water with the waste water. It will be better than tap as some sediments and impurities have been removed from the sediment and carbon filters. He won't get any worse water coming out the output and waste combined than he had going in.

Do you have a TDS meter to test the tap to know where it is at?

 

[snick1734]

LFS says tap water/waste water ok < am still thinking about that one.

anyways oh brother of mine some of these fine people here in this club helped us & trust me when I say this one thing take all & any advice you can get from these fine people you have seen my slice of reef sandwich & I can only thank BRS for the help & time this is one of those slow & steady wins in the end.''

One more thing :w to our madness you are stuck with us now hee hee hee


steve

 

[dupont603]

LFS says tap water/waste water ok < am still thinking about that one.

anyways oh brother of mine some of these fine people here in this club helped us & trust me when I say this one thing take all & any advice you can get from these fine people you have seen my slice of reef sandwich & I can only thank BRS for the help & time this is one of those slow & steady wins in the end.''

One more thing :w to our madness you are stuck with us now hee hee hee


steve

Thanx Steve and thanx everyone here.I'm going to drain the tank tomorrow.Should i rince my stuff in RO water once the tank is drained or what do i need to do?

 

[Puffer21]

What stuff did you have in the tank?

 

[dupont603]

Just argonite sand and dead rock

 

[MikeG]

Thanx Steve and thanx everyone here.I'm going to drain the tank tomorrow.Should i rince my stuff in RO water once the tank is drained or what do i need to do?

I wouldn't be that worried about it, but glad you are going to refill.