# tap water can be used with marine tank , yes or no?



## sharkettelaw (Aug 30, 2011)

is
it true tap water can be used in a marine tank? ive done so much 
research and went on to varying websites and asked at the petshop but im
still uncertain. and when doing water changes, i will need to add salt 
to the new water , yes or no? just making certain before i do anything


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Straight forward answer is yes, you can use tap water in a SW tank. Its not advisable because of all the sponge and algae thst it tends to grow, but that's all entirely up to you.
In tops offs you do not add salt to the water. Water evaporates, all the things in the water do not.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

1^ with RM.RO/DI or distilled will help avoid a lot of "hidden" issues in your tap.Only top off with fresh water as the salt and traces don't evaporate.


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## sharkettelaw (Aug 30, 2011)

i was considering the distilled water but if tap water can be used i'll try it first. and if left the new top up water to mature over a couple of days would it help?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Aging the water will help,but you should probly use dechlorinator anyways(in case you municipal supplier uses chloramine{which does NOT evaporate}) and just to be safe.


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## sharkettelaw (Aug 30, 2011)

i always use dechlorinator. but ive got the dechlorinator that removes chloramine, copper, lead, and zinc so that should work?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Ya you'll be all good with that.


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

Tap water contains some or all of the following (not limited to)...silicate, fluoride, phosphate, nitrate, chlorine and even ammonia. Aquatic water conditioners do not remove all the above, instead, they contain chemicals that bind with and neutralize those unwanted compounds in part, but not entirely. In time, those bound compounds can accumulate and cause issues. 

As Reefing Madness mentioned...diatoms and many other undesirable organisms feed off the silicate and phosphate found in tap water. Gobs of ugly diatom, cyanobacteria, and other algae in a fish-only SW tank would frustrate the he|| out of me aesthetically. Beyond that, excess phosphate will essentially eliminate your ability to keep certain types of marine life. I personally, don’t like limits. I honestly wasn't aware that sponge thrived under the same circumstances...I learned something new today. )

My point is not to suggest that you should never use tap water in a SW tank. But I would like to strongly advise against it, at least on a regular basis...and I would absolutely not initially fill my SW aquarium with tap water. If you do, you're at risk of creating a permanent diatom rich environment rather than a temporary one.

All said, the fact that you don't plan to use a protein skimmer certainly underlines all the above.


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