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That is a very good point, every city can be different, as well as different countries. Luck for me I live 4 short blocks from the worlds second largest freshwater supply. city water here is VERY clean.

Dan

yeah, thats the plan

Remember to take it slow. If you rush, you will be sorry.

Dan

Thanks so much for the help

I cant wait to get this tank up and going.

Is crushed coral the same as coral sand?

Crushed coral is larger chunke, about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch in size. Coral sand will be teh same thing, only smaller in size.



Dan

I suggest leaving the PH alone, it will go up when you add the salt. Using PH up is a huge waste of money. Once you add your salt it shoudl go up to about 8.3 or 8.4



Dan

I have never really worried about changing the PH before becauce it seemed alright for FW fish. So as for buffers and increasers I dont know much excpet for the little container of "PH UP" I got in my test kit, it dosent even say whats in it. So I am guessing the crushed coral acts as a buffer?

Is crushed coral the same as coral sand? because thats what I was plannig on using.

Please correct me if I am wrong and point me in the right direction:%)

They appear to be OK. You will probably need to increase your ph though. As it really should be more like 8.5 give or take. Just be sure to use a buffering agent as well as an increaser if you do. I suggest a calcium type substrate to help, such as Aragonite or a crushed coral.

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There is always a bigger fish...

ok here is a link to my local water qulity [link=http://www.hunterwater.com.au/docs/reports/Typical%20Composition%20of%20Treated%20Water%20at%20Hunter%20Water%20Sources%202003%202004_2004914.pdf ]http://www.hunterwater.com.au/docs/reports/Typical%20Composition%20of%20Treated%20Water%20at%20Hunter%20Water%20Sources%202003%202004_2004914.pdf [/link] my area is covered in the Grahamstown section of the table. there are like 32 different parameters and I dont which I should be concerned about.

PH=7.4

Note: 1.0 mg/L = 1ppm

Nitrates=0.02 mg/L
Nitrites=0.003 mg/L
Phosphorus=0.005 mg/L
copper=0.001 mg/L

Are these ok?
What others should I check?

Last edited by connah at 17-Dec-2004 15:15

Hi I am in the process of seting up my 1st sw tank and its 6 foot and about 100gal us + the sump.

I would like to know if I need to use ro or distilled water for filling and water changes or are there tap water treatments I can use?

Check with your local water company.They are required to provide public quality report.Then you will know what you are dealing with.
I can't do what Dan does since our water here is just a little more clean than the river.

I just drop 3 large phosphate sponges in to my HOB filter. They run about $11 for 3 months. Cleared up my phosphates. I get my water from the tap but run it threw two ice maker filters.

Dan

thanks, will check out the LFSs see what they have. hopfuly I will have the tank setup and starting to cycle by christmas eve. do you think 48kg (105 pounds) of live rock is enough for 100gal US tank? I have ordered 20kg (44lbs)of coral sand But i dont know if thats enough for my tank (6ft x 1 1/2ft) that is I dont know how deep it will be, dose anyone know how much I would need?

There are several phosphate removal agents about there. They all work, just some better than others. Personally I have found the HBH brand of filter pad made for the removal the best for the price.

HTH....

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There is always a bigger fish...

There are several ways to treat tap water for use in a marine aquarium. There are several products that can be used to remove chlorine, chloramine, and detoxify heavy metals. For phosphates, you can use products like Seachem's Phosguard, which you would have to put in a filter media bag and place it in the sump (or wherever you think is best). These products are usually available at your LFS or you can order them online with your favorite online supplier.

John

I would like to get coral later on, RO setup seem expensive and buying it bottle seems like a hassel, is there any other way to remove phosphates from the water? I have a spare 2 foot tank I was planning on using to mix my water for water changes is there any type of filter media that will remove phosphates? because I have 2 canister fliters I was not planing using.

Are you setting this tank up for fish, or corals? As for the phosphates, yes you will likely have these in your tap water, but there are many things to use for combating hair algae, including inverts as well as many fish will lover your hair algae.

I use tap water in all my SW fish tanks, including the shark tank.

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There is always a bigger fish...

It is best to use RO/DI water. You can use tap water, but you will most likly have problems with phosphates. This will give you hair algea problems.



Dan