They make reconstituted limestone by gluing crushed lime/ limestone and putting it into moulds. It's mainly used for stone walls and housing and should not be used in aquariums because the glue hasn't been tested and deemed fish safe.
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OP
OP
I have decided to not setup the tank at all, until I get the RO system.
Not sure how long that will take... hopefully my paycheck will come in soon...
Not sure how long that will take... hopefully my paycheck will come in soon...
Why?
At the very least you can cycle the tank with salt water made using tap water, and use R/O later on.
Most people in Australia use tap water. Your tap water is free of nitrates and should be fine, especially considering you aren't going into hard corals.
If you had water like they do in the UK with 50ppm nitrate, phosphates and all sorts of nasty stuff in, then yes use R/O, but your water is probably better than mine and I wouldn't bother using R/O unless I had a problem with the water.
OP
OP
I was doing a bit more research, and apparently your tap is filled with other nasties, like “dissolved metals, phosphates, nitrates, silicates, trace levels of insecticides, and tons of other undesirables (the metals and insecticides)”?
My research could be wrong though...
OP
OP
Maybe you’re right (how could I doubt you? Lol), maybe I should just get it setup with tap water/salt. Then, once I get the funds for the RO system, I’ll just perform a 100% water change and be on my marry way.
Sound about right?
—-
(Obviously I wouldn’t be getting any live stock...)
Sound about right?
—-
(Obviously I wouldn’t be getting any live stock...)
Is your house on well water? I think well water may be different from normal tap water. I don't know if it would make any difference or not though
OP
OP
Um, I’m not sure to be honest. I’m pretty sure it’s just regular tap water.
Here is my official journal: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/29g-saltwater-nano-tank.471210/
This thread will still be my question thread, and believe me, I’m going to need it.
Ohhh ok. It may be worth asking your parents! I think it is more common for larger properties that aren't directly in a town or anything to have a well, but I don't really know, I do know that well water is different though.
OP
OP
I really like the idea of having an RO filter, because they do perform a lot of maintenance on my water pipes.
I’m ok with not having an RO filter right now, just because I’m not going to add any livestock yet.
OP
OP
According to good ole’ doctor Googly, if I start up the tank with tap water and then transfer over to RO water, then then, “heavy metals in your tap water - you’ll never get them out of the tank or the live rock. Also, if it’s loaded with phosphates your rock will be full of that water that will then leach out for potentially months.”
I trust you over Google @Colin_T, so I’d like to hear your opinion on this.
I trust you over Google @Colin_T, so I’d like to hear your opinion on this.
That is what I would do.
Live rock doesn't draw much if anything into it so even if there is phosphates in the water, it will be taken up by fish, algae and other life forms before it gets into rock.
Phosphates and nitrates are readily taken up by algae and aren't a big problem unless you have live corals, which you won't have while cycling tank.
Heavy metals can be an issue to invertebrates (corals, anemones, crabs, shrimp, starfish, sea urchins, etc. Copper will kill any of these inverts but there does not appear to be any in your tap water (I had a look on the Lawrenceburg water company's website). However, the website did have some bad stuff in the water and they do recommend filtering tap water, preferably with R/O units. They also have the following written on their main page, which is a concern and suggests the water company does not believe the water quality is as good as it should be, and believes the government guidelines are not up to scratch.
-------------------------
Quoted from https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=KY0030239
EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2019 - March 2019), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.
- Legal does not necessarily equal safe. Getting a passing grade from the federal government does not mean the water meets the latest health guidelines.
- Legal limits for contaminants in tap water have not been updated in almost 20 years.
- The best way to ensure clean tap water is to keep pollution out of source water in the first place.
To me, this sounds like a good water company having a go at the federal government about not updating pollution laws.
Regarding heavy metals, some can be removed with carbon, and all will come out of the tank with a huge water change.
I have used copper in tanks and simply done a couple of big water changes, then added snails and shrimp and they were fine. So for cycling an aquarium, your tap water is fine but try to get a reverse osmosis system when you can. And drink R/O water from then on because there are a couple of things in your tap water that no animal (including dogs, cats, horses and anything else) should be ingesting.
Just adding another bit, did you have shrimp and snails in your freshwater tanks?
Did you use tap water for the freshwater tanks?
If yes, then the water is fine for marine fish. If there was anything in the tap water that was bad for shrimp and snails, it would harm the freshwater ones as well as the saltwater ones. If you had shrimp and snails in freshwater, and you used tap water, then it's fine.
You can see if the tap water is good by putting some live Daphnia in it. If the Daphnia live in dechlorinated tap water, then it's safe. Daphnia are sensitive to chemicals and heavy metals and die quickly when exposed to harmful substances. If they live in the tap water, then it is safe.
I would try to get an independent lab to test your tap water and find out exactly what is in it. Then look into a R/O unit if there is anything bad in the water supply.
Did you use tap water for the freshwater tanks?
If yes, then the water is fine for marine fish. If there was anything in the tap water that was bad for shrimp and snails, it would harm the freshwater ones as well as the saltwater ones. If you had shrimp and snails in freshwater, and you used tap water, then it's fine.
You can see if the tap water is good by putting some live Daphnia in it. If the Daphnia live in dechlorinated tap water, then it's safe. Daphnia are sensitive to chemicals and heavy metals and die quickly when exposed to harmful substances. If they live in the tap water, then it is safe.
I would try to get an independent lab to test your tap water and find out exactly what is in it. Then look into a R/O unit if there is anything bad in the water supply.
OP
OP
Oh yes, I have tons of snails and shrimp in my 20g long and my 10g. They populate like crazy.
Thank you for doing that research for me!That is what I would do.
Live rock doesn't draw much if anything into it so even if there is phosphates in the water, it will be taken up by fish, algae and other life forms before it gets into rock.
Phosphates and nitrates are readily taken up by algae and aren't a big problem unless you have live corals, which you won't have while cycling tank.
Heavy metals can be an issue to invertebrates (corals, anemones, crabs, shrimp, starfish, sea urchins, etc. Copper will kill any of these inverts but there does not appear to be any in your tap water (I had a look on the Lawrenceburg water company's website). However, the website did have some bad stuff in the water and they do recommend filtering tap water, preferably with R/O units. They also have the following written on their main page, which is a concern and suggests the water company does not believe the water quality is as good as it should be, and believes the government guidelines are not up to scratch.
-------------------------
Quoted from https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=KY0030239
EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2019 - March 2019), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.
-------------------------
- Legal does not necessarily equal safe. Getting a passing grade from the federal government does not mean the water meets the latest health guidelines.
- Legal limits for contaminants in tap water have not been updated in almost 20 years.
- The best way to ensure clean tap water is to keep pollution out of source water in the first place.
To me, this sounds like a good water company having a go at the federal government about not updating pollution laws.
Regarding heavy metals, some can be removed with carbon, and all will come out of the tank with a huge water change.
I have used copper in tanks and simply done a couple of big water changes, then added snails and shrimp and they were fine. So for cycling an aquarium, your tap water is fine but try to get a reverse osmosis system when you can. And drink R/O water from then on because there are a couple of things in your tap water that no animal (including dogs, cats, horses and anything else) should be ingesting.
I think my fridge has a filter in it, but I’m not sure if it’s RO or not. I just know that my tap water tastes nasty, that’s why I always use the fridge water.
I will try to get the RO filter ASAP. I won’t add any fish/invertebrates without the RO water present in the tank.
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