RO/DI or sand/rock first?

[thejon]

Based on my tap water tests; there is absolutely no way I can run a tank without an RO/DI system (pH almost 10 from the tap). I've resigned myself to knowing I'm going to need a decent RO/DI system in the near future.

Basically, I'm not going to be able to purchase everything right away; will need to stagger my purchases. But I'm wondering if I can get away with adding sand / rock first, with tap water + salt mix, and letting my tank cycle while I'm stashing money for my filter? I'm worried that the combination of an extreme pH and very high TDS levels will kill off anything that comes in with my live rock, bacteria included.

 

[salt_for_brains]

Personally, I would wait until I could afford the RO/DI system or purchase some RO/DI water from a LFS. Starting a brand new tank and using tap water will likely lead to a lot of headaches and failures. That's just my:twocents:

 

[bjohanson1234]

I wouldn't even start the tank with tap water. I did that on my first set up, nothing but problems for a year after setting it up and then months after switching to RO, the issues started to disappear.

You can always buy your water from the LFS. Or most supermarkets have water filtration stations that you can fill up your jugs.

 

[thejon]

Cool, I was afraid of that response, but I did sort of expect it. It's a 72g tank, so I'm not sure how viable buying that much water, then trying to transport it all, really is.

Thanks for the advice all the same :)

 

[salt_for_brains]

Transporting is not fun and there is cost associtated with RO/DI water as you know------BUT starting your tank off the right way will pay BIG dividends down the road.

 

[FishyReef]

If you use tap water to start the bad nutrients can leach into your rock and stay in your tank for awhile even after you switch over. I'd just wait until you can afford an RO/DI. And given the size of your tank, I wouldn't bother buying the water from your LFS - might as well save that money and put it towards and RO/DI unit (you can get a decent one from bulk reef supply for around $130). One place you can save some money is by using dry rock for the majority of your rock (can't remember if anyone mentioned this in your other thread or not!) and then seeding with a few lbs of live rock - far cheaper than using all live rock! Just take it slow and research in the mean time while you save up money. I'm having to do the same thing right now saving up for a decent light for my new tank. I wish I could buy everything all at once *sigh*

 

[chichimom79]

They have you covered. I just want to say I love your profile picture!