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To filter tap water or not filter tap water?

manbern

manbern

Members
Hello All! I live in the Woodbridge area and I'm calling out all other Woodbridge residents to ask your opinion. Do you run your tap water through a filter before putting it in your tank? I'm currently using API's Tap Water Filter and I'm wondering, is it really necessary? Or will just using a dechlorinator and adding the buffer and salt suffice. Please comment with your opinions, suggestions, and what you are currently doing with your tap water. Thanks!
 
Cichlid Lips

Cichlid Lips

Members
May end up with a lot of different responses so lets ask, what are you planning to keep? Comes down to what your wanting to accomplish and what the filter can or can't do for you.

What's the PH out of the tap without the filter? Does it drop using this filter?

Because I keep Lake Tang fish, I do not use any filters and I just use "Prime" by Seachem to rid the chlorine and add a mix of salts. I am 8.3 out of the tap so it just makes sense.

If the filter drops your PH or raises it , and that's where you want it then it makes sense to run it. You can also most certainly request a copy of your local water reports as that is public information and know exactly what it contains.
 
manbern

manbern

Members
Cichlid Lips said:
May end up with a lot of different responses so lets ask, what are you planning to keep? Comes down to what your wanting to accomplish and what the filter can or can't do for you.

What's the PH out of the tap without the filter? Does it drop using this filter?

Because I keep Lake Tang fish, I do not use any filters and I just use "Prime" by Seachem to rid the chlorine and add a mix of salts. I am 8.3 out of the tap so it just makes sense.

If the filter drops your PH or raises it , and that's where you want it then it makes sense to run it. You can also most certainly request a copy of your local water reports as that is public information and know exactly what it contains.
Click to expand...

To answer your questions:
- I am already housing Lake Malawi peacocks and haps.
- My tap comes out at 7.6, which is too low so buffers and salt is added.
- My filter does lower the ph, but it does also dechlorinate and remove a lot of dissolved solids.

My main concern is if the tap goes unfiltered, will any particulates and/or "impurities" contribute to unwanted algae blooms? I'm trying to find out if any fish keepers in the area are using water straight out of the tap and not having any algae problems. If so, I'd gladly go without using the tap water filter, as that would be one less expense.


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chriscoli

chriscoli

Administrator
I'm not in Woodbridge so my answer may not be what you're looking for, but for most of my fish, I do not filter what comes out of the tap. The pH of my water most of the year is 7.6 which actually is fine for Mbuna. We've had a few speakers come to our club mention that those lakes range anywhere from the mid 7s to mid 8s and point out that our water in the DC area is great for Rift lake cichlids as is. That being said, I do add some Epsom salt and baking soda in some of my Malawi and Tang tanks at the same time that I add the dechlorinator as I refill the tank. I have found that I prefer to add it to my breeding tanks, but not my grow out tanks. Those get just tap water with dechlorinator.

The only fish that get filtered water are some Westies, some Apistos and some catfish.

As for tap water contributing to algae blooms, that has not been my experience so far. Have you tested your tap water for nitrates and phosphates? Those would be the two biggest culprits. The nutrients are usually introduced into our tanks in far greater quantities by the food we feed them.
 
manbern

manbern

Members
chriscoli said:
I'm not in Woodbridge so my answer may not be what you're looking for, but for most of my fish, I do not filter what comes out of the tap. The pH of my water most of the year is 7.6 which actually is fine for Mbuna. We've had a few speakers come to our club mention that those lakes range anywhere from the mid 7s to mid 8s and point out that our water in the DC area is great for Rift lake cichlids as is. That being said, I do add some Epsom salt and baking soda in some of my Malawi and Tang tanks at the same time that I add the dechlorinator as I refill the tank. I have found that I prefer to add it to my breeding tanks, but not my grow out tanks. Those get just tap water with dechlorinator.

The only fish that get filtered water are some Westies, some Apistos and some catfish.

As for tap water contributing to algae blooms, that has not been my experience so far. Have you tested your tap water for nitrates and phosphates? Those would be the two biggest culprits. The nutrients are usually introduced into our tanks in far greater quantities by the food we feed them.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input! My tap tested at 0ppm nitrates and .05ppm for phosphates. I'll be doing a water change today, and I'll try using just dechlorinated tap with buffer and salt added. We'll see how it works out!


Sent from my iPad using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
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