Filtering tap water

[DRC]

I currently have a 55, 3x20s, and a 10, all freshwater. I’ve been doing water changes with a siphon and 5 gal. bucket and just treating the tap water with Prime before I dump it in. I am getting ready to move my N. American natives from my 55 to a 125, and I ended up getting a second 125 at the same time (poor guy had a girl friend that made him choose between his fish tanks or her lol). I’m planning on setting the second 125 up as a brackish tank. 1. That’s a lot more trips with a 5 gal. bucket 2. My tap water already maxes out my nitrate test right out of the faucet, and who knows what other undesirable “extras” I might be dumping into my tanks when I add the “fresh” water. My 125s are positioned where I should be able to drain them with a python without buckets, but I’m looking for a better way to add better water. I’ve seen RO/DI filters, but I’m not sure about filtering to where I will have to re mineralize and it just doesn’t seem practical for a filter that can only produce a few gal. a day. Is there a better way? Or as a freshwater keeper is my high nitrate Prime treated tap water really good enough?

 

[Mr geophagus]

Maybe try filtering the water through some prepared bio media 24 hours after adding Prime. Or you can buy distilled water for less than a dollar per gallon, but with 125 gallons that’ll be expensive

 

[Lsey81]

I'd go to the hardware store and grab a few feet of hose and go out a window or maybe a bathtub to drain...as far as refilling...any way you can get a few of those blue barrels or anything you can store a good bit of water in to refill...grab a cheap harbor freight pond pump...and use that for your changes...tedious but a thought and no more buckets...and poor guy lol....I'd prob have to tell her to kick rocks...my tanks stay lol

 

[Matteus]

I have an rv hose designated for potable water that I run from my tap to my tank. I typically add a capful of prime every 5 mins or so. They say to put as much prime as what is the tank volume, so for a 120- 2.5 caps is enough for the full tank volume, but I usually use a bit more to be safe. I typically do this while my fx5 is pumping water to my drain so there is water going out one side in in the other side.

Maybe you can get some live plants to eat up some of those nitrates.

 

[islandguy11]

After moving to our new place I noticed that even though it goes through a big water filter system the water coming out of the tap here seemed to have more TDS when I filled my tanks. So I just got one of these simple house filters and bought some longer 3/4" hose to connect to my tap and then into the tanks. You can use different types of filter cartridges, plain, or with carbon etc. Unlike an actual RO system you shouldn't need to re-mineralize the water.

Similar to this...


After a few months of use it's gotten pretty dirty, I'm about to change it soon, so it's clearly helping quite a bit (though I don't know how much it would actually help with your nitrate levels).

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

RO is the only way I know of to get rid of nitrates. If you want to use it, it’s best to get a barrel or two and simply allow the RO unit to keep running to fill it/them up throughout the week. Then you’ll have clean water when it’s time to do your water changes. You will have to remineralize the RO water, but they make additives just for that.

 

[Lepisosteus]

A member on a reef forum I’m part of was having nitrate issues and we were unable to find the cause. We modified his rock structure, changed out the filter pads, tested RO water and tap water outputs. Everything we tried didn’t solve the issue. We eventually tested the RO water within his water mixing container and sure enough the barrel was leaching nitrates into the water. Just something to keep in mind if you are doing a holding tank. Use good grade and test it from time to time.

If you run the water only through an RO filter and not a DI resin the water will not be completely purified. I know a few people do a 50/50:RODI/tap water change to replenish both minerals and lower nitrates.

 

[Nilsafeller]

I'd go to the hardware store and grab a few feet of hose and go out a window or maybe a bathtub to drain...as far as refilling...any way you can get a few of those blue barrels or anything you can store a good bit of water in to refill...grab a cheap harbor freight pond pump...and use that for your changes...tedious but a thought and no more buckets...and poor guy lol....I'd prob have to tell her to kick rocks...my tanks stay lol

This is the way to go

 

[kkirkt]

I have a Brute Rubbermaid trashcan on wheels. I fill it with a short section of hose from a sink, and circulate it with a pump to mix in my salt (brackish tank) and to circulate the Prime. Then I roll it over, and using the same pump I use to circulate it, I fill my tank. A hose to the shower drains the tank.

Unfortunately, my method would not help your tap water nitrates issue.