ro/di needed for sharks?

dmopar74

Peacock Bass
MFK Member
Mar 24, 2006
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Tri cities washington
is ro/di needed for sharks, specifically coral cats? ive been running a fowlr setup off of tap/well water with no problems, but i have no idea what the tds are.
 

FLESHY

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jan 7, 2006
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Central Wisconsin
I would say the opposite of the above.

If you can get away without RO/DI, the better.

The fact of the matter is that we can never make water with better buffering or more complete than what it naturally is.

The less you take out of your h2o, the less you have to put back in.

You also wont have to spend the time or money on RO/DI.

If you dont have to, dont. But I recommend getting your h2o professionally tested first.
 

nonstophoops

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 4, 2009
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Milwaukee, Wisconsin
FLESHY;4738266; said:
I would say the opposite of the above.

If you can get away without RO/DI, the better.

The fact of the matter is that we can never make water with better buffering or more complete than what it naturally is.

The less you take out of your h2o, the less you have to put back in.

You also wont have to spend the time or money on RO/DI.

If you dont have to, dont. But I recommend getting your h2o professionally tested first.
I would agree in most FOWLR setups as long as you haven't had major algae or nitrate problems, granted those could be from other sources. However, in your case I would definitely get your water tested and pay close attention to the metals within your water. These metals can/will mess with the sharks sensory system and can bother them quite a bit. That would be my main reason for encouraging you to use RODI water.
 

Deano1956

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 1, 2008
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Morris, IL.
I use and allways used well water on my FO tanks and now my Rays are in it, its been a year and a half and see no problems that I know.
 

tunerX

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Zoodiver;4738841; said:
If you use city water, just watch the copper levels in it.
I agree with Zoodiver. If your city water is chemical, metal free, then use it. The main use of RO/DI is for the benefit of Corals which are far less tolerant to phosphates, nitrates, chemicals, and metals.
 

FLESHY

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jan 7, 2006
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Central Wisconsin
If your inverts are living, your shark will probably be fine.

As I advised, getting your h2o professionally tested is the best way to see yourself through this situation. It usually isnt that expensive, they charge by the test, but I got the whole deal for about $50.

Make sure you dont have any copper pipes, especially if your h2o comes out at a low pH.

If nothing else, run your h2o for a short period of time before you get your water, helping to flush out the copper that dissolves into the h2o while it sits there overnight with low pH water in the pipes.
 
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