Is Toronto Tap water safe?

[jastonataquapro]

Is Toronto Tap water safe for starting a new saltwater aquarium?

I'm intending on starting with live sand and rock, adding some hardy stuff (suggestions welcomed), a cleaner crew, and hopefully ending with a full reef system.

If Toronto tap water isn't considered safe (remember I'm starting off with about 80G, so it's the initial cost/hastle of loading up the system)... what are alternatives?

Is there an inline DI (or RO/DI) system that I could hook up to a shower head/garden hose (with the actual shower head removed)?

Buying dechlorinated water is too expensive and only comes in small jugs.

Buying spring water I've read isn't of much help either.

[Michael_Lambert]

Most RO/DI units have different adapters for connecting to difference focets..

As for safe, no its not..

its high in Nitrates and phosphates. for setting up an 80 gallon aquarium for saltwater you will spend the next 6 or more months fighting Hair algae and cycno issues due to the higher levels.

Some still use it.. but they do have issues .. or they are doing large and consistant waterchanges to keep the neutirent levels done.

[Michael_Lambert]

I myself, rent a Ro/di water unti from Culligan, pay $25 a month and it works well. i have a couple of the 5 gallon juges and just keep on filling then ( i have 8 of them) so i allways have a nice water supply on hand!

[afss]

When i lioved in toronto I used to use tap water. I had some minor algae problems, but nothing too serious. I did however have a DSB and a lightly stocked tank, so there wasn't a huge amount of bio load.

Scott

[Daniel Schubert]

My own tank is doing much better when I switched from TAP water to RO/DI about 2 years ago. I would never again use just plain tap water

[Chrismo]

I started off my tanks using RODI water, but I've been using Tap water, for all my water changes for about a year and a half, and havn't had any problems... No cyano or hair in either of my tanks, good growth & Nitrate levels stay low too.

All my top off water is kalk, wich precipitates out all the phosphate, so maybe that is the secret. I dunno...

Danial, What differences did you see when you switched to RO water? Did you have problems before or did everything just seem healthier? I might try Ro water again, I feel guilty putting tap water in.

Chris

[Fishlips]

Please see my post
http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2301
astelz@hotmail.com
and I'm in Toronto.

[Daniel Schubert]

Chris

The biggest difference was the growth in my corals. I had very little growth using plain tap water. Also I did have a little green hair algea.

[Dman]

Here's a link to some research I did awhile back

Toronto Water Testing (http://www.aquariumpros.ca/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1685)

Dman
:spin: