Ok so I will try to keep it short

[Sincere]

I am not a stranger to saltwater aquariums but not an expert either. I was able to acquire a 75 gallon (predrilled), uv filter, sump, 2x odyssea 175w mh lights, return pump and maybe 1in of sand and maybe 10lbs live rock, etc... When they arrived at my place apparrently somebody forgot to tighten the caps on the water jugs and ALL THE WATER spilled but still had just 10-15 gallons of water left over. I am not complaining considering I got everything for $200!! So I have the fish (chromis, clown) in a little 20 gallon tank in the mean while. This tank has been running for 6 months from what I was told

So here is the dilema I only have two options available to me due to my budget (have a son in the oven).

I hate using tap water because I always used a ro/di that I no longer have. Anyways, use the 10-15 gallons and make the rest with tap water (using amquel). And in a week or two start doing water changes with filtered water

or

I have a buddy I gave my 55 gallon tank to when I moved however he no longer wants to do saltwater ( too hard ) so the tank has 2 fish that are alive and "well" (if you will) but nothing has been running for at least 2 months! But the tank still has at least, when I gave it to him, 75lbs of live sand, and like 50 lbs of live rock. The tank is not cloudy but has a green tint to it. And in a week or two start doing water changes with filtered water. This tank ran for about 6 months at his home, I know because I did most of the maintenance for a while.

So much for keeping it short

Forgot to add with the second option: I won't use all the water just so I could yes less treated tap water

[cuttingras]

I would say get the water and the rock from the 55 and cycle them. Maybe clean the rocks off and filter the water for one month in you 75 gal...it's a start...anyone else has some words of wisdom???

[mm2002]

If the 55 gal you gave your friend hasn't been running for two months I wouldn't want to use the gravel or live rock without washing it real good (probably a lot of anaerobic bacteria growing in there). I say wash all of the gravel and live rock in freshly mixed saltwater, then put it all in the 75 with another batch of freshly mixed saltwater (with your tap water), and start from there. At this point tap water isn't going to cause you any serious issues unless you have very nasty tap water. Let the two fish aid in cycling the tank, and in a few weeks (after any cycling is done) do a 50% water change with RO, then another in a couple more weeks. I have done this myself when reviving old stuff and it works out fine.

[cuttingras]

Much better way of saying it MM2002 +2

[ziggy222]

yeah,usually tap water only hurts the tank if its reelly bad or if its a little bad and used over a reel long time.i've been using my tap water for 2yrs with no problem but mines reelly good water.

[cuttingras]

whatchu reeeeeelin in there ziggy...I thought it was cute!

Originally Posted by ziggy222

yeah,usually tap water only hurts the tank if its reelly bad or if its a little bad and used over a reel long time.i've been using my tap water for 2yrs with no problem but mines reelly good water.

[ziggy222]

lol i spell it that way all the time

[Otty]

No tap water, it will cause you problems down the road. Get some from a friend or a local fish store.

[Bruce]

I would get it from your friend or sometimes you can buy RO/DI salt water from your LFS, I used to get it for like $0.25/gal.

Tap water...unless you are living in Hawai'i (found out the tap water in Oahu comes straight from the mountian ground water...NOTHING added to it) you are going to run into problems.

[cuttingras]

ziggy what state do you live in?