does anyone use tap water?

i use tap water and thus far have had no ill effects (7 mo.)... i also have low TDS in my tap water and treat it with Prime

 

The only thing I use my tap water for is to wash my hands and shower!

I dont ever put tap water in my tank....it goes through a 4 stage RO/DI unit.....and I have a well too with pretty good water quality!!!

 

Thanks everyone,please keep the opinions coming!I probably will still buy water,i want some thoughts from both sides of the fence as i'd like to stop having to buy water,just not sure about risking it,and like i stated earlier,i've always used tap in my fresh tanks with no problems ever,and allthough i don't test my freshwater very often(because i seldom have any trouble with my fw tanks)but when i do,it test ok.One thing i don't test for is phosphates,but i am buying a kit the next time i go to my lfs for the new reef.I will also eventually buy a ro unit,it's just not in the budjet yet.

 

Tap water is inconsistent, the whole idea with successfully keeping a reef is consistency. We use the same salt mix, at the same sepcific gravity, the same light schedule, the same feeding routine etc. Consistency is a good thing and thats what RO/DI provides every time. No unneeded pr unwanted minerals or contaminants which can accumulate and not be removed by water changes and no excess TDS besides what is in that salt mix.
It does not pay to go cheap on water when it is the single largest ingredient in an aquariuym by far and everything, I mean everything depends on that water quality. Making RO/DI costs less than a nickle per gallon and that includes water and sewer rates and replacement filters in that nickle.

 

Very well put,your explanation has convinced me to continue buying for now till i can buy a unit instead of trying tap.K+

 

I used tap for a year with no algae or other types of issues. It can be fine.

Having said that, these two quotes sum it up nicely.

Something else I noticed, my skimmer produced more muck when I used tap...

 

I agree,they both made very good points,plus i'm only putting a 28 gal nano together.It's not like i'm buying huge amounts of water,so i'm not gonna chance it and i'll continue buying till i get a unit.I know the reasons to use ro/di,but i also know many use tap water(sort of like the tang vs tank size thing)everyone has different thoughts on it,so i just wanted some feedback from both sides.