R/O Vs Hard Tap Water? Aero + ReP

My tap water is around 230ppm..
I use it in my aero cloners no problem..

Can you acually tell a differance using tap water vs Reverse osmosis water...
(any downsides to using tapwater)

I will be running a 20 gas res so i dont want to haul around that much water..


If i use tap water i would just subtract the 230ppm correct?

i believe that is correct
but i think r.o. is the best bet because u know what is goin into the res
hydroponic nutes usually have a complete nutrient profile...and tap water already has amounts of calcium and sodium
with that being said,unless u know what is coming out of ur tap,u will probably run into some problems
edit:not to mention the amount of ph down u will need

Some people say purified water is better. However, many people (including me) use straight tap with no problems. I have stuck with tap because it's easier and seems to work great. I've heard that it's harder to maintain a proper pH in purified water because there's less of a buffer and therefore the pH tends to go all over the place. If you're not having any problems, I would just stick with what's working for you. I personally have had great success with bubbleponics using regular tap water (I don't let the water sit out or anything, in my head the standing water encourage bacteria growth) and I've never measured the PPMs of anything. Instead, I focus on feeding the plants with the right amount of nutrients, maintaining a proper pH, and watching the plants for any signs of problems.

Heathro said:

My tap water is around 230ppm..
I use it in my aero cloners no problem..

Can you acually tell a differance using tap water vs Reverse osmosis water...
(any downsides to using tapwater)

I will be running a 20 gas res so i dont want to haul around that much water..


If i use tap water i would just subtract the 230ppm correct?

Click to expand...

My tap is 290ppm, but I use R/O water that is 18ppm.
As stated, it allows me to KNOW what my plants are getting.
Plenty of ppl use their tap just fine though.
You can get rid of the CHLORINE by oxygenating your tap water in a bucket, or whatever, with an air stone for 24hrs.
BUT if you have CHLORAMINE in your water, this won't help because you CANNOT evaporate that extra Ammonia molecule.
You need a WATER CONDITIONER called Amquel Plus from PetSmart or PetCo.
It removes ALL Ammonia, Nitrates and Nitrites that can harm plants or fish. About $10/bottle which treats 950 gals !!

And yes, don't forget that your tap is 230 ppm if your nute solution is saying 530 ppm. That means you added 300 ppm obviously.

If tap water is working then I'd stick to it. and I would'nt subtract any PPMs that's the only down side. Mix your ferts and test ppm and that's what it is. Test Ph and use. If your tap water has chlorine then you might want to let it sit overnight before mixing any ferts and using it and all should be good. R/O wastes water!

RO water has all the metals and other undesirables filtered out. You can use the tap water with it's minerals. microbes and metals, just make sure it sits out for a day or two, uncovered to allow the chlorine to evaporate.

The best thing you can do is place 5 gallon buckets strategically around your house to catch rain water. I use 5 buckets and I never have to lug in water from the store anymore. If you collect rain water, you'll need a light proof reservoir to dump buckets into and I add about 2 tblsp a gal of H2O2 and run a airstone to oxygenate my water.

Dr. O said:

i believe that is correct
but i think r.o. is the best bet because u know what is goin into the res
hydroponic nutes usually have a complete nutrient profile...and tap water already has amounts of calcium and sodium
with that being said,unless u know what is coming out of ur tap,u will probably run into some problems
edit:not to mention the amount of ph down u will need

Click to expand...

i think this person is on track
alot of people use tap water,but all tap water is different
so either get ur water tested or stick to what is proven
also imo, i think res changes r over rated,so u wont be lugging that much water