hey, was wondering if anyone knows if putting tap water in a fish tank with a carbon filter will clean the water of all impurities. there are no fish or anything, just the tank and and the carbon filter and an air stone turned on the day before water is going to be taken form the tank. i have done it before, but have never had a good water tester so i am not sure how it really works...

any thoughts?

When doing this without livestock you do not have the biological system that creates all the "good stuff". As far as the carbon goes, and unfortunetly and if it is activated carbon, the carbon only lasts a short time. I personally when I change my filters I cut out all the carbon and just throw it away. The reason is on fishtanks the carbon does work, but after it deactivates after about a week, it dumps everything back into the tank that it originally filtered out. With the exception of the chlorine which will naturally evaporate out of the water.

Yeah, I never use carbon either. I do however, use the water "from water changes" to water all my house plants. haven't used it on my grow, don't know the nuts. The house plants never have complained.

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I make no claim to being an Expert, I only pass along what has worked for me. and to you.

You will be ok, if "delicate" house plants can tolerate the water a weed certainly can. I do it all the time. It only sucks because I have to wait on my brother to do water changes to get his water, I cant use mine, I have a saltwater tank.

Basically, with what your doing, you are not doing anything beneficial, but your not hurting anything either. Might as well just take the tap water and just water the plants and leave the tank out of it. Stock the tank and then you have something to work with. Just do freshwater, saltwater would obviously not be a good thing to water them with. I use my water to water my neighbors damn trashy ass bushes that encroach onto my property. After a year, I can finally see it doing the damage I desire.

so no benefit no real gain other then the chlorine that is evaporating off. is there anything that i can do to to make the tap water better?

reverse osmosis system.... Got mine @ home depot for under $200

__________________
I make no claim to being an Expert, I only pass along what has worked for me. and to you.