Water: Distilled vs purified vs everything else

[spankyg]

I have a water distiller in my house.

I keep my tadpoles in distilled water, and they are fine.

How can it harm the frog if the tadpoles love it?

[spankyg]

I'm going to use rain water now anyway just to be on the safe side. I've read too much negative about distilled im paranoid..lol
(sorry for the double post)

[Paul Rust]

Dionized Water - Deionization is a completely different process to Reverse Osmosis and requires different equipment. It removes salts from water and relies on their ionic nature for their removal. It leaves behind any species that are not ionic in nature, including organic molecules and even bacteria.

This is a bit misleading. Although referred to as "deionized" it is actually ion exchange, one ion takes the place of another.

It leaves behind any species that are not ionic in nature, including organic molecules and even bacteria.

This is true, except that you don't run domestic water straight into the resin tanks and out to the loop. The feed water is Reverse Osmosis so most impurities are already removed. It also goes through an ultraviolet sterilizer to kill bacteria. Lastly it is filtered at the sub-micron level to remove the destroyed bacteria and any endotoxin that may have been released into the water stream.

[djmosier]

I live in the country, and all we have is well water. I use a Pur water filter, and treat it with a water conditioner for my frog and lizard. Is that sufficient?

[Mentat]

I live in the country, and all we have is well water. I use a Pur water filter, and treat it with a water conditioner for my frog and lizard. Is that sufficient?

That is fine Deborah ! If you also use it for spraying and get water spots on glass, try getting distilled water at supermarket for spraying duties (not for frog's bath).

[djmosier]

Thank you Carlos.

[nok1888]

I use bottled water for my reptiles as the tap water is chronic, that full o chemicals that you can smell it as soon as you run the tap. Even with water conditioner i still wouldnt trust it. not sure if this will be ok for the Dart frogs when I get them

[Treesniffer]

John, may I copy and post this on a facebook page about plants. Members there frequently ask about types of water and yours is the best description.

[The Rainforest Exhibit]

WOW!!! Thank you very much, very helpful.

[Tropicok]

Thanks for the water info, it cleared up questions I had. I would like to use it in our OKC Herp Society Newsletter if that OK. Do I need to attribute it to another publication or to you?

[John]

I wrote it so you can attribute it to me. I'm actually a Doctor of Chemistry and my interests center on pollution/water pollution. For a published article then please credit me as John P. Clare or Dr. John P. Clare.

Given what Johnny has said, as I suspected there are much looser standards for Spring Water in the US.

[Moonspyder]

So where does rain water fall in for those who do not want to buy water? I know acid
rain exists, and rain water has been describes as sort of a distillation process. I suppose alot of air born matter besides the pollutants that make acid rain ends up in rain water.

[John]

Rain water purity really depends on where you live but in most industrialised nations it certainly does not compare to distilled or R/O water in terms of purity.

[ninnato]

I collect rainwater and have always done – but now that you’re discussing distilled water and purified water I wonder if rainwater is okay?

[John]

I would use Danish rain water.

[tgampper]

It is true that many zoos use RO water, however you still need to add a certain mix of salts and minerals to the water. The same goes for using distilled water. I understand that using plain RO or distilled water should not be used in frog habitats. If you really want to give your frog a treat, you can use Perrier (only kidding) .

[eufa1313]

What product out in stores would be best to use to remove the chlorine in tap water???

how about this?
Wardley Corp Essentials Chlorine Out 4 Ounces - 00938

Or maybe this method??
How to make your own Dechlor for your Aquarium | eHow.com
Is that safe, or just BS?

[John]

What product out in stores would be best to use to remove the chlorine in tap water???

Any of the products sold for making tap water safe for aquariums will be fine - they are all nearly identical.

Or maybe this method??
How to make your own Dechlor for your Aquarium | eHow.com
Is that safe, or just BS?

This only takes care of dissolved chlorine in the absence of ammonia. It does not work well on chloramines and it doesn't do anything about metals in the water, like copper.

[abeloneto]

I’m drinking tap water and so do the whole family – our children as well.
It should be okay – so “they” say…
Why shouldn't it be good for fogs then?

[bshmerlie]

Just make sure you are using a water conditioning product like Tetra Aquasafe or Amquel. You can purchase these at all petstores, even Walmart or even most supermarkets in the pet sections. They will decholorinate the tap water and make it safe for fish, frogs or reptiles.