Water: Distilled vs purified vs everything else

[tadpole]

no one has mentioned filtered water. i use a brita filter to run my tap water through. it says it removes copper mercury cadmium chlorine zinc. i also use rainwater from my roof when available. i am keeping acf's and budgetts in tupperware, and do complete daily water changes, about a quart per container. if i use a substrate, i prefer long fibered sphagnum moss, which can be removed in a clump, sorted through for any apparent feces, then put in a collander and rinsed thoroughly with hot water, or microwaved after rinsing.

[John]

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?

What is suitable for you is not necessarily suitable for a frog. In the case of tap water, most untreated tap water will, at the very least, have a deleterious effect on a frog. In the case of tadpoles and aquatic frogs, it will more than likely kill them in short order due to poisoning by the chlorine (and if present, chloramines). Then there are heavy metals and other nasties that need to be taken into account. Human beings are not amphibians, and therefore do not have the same requirements.

Hi guys, I hope you folks don't mind me using some of the posts here especially the one by Dr. John Claire on the differences in water, as I'm a Mod a Vivarium section on a Singapore Forum and thought all these information would be extremely useful? Thanks!

You may use this information if you provide a prominent link to the original information in the translated copy and you state clearly that the information comes from another source. Thank you for asking.

Hi guys, I have access to an unlimited supply of spring water bottles from my work.
The side of the bottle reads the following mg/L
Calcium 0.7
Magnesium 1.4
Sodium 10.0
Chloride 13.0
Potassium 0.9

Would this be suitable for my frogs or would I need to treat it first?

It should be fine for most purposes, but bear in mind that for certain tasks some additional changes must be made to the water - e.g. for raising the tadpoles of terrestrial dart frogs.

no one has mentioned filtered water. i use a brita filter to run my tap water through. it says it removes copper mercury cadmium chlorine zinc. i also use rainwater from my roof when available. i am keeping acf's and budgetts in tupperware, and do complete daily water changes, about a quart per container. if i use a substrate, i prefer long fibered sphagnum moss, which can be removed in a clump, sorted through for any apparent feces, then put in a collander and rinsed thoroughly with hot water, or microwaved after rinsing.

Water filters are designed with humans in mind. They render water very suitable for drinking. However, without an analysis of what's coming out of them (and it really would need to be over a period of time in order to establish their consistency), I would not recommend them. My primary concern is consistency, and carbon-based filters require religious replacement due to the possibility of the carbon releasing much of what it has adsorbed/absorbed after it has become saturated.

Large "home size" carbon filters for municipal water are a safer bet, but again you need to keep up with changing them as they wear out. These filter systems superficially resemble a large reverse osmosis setup.

[tadpole]

[without an analysis of what's coming out of them (and it really would need to be over a period of time in order to establish their consistency), I would not recommend them. My primary concern is consistency, and carbon-based filters require religious replacement due to the possibility of the carbon releasing much of what it has adsorbed/absorbed after it has become saturated]

good point, however, brita is the most trusted home water filter, brita has tested it as you suggested, and i replace religiously it at recommended intervals (there is a timer on the pitcher).i am sure they know what they are talking about with their replacement guidelines, as consumer groups would nail them if otherwise. they don't need any negative publicity, lawsuits, etc.

as to their replacement schedule, i am sure it is very overly cautious for same reasons stated above, but more importantly, they make a recurring fee every time you replace one of their $8 filters. i would wager it could go 10 times longer than the suggested replacement schedule, but don't try it, this is my drinking water. the one thing they don't list as being removed is lead, however our local water utility had a big publicity problem with lead being found in drinking water and supplied all residents with this very filter as the corrective measure.

i used to use one of those carbon blocks hooked directly to the tap and changed a 55 gal gold fish tank with no problems. that filter was rated for an incredible # of gallons of water, and the fish were fine. i believe the worst thing that can happen if replacement schedule is not adhered to is bacterial contamination, as they start to grow in the filter media.

[John]

With all due respect, Brita tests its products for human consumption, not for amphibians running around in it. In all likelihood it is fine for most amphibian purposes. However, I do not use water sources for sensitive amphibians like dart frogs unless I can guarantee consistent water chemistry. That's why I always start from distilled and add chemicals to it myself.

It simply isn't possible to guarantee consistent water quality using a small filtration system like a Brita. I don't speak from an amateur or advanced amateur point of view - I speak as a Ph.D. chemist whose research for almost a decade was concerned with water soluble substances, pollutants, and their removal.

[wesleybrouwer]

Indeed a great layout of the different types of water.

Maybe i read the thread not thoroughly enough.
But what i missed was a warning on this.

NEVER use pure osmose or distilled water on youre frogs for soaking purpose,
since it WILL kill them.
Because of the principal of reversed osmosis,
this water will extract minerals from you're frog to compensate the balance between the water in the frog and in the bowl.

There has been cases where people used purified water in order to soak the frogs for a treatment.
In a matter of minutes they will die because important minerals are extracted out of the animal.
ALWAYS mix it up with ventilated tapwater or rainwater to make the water less aggresive.
Same for people using any kind of automated rainsystems using metal spraying nozzles, the aggresive water will solve parts of the metal and spray this into you're tank.
Therefore, please use purified water with caution!