Reef Discussion

[marineclass]

Is distilled water an ok substitue for RO water? I can get distilled water a lot easier than RO water and thought if its ok to use ill do that until i get an RO unit.

 

[ssbk23]

Distilled water is usually not recommended as it can contain copper from the distillation process. Demineralised water would get you out of trouble till you get your RO unit

 

[Dynamic]

If memory serves me right Ariel uses tap water for her top ups. I am not sure if she has coral in her tank though.

 

[DavidS]

I used demineralised water for top ups and in ASW for water changes for a while - I have a nano, and the RO unit paid for itself pretty quickly. Woolies couldn't keep up with my need for 12 or 13 2l bottles a fortnight :P Had thought about distilled myself, and the process and its use of copper had put me off. If you're looking for demineralised, try the supermarket, probably in the laundry area, as it's used in irons a fair bit. Found it cheaper there than the stuff at Bunnings.
The dozens of empty bottles come in handy :D

 

[marineclass]

Great - thanks for that guys - yea i wasnt sure about the copper but im glad you told me. Demineralised sounds good and i found some nice and cheap - works well for top ups. I usually buy ro water cheap from the LFS althpough on occasions I've found myself needing to do a top up and the LFS is always closed on my way to and from work so i would have had to wait untill the weekend. Demineralised will get me through these times well :)

thanks for the advice