Using filtered drinking water as a substitute of RODI water

[Uzair Aiman]

Hi guys, I have a small concern regarding the water I can use for my tank. Im from Malaysia and I have a water filter at home (Cuckoo brand, Im not sure if this brand is worldwide or local). It filters tap water into a "safe" drinking water. (the type of filter that can dispense cold and hot water).
My concern is, is it safe to use? is the water already considered RODI water? did it dechlorinate my tap water? My LFS told me that it would be safe but Im still quite skeptical about it. And I do not have an RODI filter at home at the moment and Im not sure i can afford it now (since Im a student). If it is safe for reef tanks, I would be grateful cause I wouldnt need to drive to my LFS everytime I need water which is around a 30 minute drive from home

 

[Dkmoo]

Hi guys, I have a small concern regarding the water I can use for my tank. Im from Malaysia and I have a water filter at home (Cuckoo brand, Im not sure if this brand is worldwide or local). It filters tap water into a "safe" drinking water. (the type of filter that can dispense cold and hot water).
My concern is, is it safe to use? is the water already considered RODI water? did it dechlorinate my tap water? My LFS told me that it would be safe but Im still quite skeptical about it. And I do not have an RODI filter at home at the moment and Im not sure i can afford it now (since Im a student). If it is safe for reef tanks, I would be grateful cause I wouldnt need to drive to my LFS everytime I need water which is around a 30 minute drive from home

filtered drinking water is not the same as RODI. while its safer in the sense that it removes some toxins, still leaves a lot of the minerals thru that can impact your ph, alkanity, or other parameters that impact coral health. RODI removes all the minerals and leaves pretty much pure H2O so you have that clean baseline to mix in salt and have a more accurate control of your saltwater parameters

When you drink filtered water, it may have that "good water taste" what you are actually tasting are the minerals. If you tasted actual RODI it's actually quite bland/bad.

Its better than using straight up tab tho b/c at least it should remove toxins.

 

[Uzair Aiman]

filtered drinking water is not the same as RODI. while its safer in the sense that it removes some toxins, still leaves a lot of the minerals thru that can impact your ph, alkanity, or other parameters that impact coral health. RODI removes all the minerals and leaves pretty much pure H2O so you have that clean baseline to mix in salt and have a more accurate control of your saltwater parameters

When you drink filtered water, it may have that "good water taste" what you are actually tasting are the minerals. If you tasted actual RODI it's actually quite bland/bad.

Its better than using straight up tab tho b/c at least it should remove toxins.

Okay but since my LFS said it would be good as he said that he establishing his tank til his clowns were also breeding haha. Also, what is "straight up tab" , do you mean just use tap water is it?

 

[Dkmoo]

Also, what is "straight up tab" , do you mean just use tap water is it?

yes, sry typo.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

I think he meant "tap"

I you plan to have coral or sensitive inverts then RODI is the way to go. You can also use distilled without to many issues. If you can get a report of what is in the tap water it can (in some rare instances) be okay but mostly sticking to RODI is needed.

 

[Dkmoo]

Okay but since my LFS said it would be good as he said that he establishing his tank til his clowns were also breeding haha. Also, what is "straight up tab" , do you mean just use tap water is it?

ok if your LFS insists that tap is safe then maybe your locale has good water. the whole point with tap is just that unless you have a government water report, you just don't know what's in there and is a risk you have to live with.

 

[Uzair Aiman]

ok if your LFS insists that tap is safe then maybe your locale has good water. the whole point with tap is just that unless you have a government water report, you just don't know what's in there and is a risk you have to live with.

I mean, I am not using just straight up from the pipe. It goes through filters etc from the water dispenser machine (which is filtered idk with what, because I couldnt seem to find from their website). So Im just asking if anyone else has done this method and is it safe or not to use this "filtered" water.

 

[Dkmoo]

yeah other peoples experience with using filtered water isn't really going to be a useful predictor of what yours will be b/c there's just so many different variables. Generally speaking, filters are geared towards removing toxins for human consumption coral health depends on a lot more water parameters. for example:
1) if your tap has high mineral content (ie, "hard water"), filter will do nothing to mitigate that. so if you then mix saltwater with that, your saltwater's ALk/dkH would get too high and burn your corals.
2) most tap water contains some levels of nitrate and phosphate - filter doesn't remove that. so you will likely have higher chance of algae/bacteria problems than when using rodi.
3) commercial filters usually are rated to remove a X% of toxins like heavy metals, arsinic, etc.. but a small trace goes thru. As long as the remaining concentration is "safe for human consumption", the filter is then allowed to be marketed.. However, keep in mind that an average human has 400x the biomass as a fish, and they are constantly exposed to it, so the remaining toxin in water is a lot more higher relatively for a fish, compared to human.

So like i said before, it really, truly depends on what specifically is in your tap water. you really can't get a water report - here are some general trends that can give you SOME idea of what's in your tap based on what your water source is:

1) If its from a natural/unpolluted lake/river - best chance it's good water.
2) if its from a well - likely have high mineral content that will impact the dKH alkalinity. Filter doesn't fix that.
3) if it's from a river/other fresh water body with acricultural runoff (ie, rural/farming areas), you likely will have higher phosphate content from the farm fertilizers. Filter doesn't fix that
4) if it's from river/freshwater body with industrial run off, or from urban water processing plants - all bets are off.

I think i mentioned this in your other post too - the specific piping of your house can also be an issue even if your locale's water is good - ie, old copper pipping.

 

[Uzair Aiman]

yeah other peoples experience with using filtered water isn't really going to be a useful predictor of what yours will be b/c there's just so many different variables. Generally speaking, filters are geared towards removing toxins for human consumption coral health depends on a lot more water parameters. for example:
1) if your tap has high mineral content (ie, "hard water"), filter will do nothing to mitigate that. so if you then mix saltwater with that, your saltwater's ALk/dkH would get too high and burn your corals.
2) most tap water contains some levels of nitrate and phosphate - filter doesn't remove that. so you will likely have higher chance of algae/bacteria problems than when using rodi.
3) commercial filters usually are rated to remove a X% of toxins like heavy metals, arsinic, etc.. but a small trace goes thru. As long as the remaining concentration is "safe for human consumption", the filter is then allowed to be marketed.. However, keep in mind that an average human has 400x the biomass as a fish, and they are constantly exposed to it, so the remaining toxin in water is a lot more higher relatively for a fish, compared to human.

So like i said before, it really, truly depends on what specifically is in your tap water. you really can't get a water report - here are some general trends that can give you SOME idea of what's in your tap based on what your water source is:

1) If its from a natural/unpolluted lake/river - best chance it's good water.
2) if its from a well - likely have high mineral content that will impact the dKH alkalinity. Filter doesn't fix that.
3) if it's from a river/other fresh water body with acricultural runoff (ie, rural/farming areas), you likely will have higher phosphate content from the farm fertilizers. Filter doesn't fix that
4) if it's from river/freshwater body with industrial run off, or from urban water processing plants - all bets are off.

I think i mentioned this in your other post too - the specific piping of your house can also be an issue even if your locale's water is good - ie, old copper pipping.

Wow that is alot to digest to haha. Well since I wish my fish the best results Ill just stick with RODI water until I know EXACTLY what is in my tap water. Thank you so much for your time and work here mate I really appreciate the in depth explanation. I really hope you have a great year ahead of you! Thanks again haha

 

[Dkmoo]

Wow that is alot to digest to haha. Well since I wish my fish the best results Ill just stick with RODI water until I know EXACTLY what is in my tap water. Thank you so much for your time and work here mate I really appreciate the in depth explanation. I really hope you have a great year ahead of you! Thanks again haha

GL - we are here to help.