RO vs Distilled

[footballcs12]

I was at my LFS picking up some more salt mix and some rock and had mentioned I needed to get some distilled water. He had said to me that distilled water is VERY bad for a tank and still has all the bad things in it that you do not want.

Is straight distilled water really that bad for a tank or is he just trying to run a business and try to keep his money in his register?

[TucanSam007]

distilled is better then tap, RO/DI is better then Distilled depending on your RO/DI unit. He's sorta right but you can still used distilled.

[SoLiD]

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use distilled water in a reef tank. Most distillery processes involve copper tubing and other copper products that can transfer into the water.

[Denbf58]

+1 for RO/DI you can get a real nice unit for $200.00 and it will pay for itself over time not to mention avoiding all the head aches that can come from using poor water

[TucanSam007]

Originally Posted by SoLiD

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use distilled water in a reef tank. Most distillery processes involve copper tubing and other copper products that can transfer into the water.

+1, I forgot about the copper tubing. With all the money going into our tanks, just go RO/DI for some good reassurance.

[DUPioneers]

Snake is right...

The main problem with distilled water is the fact that it's almost impossible to determine what kind of materials are involved with the distilling process.

Copper = Dead angel fish and corals.

[coral princess]

R/O all the way.

[ken55]

Yeah, it's the copper condensing coils that's the problem with distilled. Some distillerys use it and some may not but you can never really know which one your private label jug of water comes from. If you're buying from a nationwide chain of grocery stores, for example, they likely have several vendors they source from and they all put the same label on for the store.

Continue to buy from LFS untill you get your own RO/DI unit.

Ken

[footballcs12]

Anyone have any advice on where to buy a decent and inexpensive unit?

[SoLiD]

Buckeye Field Supply and Bulk Reef Supply are great. I went with Buckeyefieldsupply.com because Russ is very, very knowledgeable and willing to help you if you should run into issues.

[GIT RITE]

I think spectra pure 90 gpd refurb unit is an excellent buy and my buddy has a brs unit that he is satisfied with.


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[GSMguy]

Bulkreefsupply.com

[immortl]

I recently picked a RO/DI unit up from www.bulkreefsupply.com. From what I have read, they have an outstanding reputation for quality, support, and price. I have been quite happy with the 6 stage deluxe setup that I purchased.

You can start with a basic system for a very reasonable cost, around $200, give or take a bit. Be sure to talk with them or read about the various options available/necessary for your specific initial water supply conditions.

[BlueFyre]

Been using distilled since I started without any issues. I am planning on getting my own RO/DI unit because it's a pain to go buy water. You always hear that there maybe copper in the water but I have never seen any evidence fromit or have heard of anyone loosing a tank due to running distilled.

[acabgd]

Same here, using distilled and know a few other reefers who do and I've never heard of anyone having a problem.

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[Ron Reefman]

I know Randy doesn't like distilled, but I used it for a long time with no issues at all. I think the makers have all switched away from copper pipe. I gave a sample to a water testing outfit (a well respected company) and they came back with everything at zero, including copper. I think this is a bit of an old wives tale.

[ken55]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

I think the makers have all switched away from copper pipe.

Really? Seriously (not sarcasticly) think so? Buying plain old distilled from Food Lion would be a heck of a lot easier for me. If I don't have to worry about the copper then I'm all about using distilled.

[uncleof6]

Originally Posted by SoLiD

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use distilled water in a reef tank. Most distillery processes involve copper tubing and other copper products that can transfer into the water.

Those that are making bottled distilled water are using "food grade" stainless steel cooling coils, and piping--call them up and ask them.. This scare over copper in distilled water is just that, driven by articles relating the use of copper alloy piping in large desalinization plants. There are specific requirements, expressed in conductivity, for distilled water. Copper in the distilled water, or any significant solids dissolved or otherwise, would fail.

The use of copper alloy piping is a great issue and concern, involving large desalinization plants, however, these are not the folks making the bottled distilled water. This deal with copper in distilled water, is chasing that proverbial "rogue spore" of algae--on long dead rock.

I can hear it all ready: ".....but stainless steel will ......"

[uncleof6]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

I know Randy doesn't like distilled, but I used it for a long time with no issues at all. I think the makers have all switched away from copper pipe. I gave a sample to a water testing outfit (a well respected company) and they came back with everything at zero, including copper. I think this is a bit of an old wives tale.

I agree, and posted before I read this. I have used distilled water for many years also. There are no issues with it, other than rumors.

[ken55]

Thank you Ron and Uncle. You've just made my reefing life that much easier.

[SoLiD]

OK, but just the chance that there could be copper in there would make me steer clear of distilled water. Copper tubbing was how all distilleries started back in the day and I would just have to hope and assume that they have changed to stainless steel tubing. Most beer plants still use copper. With over $3000 in corals, water is the cheapest thing in my tank.

RO\DI for me. Thanks for all the info though.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Originally Posted by uncleof6

Those that are making bottled distilled water are using "food grade" stainless steel cooling coils, and piping--call them up and ask them.. This scare over copper in distilled water is just that, driven by articles relating the use of copper alloy piping in large desalinization plants. There are specific requirements, expressed in conductivity, for distilled water. Copper in the distilled water, or any significant solids dissolved or otherwise, would fail.

The use of copper alloy piping is a great issue and concern, involving large desalinization plants, however, these are not the folks making the bottled distilled water. This deal with copper in distilled water, is chasing that proverbial "rogue spore" of algae--on long dead rock.

I can hear it all ready: ".....but stainless steel will ......"

I do take exception to much of that, as I have in the past.

I've never seen anyone present any evidence that such coils or subsequent piping do not contain copper, and as you've noted, the only written evidence we have says that large desalination plants do use copper alloys (IIRC, you at first claimed no distillation plants did until I posted the evidence). Why presume that small plants do not? The pipes do not have to be pure copper to be a potential problem.

Unless you have some evidence that the alloys used in the still that your water comes from do not contain copper or other potentially harmful metals (or an actual measure of copper in it), you won't know the copper levels. Many copper alloys are considered safe for water (like potable water) yet are not suitable for a reef, since copper allowed in drinking water is way above the toxic levels for reefs. It does not need to be the cooling coils, any pipes or storage containers containing copper alloys are a concern.

That all said, distilled water might be fine. Maybe some brands, maybe all brands. But to claim it is always OK is beyond credible, IMO.

Here's a thread where someone got an email from the company with copper levels in RO water from the grocery store which, IMO, is high enough (0.018 ppm) that I'd avoid it:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2151925

[Chuck H.]

I've used distilled water from Wal-Mart, Target, and local grocery stores such as Farm Fresh, Food Lion, Bloom, and Harris Teeter for the last several years. I honestly would love to have a quality RO/DI at home, but my municipal water comes out of the tap at over 300 TDS (possibly requiring frequent and expensive resin/filter replacement) and I hate the idea of a 4/1 waste water ratio. Any way, I've never had any problems with distilled water from a variety of stores.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The same issue (that is, some distilled water may be OK while others may not be) could be said to be true of tap water. Many people's tap water is fine, but that is demonstrably not the case for everyone. Even someone living next door to a reefer that successfully uses tap water does not assure that they can, because copper comes from your own pipes. Same might be true of distilled water users in that some brands may be fine in some or all tanks, and some brands may be unacceptable with some brands or some creatures or some husbandry practices.

For example, a little extra copper daily from top off water might not be a problem if the tank has adequate export. A tank with little or no skimming, few or no water changes, more naturally susceptible creatures, etc might be much more prone to problems from copper.

So I just want folks to be cautioned against making broad sweeping statements about all distilled water without the necessary caveats.

I can assure folks in this thread that I have probably read more tank woes due to chemical problems of one sort or another than most anyone here, and many folks just never track down what the problems were caused by, and many have to start over or just give up and leave the hobby.

[SoLiD]

Once again, Thank You Randy for your insight. Always a pleasure to have you thoughts on the matter, what ever it might be. Though these past comments were pretty straight forward; you have a way of taking scientific jargon and breaking it down for us to easily understand.