Distilled water or RO water

[dghby]

OK, need some guidance about water.
I am having Culligan deliver me water once a month.(for the 7 gl Saltwater tank)
I THOUGHT I WAS GETTING RO WATER
when it came today, I noticed the label reads "for Distilled water purposes, processed by reverse osmosis" so can I use this, is it still RO water?

I thought I read some place that Distilled water was not good to use.
all info would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

 

[Russellaqua]

I would double check with them that what you're receiving really is RO water. Distilled water can still carry contaminants that you don't want in your tank. The best thing to do would be to get a small RO/DI filter for yourself as right now you're having to trust Culligan to maintain their system properly, and they may allow too high a TDS out of their system than you want for your tank. With your own system you'll be able to keep track of exactly what is happening with your water.

 

[that Reef Guy]

I would get a TDS Meter and Test it.

They are very cheap and very easy to use.

I test all my Water Buckets with one before using any of them.

It takes 2 Seconds to do.

 

[Opus]

I think it is saying you can use it for applications that call for distilled water, but it clearly states that the water has been run thru an RO process. I would be curious what the TDS is of the water. Do you have a LFS or local reefer that would give you a reading?

 

[5Bucks]

Sounds like you're getting RO marketed as distilled water. At least that's what I get from the label quote. I would think Culligan could give you details on how it was treated and some analysis of water quality. I've never used distilled water but don't know if there's any reason not to. Only thing I can come up with, and I may be very wrong, is copper is used in the condenser section of the distiller and could potentially leach into the water?
I used to get my RO from the LFS. Best thing I ever did was invest less than a $100 for a complete 4 stage RO/DI system with TDS meters on the input and output. Fairly certain the RO from the LFS was lacking in quality.

 

[phillrodrigo]

The way I understand it it's probably rodi. At the end of the day distilled water and rodi are the same just a different way of getting there. If you can test it and get 0 tds than it should be fine.

 

[dghby]

thanks everyone, wouldn't hurt to have a tds meter anyway.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

The way I understand it it's probably rodi. At the end of the day distilled water and rodi are the same just a different way of getting there. If you can test it and get 0 tds than it should be fine.

+1. I have used distilled water on my tanks with great success.

 

[redfishbluefish]

I'm assuming what you have is what Culligan calls purified water. Although they mention distilled, it is only listed under what they call "purified." HERE's the Culligan website where they specifically talk about the types of water they supply, and define purified as, "Water labeled as “purified” can be derived from either distillation, deionization, or reverse osmosis."






I would like to know the source and the TDS of the water.


My recommendation....buy an RO/DI system...in the long run it pays for itself.

 

[cwk84]

Walmart or Target distilled water = 0 tds. So why exactly do people say RO/DI is cleaner? Distilled water is completely devoid of minerals and other contaminants. If I’m wrong please enlighten me.

 

[NY_Caveman]

I used distilled for years with no issue. Worked the same as RO/DI as I use now. The important thing is to test any water you use with a TDS meter which runs about $20-30. Test from the LFS as well despite what they claim.

 

[Gareth elliott]

I also have used distilled and lfs ro/di without issue. Cost is what made me buy my own ro/di. Payed for itself in 4 months.

Doesnt need to take up a lot of space. Id love to have a more robust tank and mixing station but also still have to live in my house.

 

[cwk84]

I've been using RO/DI water from my LFS and it has phosphates while distilled water gives me a clean salt mix. I've had lots of fluctuations and I think it's because I used the LFS's water. Honestly, distilled water is cheap and I don't have a big tank which is perfect. If I had a bigger tank I'd for sure install a huge RO/DI unit. But even the good units you can get will often not give you 0 tds and phosphates.

 

[NY_Caveman]

I've been using RO/DI water from my LFS and it has phosphates while distilled water gives me a clean salt mix. I've had lots of fluctuations and I think it's because I used the LFS's water. Honestly, distilled water is cheap and I don't have a big tank which is perfect. If I had a bigger tank I'd for sure install a huge RO/DI unit. But even the good units you can get will often not give you 0 tds and phosphates.

Right. It depends on your input TDS. My tap is around 35 TDS, so a four stage was more than enough.

 

[cwk84]

Wow, that's nothing! I need to move to NY. Last time I checked it was around 240 TDS and that was measured after using a drink water filter. Cali water is dirty.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Wow, that's nothing! I need to move to NY. Last time I checked it was around 240 TDS and that was measured after using a drink water filter. Cali water is dirty.

Yeah, I could almost just use tap, but the PO4 level is super high around 2 ppm. 0 ppm NO3 and very soft (about 2 dKH). That said, our water is generally excellent.