Distilled versus Reverse Osmosis Water

[wifeoffishlvr]

Hello, all! I realize that this may be a ridiculous question, but - for aquarium purposes - is there a difference between these two types of filtered water? I find water labeled "distilled" everywhere, but I can't seem to find anyting that specifically says "reverse osmosis." :notsure:
Thanks for your help!

 

[dmjordan]

you can buy RO water from walmart (it has a green cap and says drinking water). or you can purchase an RO/DI unit and make your own.

 

[earlybird]

Originally Posted by dmjordan
you can buy RO water from walmart (it has a green cap and says drinking water). or you can purchase an RO/DI unit and make your own.
Are the levels consistent in the walmart water?

 

[nereef]

distilled water is water that has been evaporated and condensed to remove impurities. Reverse osmosis water is water that has been forced through a membrane against the gradient to remove impurities.
RO water that you could find would be Culligan water in the big machines in supermarkets. most of us have our own RO units, because it saves money in the long run.

 

[dmjordan]

Originally Posted by earlybird
Are the levels consistent in the walmart water?
no. as with anything you add to your tank you should test it before adding it to your tank. if the filters have not been changed you could have nitrates and or a tds reading in the water. i used to get my water from the culligan refill station in my grocery store and it was giving me a trate reading of 40 ppm. i opted to buy my own unit so i can make sure the water i put in is pretty consistent.

 

[slowpoe]

distilled water more than likely has traces of copper in it because that is what most disteries are made out of. RO water from krogers or payless or any of those works well. how well do those tap water filters work?

 

[wifeoffishlvr]

Wow... Thanks! I'll have to check out Wal Mart, I guess. Who knew there were so many different kinds of water!?!

 

[acrylic51]

RO/DI water is more pure than distilled water.

 

[wifeoffishlvr]

Do you think the use of distilled water could have caused a major brown algae bloom?

I only used one gallon in our 20 gallon tank. Two days later - BAM! The stuff is everywhere.

I want to fix it before my husband gets home in a couple of days... Would a truck load of snails do the trick?
Thanks.

 

[a&a2]

I would assume the distilled water would have done that. You can also buy ro/di water at anywhere they sell water treatment systems