boiling water to purify

Discussion in 'Water Chemistry' started by lillys Grandad, Apr 11, 2008.

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  1. lillys Grandad

    lillys Grandad Horrid Stonefish

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    Can you boil water (tap water) to purify...then use it for "top off" water due to evap.?
    And if so...should you still use the water conditioner ?
    Thanx in advance.:confused:
     
    lillys Grandad, Apr 11, 2008
    lillys Grandad, Apr 11, 2008
    #1

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  2. amcarrig

    amcarrig Super Moderator

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    Boiling water will only remove bacteria and those types of organic contaminates. It will not remove metals, chlorine, flouride, etc. I only recommend using RO/DI water in a reef tank.
     
    amcarrig, Apr 11, 2008
    amcarrig, Apr 11, 2008
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  3. GuitarMan89

    GuitarMan89 Giant Squid

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    As he said, it will kill all bacteria and any other living organism, but will still have the heavy metals and chlorine. I suppose this would be better than regular tap water if you add a conditioner, but it's not very convenient.
     
    GuitarMan89, Apr 11, 2008
    GuitarMan89, Apr 11, 2008
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  4. aquaboy

    aquaboy Panda Puffer

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    ^WHAT! AMCARRIG IS A GIRL! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLZ! What guy in their right mind would have an avatar with kitties in it:p
     
    aquaboy, Apr 11, 2008
    aquaboy, Apr 11, 2008
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  5. lillys Grandad

    lillys Grandad Horrid Stonefish

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    cool...sometimes its more convenient to boil and let it chill than to take a trip into town...
    I just needed a gallon...so I will add the conditioner and be done with it...I generally use distilled, but I'm out.
    When I do my water changes it is out of the tap... just add conditioner and salt....been work'n out for me so far.
    Thanx again ya'll :)
     
    lillys Grandad, Apr 11, 2008
    lillys Grandad, Apr 11, 2008
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  6. Marty

    Marty Stylophora

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    I have four 5 gallon jugs. I keep 5g RO/DI fresh and 5g RO/DI salt for tops off and 10g of RO/DI salt for weekly water changes. On average I spend $13 a week on water from my LFS. That pales in comparison to the cost of lost fish and tank inhabitants. Just something to think about. :)
     
    Marty, Apr 11, 2008
    Marty, Apr 11, 2008
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  7. lillys Grandad

    lillys Grandad Horrid Stonefish

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    ok..explain RO/DI please... I am SURE I am missing something now...I thought I knew but......
     
    lillys Grandad, Apr 11, 2008
    lillys Grandad, Apr 11, 2008
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  8. Marty

    Marty Stylophora

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    It's Reverse Osmosis/Deionized water. You can filtered get RO/DI from your LFS for cheap, and peace of mind. I pay about $.50 a gallon for fresh and $.99 per gallon for pre-salted. Works for now until I buy my own RO/DI unit with should save me much more. Will just need to buy salt then. :) Your LFS should be able to hook you up.
     
    Marty, Apr 11, 2008
    Marty, Apr 11, 2008
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  9. lillys Grandad

    lillys Grandad Horrid Stonefish

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    Marty,
    Cool...Just another piece of the puzzle....more reading..got'a know whats up with this osmosis guy.
    Thanx a bunch...I'm on it in the a.m. : )

    cio 4 now
     
    lillys Grandad, Apr 11, 2008
    lillys Grandad, Apr 11, 2008
    #9
  10. bmshehan

    bmshehan Fu Manchu Lion Fish

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    RO/DI is the only way to go, unless you want an algae farm. I also have 5 gallon jugs, the Culligan "water cooler" type jugs. The only place I found them empty and the cheapest by almost a half was the local Wal-Mart. Around $7 here. Well worth it, if you want to condense trips buy a bunch of them. I have 3 for now and will probably pick up a couple more, they are great for mixing salt.
     
    bmshehan, Apr 11, 2008
    bmshehan, Apr 11, 2008
    #10
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