what types of water can be used?

So I was looking through my mistking manual and seen the list of waters that can be used and then I started thinking what if the drinking water for my herps isn't safe. When I bought my first herp I bought the zoo med water purifying blue stuff and it said on it use with tap water so I thought I was all good. Now I'm worried that I'm not and beating myself up for not looking into one of the most important things to there survival. They show no signs of health issues so it must not be hurting them, I hope. I use tap water, not city tap water well water along with purifying with the zoo med stuff. Is this ok? Should I switch? What are my best options? I'm sure ro is the best but the systems are pricey. Would a Brita purifying system be good enough with my tap?

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I suspect the most likely problem with some tap water and any kind of mister would be mineral build-up that would clog the works, even if there wasn't anything in the water that would hurt the animals. Tap water varies enormously; in some areas, shower heads get choked off with crud in a year even though the water is perfectly fine to drink, and in other areas you never have to worry about that.

Whether your tap water is safe for herps (or people) and whether it will damage misters (and pumps, hoses, showers, teakettles, etc) are two different things.

You don't live in Flint, MI, do you? :P

No I live in PA lol I planned on using distilled for the mistking but really don't know if my well water is ok. I'm pretty sure there's no chlorine at all.

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Originally Posted by chrid16371

No I live in PA lol I planned on using distilled for the mistking but really don't know if my well water is ok. I'm pretty sure there's no chlorine at all.

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If the water is okay for you to drink, it's okay for your snake to drink. The reason for the distilled water in the mistking is because otherwise the nozzles get clogged up with mineral deposits from whatever dissolved minerals you have in your drinking water, it doesn't have anything to do with how safe the water is to drink.

Haha this is something I've always kinda wondered about as well... I've used tap water in the past but ever since acquiring this new girl, I've been giving her bottled water :rofl:

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Originally Posted by chrid16371

No I live in PA lol I planned on using distilled for the mistking but really don't know if my well water is ok. I'm pretty sure there's no chlorine at all.

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Where you from in Pa?

If I drink it, they can too. LoL
Tap water here.

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Originally Posted by LittleTreeGuy

Where you from in Pa?

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Youngsville. About an hr away from Erie.

I know the mistking water has nothing to do with how safe the water is. I just said something about the mistking bc that's how I came about thinking about drinking water for my herps. I wouldn't of said anything about it if I knew it was going to cause any confusion lol

Like someone said, deposits in the mistking system. Nozzles I'd think would be the first to go, and they aren't really all that cheap, but nothing too bad. I'd worry more about the pump and just having to redo tubing (time spent).

All Aquafina, All The Time! :rofl:

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Originally Posted by chrid16371

I'm sure ro is the best but the systems are pricey.

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RO is the most pure, but do not DO NOT drink it. Ahem. DO NOT.

In terms of ion content, it is the purest, and therefore the most dangerous. It will cause electrolyte imbalances, leaching vital minerals like Na (Sodium), K (Potassium), and Mg2 (Magnesium) right out of your body. Depending on the severity of the imbalance, you could suffer from diarrhea, cramps, severe muscle contractions, deficient neural transduction, and death.

DO NOT DRINK IT. DO NOT GIVE IT TO YOUR ANIMALS.

Any potable water should be safe for both you and your animals. I suspect the others are correct in that the concern with the mister is mineral build up.

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Originally Posted by Slim

All Aquafina, All The Time! :rofl:

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Snakes prefer Poland Springs!! This is NOT an opinion

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Originally Posted by SmoothScales

RO is the most pure, but do not DO NOT drink it. Ahem. DO NOT.

In terms of ion content, it is the purest, and therefore the most dangerous. It will cause electrolyte imbalances, leaching vital minerals like Na (Sodium), K (Potassium), and Mg2 (Magnesium) right out of your body. Depending on the severity of the imbalance, you could suffer from diarrhea, cramps, severe muscle contractions, deficient neural transduction, and death.

DO NOT DRINK IT. DO NOT GIVE IT TO YOUR ANIMALS.

Any potable water should be safe for both you and your animals. I suspect the others are correct in that the concern with the mister is mineral build up.

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Sorry, but this is pretty much baloney. I've been drinking RO water for years

I used to work for a pest control company and most of the highfalutin folk in a certain area had ro water filters or whatever because the well water and town water wasn't that great..pretty sure they are ok

Then you aren't drinking true RO. I worked as a government contractor for years and one of our duties was producing demineralized RO water. There's a reason the trucks get marked non-potable.

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Originally Posted by SmoothScales

Then you aren't drinking true RO. I worked as a government contractor for years and one of our duties was producing demineralized RO water. There's a reason the trucks get marked non-potable.

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Never even saw a truck like that, there's probably a difference in the RO in what you are talking about and what people have in their homes and can make themselves. Non potable is non potable no matter what you call it lol

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Originally Posted by SKO

Never even saw a truck like that, there's probably a difference in the RO in what you are talking about and what people have in their homes and can make themselves. Non potable is non potable no matter what you call it lol

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This is very true. The RO available to the public is probably not up to the same standards I think of when hearing RO.

Carry on!

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I use Poland Springs or well water.

We have fluoride in our water I just get out the big pot boil gallon or so at a time and got couple back ups.


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Originally Posted by SmoothScales

Then you aren't drinking true RO. I worked as a government contractor for years and one of our duties was producing demineralized RO water. There's a reason the trucks get marked non-potable.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

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Ahh, no. RO which stands for reverse osmosis is a filtration technique that forces water under pressure through a semi permeable membrane in order to overcome 'osmotic pressure' (hence the term 'Reverse Osmosis') This filters out many types of molecules and and ions and bacteria and and is often even used to make seawater potable because it removes the salt from the water. Reverse Osmosis is a filtration technique and that's ALL it is.

What YOU are probably talking about is heavy water which is actually Deuterium oxide instead of Hydrogen Dioxide, it's water that is made of up the heavy isotope deuterium instead of the common hydrogen isotope. Heavy water possibly IS somewhat dangerous to drink in large amounts. It may ALSO be filtered through a reverse osmosis unit in order to make it more pure, I don't know, but whether it is or not has NOTHING to do with how safe it is.

Reverse Osmosis (RO) is only a filtration technique. It can make even polluted water safe to drink. And speaking from personal experience it can make water that contains a lot of iron and minerals taste a LOT better.

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Originally Posted by MarkS

Ahh, no. RO which stands for reverse osmosis is a filtration technique that forces water under pressure through a semi permeable membrane in order to overcome 'osmotic pressure' (hence the term 'Reverse Osmosis') This filters out many types of molecules and and ions and bacteria and and is often even used to make seawater potable because it removes the salt from the water. Reverse Osmosis is a filtration technique and that's ALL it is.

What YOU are probably talking about is heavy water which is actually Deuterium oxide instead of Hydrogen Dioxide, it's water that is made of up the heavy isotope deuterium instead of the common hydrogen isotope. Heavy water possibly IS somewhat dangerous to drink in large amounts. It may ALSO be filtered through a reverse osmosis unit in order to make it more pure, I don't know, but whether it is or not has NOTHING to do with how safe it is.

Reverse Osmosis (RO) is only a filtration technique. It can make even polluted water safe to drink. And speaking from personal experience it can make water that contains a lot of iron and minerals taste a LOT better.

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Agreed ^^

And for OP I go with tap water or purified water for my reps...whatever I'm drinking they will...In the summer I find that there are more particulates in tap water so I filter in the winter there are less so I am fine with it. As for your mistking if you want spot free glass or plastic you will want to go with RO water. :gj: