Destilled water for MistKing?

[Bunke]

Just wonder if you guys use destilled water for your MistKing's or just tap water? If so, how do you destilled it?

 

[chameleonkev]

Mine is strait out the tap, I'm from the uk so if your from another country your water may be harder

 

[Psychobunny]

I cant use tap for my MistKing, too hard, need distilled only

 

[clarkrw3]

I run mine through a DI RO unit.

 

[xeonic]

I use RO water, tap water is to hard and leaves minerals deposits on the glass, leaves of plants, and also clogs the nipples.

 

[Jac1582]

I buy jugs of distilled water to use. Boiling tap water removes chlorine but not any dissolved solids and could eventually clog the tubes of your mistking. But as others have said it depends on where you live and what your water supply is like.

 

[Bunke]

Thanks for the reply. I'm from Sweden, but I honestly don't know if my water is to hard. How do I determ if my water is "ok" to use and won't cludge the nozzles or pump?

 

[xeonic]

You can purchase fresh water tank test strips at pet store's and aquarium shops. The Tetra brand tests water hardness. But expect to find some type of minerals in your tap water, which over time will build up in the nipples, and lines. At the very least you should be able to purchase Reverse Osmosis (RO) water from your local grocery store. Just use the fresh water test strips to determine if the water they are selling is actually clean of minerals.

Good luck.

 

[TheLivingLegend]

Only if your critter doesnt drink it, which it will. Mountain spring water. If you were to taste distilled water, you definitely wouldnt want your cham drinking it. Distilled water in humans causes an increase in acids that are not good.

 

[xeonic]

Only if your critter doesn't drink it, which it will. Mountain spring water. If you were to taste distilled water, you definitely wouldnt want your cham drinking it. Distilled water in humans causes an increase in acids that are not good.

He is right. My chameleon only drinks from the drip system I have, of which I do not use RO water. But the PH level in RO water is about 3. which is not good for drinking, as like he said causes in increase of Acid.

 

[torquasprings]

Only if your critter doesnt drink it, which it will. Mountain spring water. If you were to taste distilled water, you definitely wouldnt want your cham drinking it. Distilled water in humans causes an increase in acids that are not good.

While it is a good point that the low ph of the distilled water can lower body ph... food, stress, and exercise have a strong influence on the overall ph of the body as well.
What is best for chameleons is actually quite an interesting question to me. Rain is a form of steam, so on one side, I would think distilled would be best. On the other side, rain or dew drops that chameleons drink from aren't high in mineral content like water from a stream or lake, but they must have some sort of mineral content because of dust that is on the leaves or in the air which the drops absorb
Hopefully, someone with more scientific background on this matter will chime in. I'd like to know what's best for my chameleon as well. The misting nipples can always be soaked in vinegar, so I don't care about that. I want to know what's best for the animal.

 

[withlime]

I run water through an RO system before I use it in my AquaZamp misters. Using tap water will eventually lead to a build-up of minerals that will clog your nozzles.

 

[withlime]

While it is a good point that the low ph of the distilled water can lower body ph... food, stress, and exercise have a strong influence on the overall ph of the body as well.
What is best for chameleons is actually quite an interesting question to me. Rain is a form of steam, so on one side, I would think distilled would be best. On the other side, rain or dew drops that chameleons drink from aren't high in mineral content like water from a stream or lake, but they must have some sort of mineral content because of dust that is on the leaves or in the air which the drops absorb
Hopefully, someone with more scientific background on this matter will chime in. I'd like to know what's best for my chameleon as well. The misting nipples can always be soaked in vinegar, so I don't care about that. I want to know what's best for the animal.

Research on the matter is inconclusive. I've read some research that suggests distilled water may cause health problems and other research that says there are no negative problems. Overall, even the ones that suggest problems are unsure of the correlation and don't draw direct cause-effect relationships.

I've been using RO water for chameleons, frogs, and myself for over 4 years in complete confidence. As long as you are supplementing with minerals, such as Sticky Tongue Farms Miner-all, your chameleon should be getting all of their nutrition from their food.

 

[xeonic]

PH Chart

PH ballance and Minerals are Two different things. Though alkaline minerals can increase PH.

Whats best for the Animal is a PH around 7 to 7.5 the lower the more acidic the water becomes, and we all know Acid is bad for you're body, it doesn't take a scientist to know this. Rain water varies depending on location and pollutants. the average is 5 which is still slightly acidic, which is still better then 3. I wouldn't feed my Animal rain water because of pollutants that could be in the water. I know there are buffers for fresh water aquariums that can increase alkalinity and PH to safe level's which is what I use in my Dendrobates pond water with no bad effects. What I don't know is if the water is safe for consumption after it has been buffed by these products.

Hope that helps.

 

[withlime]

I'm not sure where it is coming from that the pH of RO water is 3. That is simply not true.

Water pH Levels (May Fluctuate)
Sea Water = 8.6 pH (alkaline)
Mineral Water = 7.4 pH (mildly alkaline)
Tap Water = 6-8 pH (Varies constantly)
RO water = 5-7 pH (Depends on pH of input water)

Beverages pH Levels
Sodas and Cola Drinks = 2.5 pH
Sports Performance Drinks = 2.9 pH
Orange Juice = 3 pH
Coffee = 4 pH
Beer = 4.5 pH
Milk = 6 pH

Healthy Human Body pH levels
Blood = 7.4 pH
Stomach = 2 pH
Mouth = 6.7 pH

 

[xeonic]

Could very will be, I'm going off the results of the RO water I use. Sounds like I need to search a better source.

 

[torquasprings]

Research on the matter is inconclusive. I've read some research that suggests distilled water may cause health problems and other research that says there are no negative problems. Overall, even the ones that suggest problems are unsure of the correlation and don't draw direct cause-effect relationships.

I've been using RO water for chameleons, frogs, and myself for over 4 years in complete confidence. As long as you are supplementing with minerals, such as Sticky Tongue Farms Miner-all, your chameleon should be getting all of their nutrition from their food.

Thank you for your input, "withlime".

 

[tkilgour]

Thanks for the reply. I'm from Sweden, but I honestly don't know if my water is to hard. How do I determ if my water is "ok" to use and won't cludge the nozzles or pump?

If you have a hydroponics store or reef aquarium place nearby you can buy a TDS meter to test your water.

However, I wouldn't waste $ on buying gallons of distilled water. That will add up in a hurry. Simply invest in a 6 stage RO/DI that installs directly under your sink.