Lower tds need a critic

[RedScare]

I want to lower my TDS. I am gonna collect water from my dehumidifier and filter the water through some old brita filters. This should remove any molds and large bacteria, right????????????

[1oooop]

not too sure about that... one good way to lower TDS to to use RO water... or just filteryour tap through the old birta fliters, it should work

[Ajordan]

De humidifier water is typically discouraged for use in the aquarium. The metals and stuff (some of which you mentioned) can be quite risky to add to an aquarium. I'm not sure if the brita would be a fine enough filter. Even if it is I would think you would go through quite a few filters to ensure a high quality water. The cost of filters may soon put a RO/DI system in the money.

That isn't to say it wouldn't work or it isn't worth doing more research.

Have you considered rain water? You can also mix bottled water with tap water to reduce TDS levels. Just make changes gradually.

[J double R]

before you put dehumidifier water in your tank (filtered or not) think about the quality of the air we breathe. smoke, dust, pollen, silt, other allergens, pollutants, smog, etc etc etc.. you get the point. all of this gets filtered out of the air into the water in the dehumidifier.. it's been done before, with severely negative results.

[gmh]

There are dehumidifiers on the market that produce potable water. I think they use a UV and charcoal filteration system to purify the distilled water.
They are very expensive however.
I don't know if using expended brita filters would suffice. Seems that once the resin is used up it would no longer be very effective at removing pathogens and molds from the water.

[jmhart]

Yep, a "used" Brita filter isn't really the answer. *Maybe* a brand new Brita filter...on second thought, no. It won't remove bacteria or mold. Brita filters remove organic compounds and metals. The filter assumes your local water board has removed any harmful bacteria and mold. Good rule of thumb, if you wouldn't drink the water due to safety concerns, don't put it in your fish tank. You can drink RO/DI water, but it "tastes" foul(I put "tastes" in quotes because RO/DI water technically has no taste).

Under other circumstances, I'd say contact Brita to ask, but my wife works for the parent company in their R&D, the answer would be "We've never tested for that and we don't recommend it"



Alternative option is to either buy a RO unit(which you can get for relatiely cheap) or buy RO water from your lfs...which in the long run(not even that long) it pays off to just buy your own RO unit.