FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I'm asking for a friend, who has no access to rain water, and I've seen the topic of Reverse Osmosis water creep up a few times. How can I know if it's a safe system for carnivorous plants before buying it? I heard someone suggest that not all RO systems are safe for cp's?

Here is one I found: https://www.psifilters.com.au/laundry-w ... ystem.html

If I'm honest, I haven't got a clue on the quality of water that would come out of that. Reckon it's safe? And any tips of working out if a system is safe before buying?

One sure way to test and see if the water that you're using is safe for CP's is by using a TDS meter which can be cheaply bought off of eBay. It measures the total dissolved solutions in water and reads them as parts per million (PPM). 50 PPM or under is safe to use on CP's.

Coco wrote:One sure way to test and see if the water that you're using is safe for CP's is by using a TDS meter which can be cheaply bought off of eBay. It measures the total dissolved solutions in water and reads them as parts per million (PPM). 50 PPM or under is safe to use on CP's.

Thanks, very useful to know, I have wondered about how to test it before, but it would also be nice to know if the water was safe before buying an RO system. There must be a way?

Usually the product that's listed will have something that says, "99% of contaminants are removed." The only way to physically test it is unfortunately by purchasing and having the product in your hands. If it's not as described, items are usually returned and refunded for a full price. There's a good amount of reviews of RO systems on Amazon with customer reviews where you can then make your best judgement. Best to go with a 5 stage RO system rather than a 3 stage.

It's hard to say one way or another because a lot depends on your starting water as well. If you have relatively low TDS, it's possible that you can get away with less stages. Otherwise, there's not much you can do beforehand other than buy at least a 4 or 5 stage filter. That should get you down to 0 TDS (or comfortably near it).

I bought mine from bulkreefsupply and was happy with their efficiency, but it's a US company. If you can find anyone in your area that raises saltwater fish/corals, they almost certainly have an idea of which available RO/DI systems are reliable.

Coco wrote:Usually the product that's listed will have something that says, "99% of contaminants are removed." The only way to physically test it is unfortunately by purchasing and having the product in your hands. If it's not as described, items are usually returned and refunded for a full price. There's a good amount of reviews of RO systems on Amazon with customer reviews where you can then make your best judgement. Best to go with a 5 stage RO system rather than a 3 stage.

That is very helpful, thank you. This group doesn't appear to have 5 stage, but they do have a 4. Someone else in Australia said they used a 3 stage and also a remineraliser, and the ppm was only 30, so it must be pretty good even at the 3 stage, and cheap too.

Coco wrote:Usually the product that's listed will have something that says, "99% of contaminants are removed." The only way to physically test it is unfortunately by purchasing and having the product in your hands. If it's not as described, items are usually returned and refunded for a full price. There's a good amount of reviews of RO systems on Amazon with customer reviews where you can then make your best judgement. Best to go with a 5 stage RO system rather than a 3 stage.

Someone did point out to me that, in Australia at least, different states list the hardness of their water if you put in your postcode. Mine was at 90 ppm. So that might in fact be good enough then.

I used an RO BUDDY filtration system I bought off Amazon. 4 stages including the dechlorinator. Home readings are around 550 ppm straight out of the faucet. After the system it's around 5-15 ppm. The best way to know if a product will work for you is to use it. That and to read the customer reviews. I also contacted the company beforehand and asked questions. Once I felt comfortable and confident in the company, I spent the money and tried it right away. Would have returned it if there were any problems. Amazon is great about that.