Was curious if I can use any aquarium water dechlorinater to make tap water safe for my reptiles to drink. Is there specific ones that are better then others.
It would be better just to buy distilled water.
I agree. Even though distilled is best for misting with glass so you don’t get water stains. Filter water is best for hydration and drinking.
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Does anyone have an opinion on the safety of using water from a dehumidifier? It is essentially distilled water. But I am a little worried about mold or mildew in there. I empty the bucket almost every day, but I’m a worrier. Thoughts?
And to answer the OP, adding chemicals to counteract chemicals seems wrong for drinking water…
Fill a bucket and leave it for a day or two. The chlorine evaporates first. Or, so I have been told.
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That is true about leaving a bucket out for a day or two. And about the dehumidifier water. I have no idea.
To answer the question, are you asking would aquarium dechlorinators like Prime work the same as Reptisafe. If so, yes, it does. Fish and amphibians are more susceptible to impurities in water, and when you have 200 gallon aquariums, you arent doing water changes with store bought distilled water (there is the option of reverse osmosis, but not everyone has the time to set that up and regulate it.) Both products chemically change chlorine to make it safe, the concept of “chemicals to fight chemicals” being bad is more of a personal gripe than anything scientifically founded until data shows a danger. Think of it this way. Sodium will kill you if ingested, chlorine while kill you if ingested, combine them and you get tablesalt. We deal with chemicals that stabilize other chemicals any time we eat, so while research is important to ensure it is safe, it shouldnt be thought of as inherently bad just because chemicals are involved.
Anyways, TL;DR Prime works the same as Reptisafe. There are some pictures floating around that show Prime uses “hydrosulfite salts” and how they can be dangerous (spoiler, it is if used in too high concentration, not if used properly). However, if you look up the SDS of Reptisafe, its “dechlorinating agent” is sodium hydroxymethane sulfonate. So, its chemicals all around. Chlorine doesnt magically go away without a reactant (unless allowed to evaporate over time)
On a final sidenote, keep in mind distilled water can also be dangerous, it pulls electrolytes out of the body through osmosis due to it having no impurities and is thus a low(no) sodium solution, causing the water in and outside the cells to try to balance. With proper supliments/ eating its fine, but it can cause problems if not accounted for. Mineral water does not have this issue as it is distilled, and then has electrolytes and minerals added back in.
This is the picture i refer to claiming reptisafe has no chemicals, but all it does is call the chemical “dechlorinating agent” instead of identifying the chemical like it does for the others. Its funny to me because its active ingredient is the one it calls tetra out for.
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For my fish that id keep i generally set the tank up and let it run for a week before adding any fish. I have no experience with declhor in any situation except in the case of fish. I would have the water add the declhor then let the water sit for a week and having the filter running.
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This is good info and should clear any question about what I asked!
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Yeah, before snakes i ran a few 100+ gallon aquariums, so dechlor is something i had to learn, the 180G one was set up in a hotel, so it required water treatment. Prime makes it just about instantly safe for fish, if you want the chlorine to evaporate without dechlor you have to let it sit a long time (less time if its only a little water. I believe for a water dish, overnight suffices, but i dont use the method so id advise further research before trusting it.)
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For me i would rather use spring water call me overly cautious but i really don’t want to risk my animals health, im sure dechlor is safe after its run a few days because all of my fish tanks got water treatment before any fish were added. I had 2 100 gallon aquarium a 55 gallon a 35 gallon and several 10 and 20 gallons. My 100s held my big boy Ocars, cichlids, tinfoils, shovel nose catfish. I miss my fish tanks.
My momma was talking about the family maybe helping me to get a condo and if i do im definitely getting another fish tank or 2.
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So it sounds more like you are talking about “cycleing” the tank, which is less about dechlorinating it and more about getting a biosphere active so when fish are added, the ammonia doesnt spike and kill them all. Prime dechlorinates the water just about inmediately and doesn’t need to be left to sit at all after applying.
Unless you are saying you didnt use prime, and simply left the water for a week to allow the chlorine to evaporate. More gallons means more time, but evaporation is a viable method.
Im not at all saying you cant do whatever you are comfortable with, im only saying that with large tanks, changing out 30-50 gallons if water biweekly to monthly with mineral water adds up and is a massive undertaking, its feasible for 5-20 gallon tanks because it would only take a few jugs to do a 15% water change, but for large applications i just had to learn about the chemical route and trust the research done saying its safe. I only bring it up as a means to say this is where my info from, and why i trust it. I dont bring it up to try and shame you or say your way isnt valid. Mineral water is 100% safe and if you are at all iffy, you can never go wrong with it 
(except misting systems, distilled for that so you dont get residue buildup haha)
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Plus distilled is better for plants. I get ya i know you ain’t saying something to be mean. My brother dont take care if his fish and he has has 4 complete dieoffs and his water us cloudy and all the plants died too, i tried to tell him but he gonna do his own thing, for me id be very concerned about the 1st die off let alone 4. Losing 1 fish here and there happens but the whole tank there is definitely something very wrong. Softened water is probably the worst for plants because of the salts. I just use a Brita pitcher for purifying water and i buy distilled water for plants.
Water from a dehumidifier would be the same as distilled water, so it would be safe for humidity. You wouldn’t want animals drinking only that water because it doesn’t have any minerals in it. If you are worried about mold/mildew you could put a copper penny in the reservoir to prevent bacteria from growing. I think there are certain years that the penny would have to be, but I can’t recall which ones.
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