# How much water do YOU use a week? ( Misting system question )



## Bowser (Jul 4, 2011)

I was adding up some of the expenses that comes with poison dart frogs and I was thinking I will probably use alot less water than i will with keeping fish, I should just use distilled water i buy at the store to mist my tanks with but would like to know if i'm going to using alot of water. 

Are RO systems the way to go? are they easy to install? The misting system will only be hooked up to 1 tank so would it be worth it?

My main questions are : How many tanks are you running, and how many gallons of water approximately do you use? How often do you mist a day and for how long?

Thanks!


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## motydesign (Feb 27, 2011)

For the first while I was buying 5 gal at a time and that was weekly for one exoterra tank misting enough to keep the false bottom water level the same (neutralize evap)
(be careful with distilled ) Then I just invested the $250 for a ro/di system, took an hour to install and is worth it! Plus I really enjoy the ice I make with it and the great water I drink rather than buying bottled water!
Aquarium Pet Fish Supplies, Tank Accessories, Products & Equipment
Now my collection grows and I have water on demand.


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## chadfarmer (Nov 2, 2008)

depends on how much and how long you run your mister


mine comes on 5 times a day at 5 seconds i can use a 5 gallon in about 2-3 months


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## Bowser (Jul 4, 2011)

Wow. If that's the case, seeing as how i can get purified water for 20cents a gallon, if i mist 5 times a day for 5 seconds it'll take me a pretty long time to go up to the cost of a new RO systen o.o would purified water be better or distilled? when i read about misting systems they said RO water or distilled water, so i thought they were the same. Is there a reason why i should be concerned about using distilled?


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

I'm running 16 nozzles and mist for 13 seconds 3 times a day. The 5 gallon jug lasts a couple of weeks anyways. I mist with RO but don't think distilled will be an issue for misting.


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## MrFusion (Jul 18, 2011)

You don't need to buy your water from the pet stores. I generally buy mine from a water dispenser outside of a grocery store. More often than not it's it's a better quality R/O water than what the pet stores have. You're looking at about $1.00 for 5 gallons. Easy and cheap.


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## johnyrocks (Jun 25, 2011)

I don't use a misting syatem, but I mist 2 tanks 1-4 times a day, using about a gallon a week


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## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

I'm using about 2 gallons a week of distilled. This is enough to mist and fill my humidifiers. Keep in mind I'm living in El Paso where the average relative humidity is in the single digits to low teens.


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## Steve25 (Jan 29, 2010)

You can buy water for 20 cents per gallon. Buy a TDS meter to make sure the RO water is decent enough. I normally buy water with TDS less than 5.0. My water level from tap is in the mid 200's. I also need RO for my carnivorous plants. I use a 5 gallon in about 3 weeks for 3 tanks and numerous plants


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## Steve25 (Jan 29, 2010)

HM TDS meters are the best. RO systems are good but need maintaining. Some of the cheaper systems are a waste. If you are not going to be using quite amount of water I wouldn't recommend buying one now. 

Research on how much water you will be using. 5gal month = 12+ dollars a year. Maintaining a RO system from 6-12 months already is over budget. Think about it..


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## D3monic (Feb 8, 2010)

I use about 2-4 gallons a day between 10 vivs. I usually run the misting system for a good 5-10 min for a good heavy rain. Really makes the frogs happy. 

I use RO water from my unit that I got from Air Water and Ice. I have a 30gal trashcan resivour in teh garage with a float valve so its always nice and full. 

One day if I ever get a house with a basement i will have the entire system rigged together with the trashcan as the misting sump as well and the tank drain lines going into a floor drain so there will be nothing to fill or dump. 

Now if only I could get automated fly production.


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## Bowser (Jul 4, 2011)

Thanks alot for your input guys! I'll be sticking to distilled water or purified water for now, my fish tanks won't be using that much water where i would need an RO system either. 75g a day is more than what i change in a week  (i do 25% water changes on my tanks every week)


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