Dehumidifier water ?

[Griz]

Been wondering about this for some time now...

I have a good supply of water from a dehumidifier and wondered about using it in my community tank which contains A. cacatuoides, firehead tetras, neons, one-lined pencilfish, and corydoras. My tank water is pH 7.8 / GH 9 / KH 6. The dehumidifier water is pH 7.0 / GH 0 / KH 0.

I realize that my tank water is probably just fine for my fish but I would like to know if this would work for lowering pH and hardness. If not for this tank, for fish I may like to keep in the future. Is this a good idea? Any advice, cautions etc would be appreciated.

 

[Mike Wise]

This water should be fine IF the reservoir & coils are not copper, nickel, or zinc coated. These can leave heavy metal toxins in the water. Also aerate the water before using.

 

[Griz]

Thanks Mike. The coils appear to be aluminum but I'll have a neighbor who is more knowledgeable about such things have a look at it. I will give the unit a very good cleaning before using the water.

 

[dhm325]

There was an earlier thread on this subject quite some time ago. My recollection is that someone suggested that the bacterial count in water collected in a dehumidier may be too high.

 

[Griz]

I can see bacteria developing inside a dehumidifier if it isn't cleaned regularly They do tend to collect a lot of dust. I believe that if the unit is kept clean, it should be fine. Mike's caution about metals is the only other potential problem I can see. I think I will try this out but not in my community tank. I have a spare 15gal that I've been wanting to set up but that will not be for several weeks.

I'm still interested in your opinions or experiences.