Anyone use aquarium water for orchids?

[Manu]

Originally Posted by SaraJean

I think it just depends on where you live. I contacted my sewage an water board about the choramine in our water supply and while I don’t recall the exact number off of the top of my head, it’s high. Very high. That is because of our water source (the very bottom of the very dirty Mississippi River) and our near constant high temperatures is a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Other areas may not have this issue, you lucky dogs... They also stated that it is a stable chemical that does not break down, unlike chlorine. Every one of my orchids that I had at the time when I was using tap had burned roots. Switching to r/o water for my sensitive ones and using a neutralizer for the rest that get tap has helped immensely

Good to know! I don't have to deal with these issues. Montreal has one of the best and largest potable water system in North America. Our water intakes are in the St Lawrence, which is extremely clean to start with. Tap water does not contain any Chloramine here, so I don't need to worry about that, but was reading on various sites that Chloramine does eventually break down, just a lot slower than chlorine. I also read that only about 20% of US households tap water contain Chloramine, so most people in the US do not have Chloramine in their water. Anyhow, didn't mean to hijack the thread lol

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by Manu

The internet seems to think otherwise and everyhing I've read states that it does breakdown and evaporate after some time, it just seems hard to find an exact figure as to how long it takes...

I personally used to use RO water, but have been back on tap water for the past year with no adverse effects. Plants are all striving. I still use RO for my 2 Dracula's as they are very sensitive and like pure water. All others get tap water that I let sit in open jugs of water for a few days.

I guess maybe for aquariums this is really important, but I don't see this being an issue with most orchids.

And everything on the internet is true, right? According to the Law of Entropy, everything breaks down over time. The question is do you have the time to wait?

[estación seca]

Also, chloramines are formed when chlorine gas is added to water with a high organic matter content. This wouldn't be an issue for municipalities chlorinating relatively pure water, but it is an issue in some places.