Considering getting a filter, any advice?

Since I started using tap water, I have noticed the start of what I thought to be calcium/magnesium+nitrogen deficiency with the brown spots and yellowing/dying lower leaves. Luckily I was able to harvest that before too much damage was done. But as I am now seeing it happen on another plant, sadly it might actually be chloramine. Which, after doing a little research on, I am terrified of. So, I am considering getting a reverse osmosis filter to save myself from having to go back to hoarding gallon jugs of distilled/spring water. But then I need to solve the problem I had when using distilled water, which was a lack of micronutrients and minerals.
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Curious what some feelings on this are. I get all the macro nutrients from my trio fertilizer, and I always keep cal-mag on hand. Is there a source for me to add all the rest of the micronutrients to the distilled water so my plants are still getting trace amounts of boron and copper and all that?
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Also, if anyone has any water filters they swear by, feel free to advertise them here.

Not easy to remove it appears. Looks like you need both carbon filters and RO. Seems boiling the water will drive off a lot of it.

Rain water collection an option?

What is your tap water's PPMs and PH? If you live in the USA, you can find test results online for any city but it can be hard to find the really small ones. I was amazed when I eventually found my little 100 person town's test results-they went back decades too. They will also tell you the total hardness, alkalinity, Calcium, magnesium levels, and other useful info. I like to fit my grow to my water source-if at all possible-rather than change my water to work for my grow. If your water is extreme, you might need an R/O filter however.

Three Berries said:

Not easy to remove it appears. Looks like you need both carbon filters and RO. Seems boiling the water will drive off a lot of it.

Rain water collection an option?

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Yea pretty much the same thing I found. Not easy to remove, and can cause permanent damage. Pretty rough. Not all learning experiences are enjoyable lol. I might try boiling the water for a temporary solution and then leaving it out for a bit to cool, it might drop the pH but I can always fix that.
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Rain water might be a possibility during late spring early summer, I might try that next year.

Rurumo said:

What is your tap water's PPMs and PH? If you live in the USA, you can find test results online for any city but it can be hard to find the really small ones. I was amazed when I eventually found my little 100 person town's test results-they went back decades too. They will also tell you the total hardness, alkalinity, Calcium, magnesium levels, and other useful info. I like to fit my grow to my water source-if at all possible-rather than change my water to work for my grow. If your water is extreme, you might need an R/O filter however.

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Oh wow, I actually didn't know all of this was available. It says Chlorine and chloramine 2.18 level detected and .7-4.0 range. Based on a quick search it seems that should be fine. It definitely seems like chloromine symptoms, but maybe I am wrong. Maybe the water company had a bad day and used too much chloramine. I was trying to do this one without help, but I might just post pics on the plant problems sub-forum and see what others say.
And nice, so you just go through and see what all is in the tap water and then determine what you need more/less of from that? That actually sounds like a really solid plan. I was looking for a method like that that involved less guesswork than my current method lol.

Antman603 said:

Maybe the water company had a bad day and used too much chloramine.

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I worked for a water bottle that used city water as it's source. Sometimes we had to call them up and tell them they were way over or under what they should be,

Do you have a way to collect rain water at your house or where you live?

Yea I guess that could be it. My tap water did smell kinda like a pool the other day lol. I tried to leave it out to evaporate chlorine, but as I now know, that doesn't work for chloramine.

ComputerSaysNo said:

Do you have a way to collect rain water at your house or where you live?

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Yes, it is a possibility. During proper seasons I get a lot of rain, and I have an area I can put a resevoir. Besides convenience and it being natural, what do you find to be the main appeal to rain water?

Antman603 said:

Yes, it is a possibility. During proper seasons I get a lot of rain, and I have an area I can put a resevoir. Besides convenience and it being natural, what do you find to be the main appeal to rain water?

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Once you know what water you need rainwater is the best base. But devoid of minerals, usually some nitrogen and all the other stuff it falls through. If there is a lot of lightening at the time you gets some good voodoo water!

I use to use straight along with the chems. Started adding a cup of my hard well water to it a gallon too. Seems to work good.

Or distilled water with a Tums thrown in.

Antman603 said:

Besides convenience and it being natural, what do you find to be the main appeal to rain water?

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It's clean. Should be rather close to RO water. Of course a lot depends on how you collect and store it. If it goes through filthy gutters and is kept in a barrel full of algae and bacteria, it might not be so great after all.

In your area the tap water does not seem to be that great, so rain water will most likely be a lot better.

I haven't used rain water myself, because our tap water is very clean without any additives.