Topping up evaporated water

[tiffanydunk]

i'm starting to use distilled water for my water top up, but read from somewhere it stated that it's not recommended as follow:

"Do not use distilled water since it may kill an entire reef. Because distilled water has lost all of its minerals and anything else it might have, the water molecules will bond with the fish/invertebrates that have these minerals that were lost by the water." - http://animal-world.com/encyclo/reef/information/reef.php

so can i still continue using distilled water as my top-up?

[wil_lee76]

thats good findings pal...mmm......but im using for almost 2 months...and i dun see any MAJOR happenings going onz.....

maybe some snr reefers can enlightened us with their exp?

[wil_lee76]

by the way, looking at that site....whos the writer on the topic? i cant find any names who produce this article...maybe some personal experiences that he would like to share with us? if this article is written by some well known figure, then at least it make good sense!

[tiffanydunk]

i think he extract out from few sources at the end of the page. Sounds logical. But if u bros are doing fine with the distilled, i'll continue using it as a top-up.

[alcohologist]

"Because distilled water has lost all of its minerals and anything else it might have, the water molecules will bond with the fish/invertebrates that have these minerals that were lost by the water."

this is [loosely] hypothetically possible, but only with RO/DI water, and it has to be totally 100 percent pure. there's nothing to worry about realistically. outside of a lab, we won't achieve water this pure, and we most definitely wont achieve it in an aquarium.

[peacemaker]

No complaints from me except having to carry the heavy bottles to my office (tank). One thing I do know is that using distilled water beats using tap water. Ever since I changed to 100% distilled water plus keeping a chaeto and using a skimmer, I do not face any nuisance algae problems.

[tiffanydunk]

thanks for the input ppl. =)

[arcanehacker]

This i so like the article that drinking distilled or RO/DI water can kill.. something able no minerals and osmotic shock of the internal organs.. All have NO basis or examples though.. so I'd say dun even bother.. just go with the majority. There have been many using DI/RO water for so many years with excellent results.

[wil_lee76]

thanks for the input ppl. =)

dun mention,we are here to share and help!

[tigershark]

This i so like the article that drinking distilled or RO/DI water can kill.. something able no minerals and osmotic shock of the internal organs.. All have NO basis or examples though.. so I'd say dun even bother.. just go with the majority. There have been many using DI/RO water for so many years with excellent results.

yah, agree, its proven by many members that using distilled water or RO/DI water is better off than tap water.

[May&Bruce]

if you add kalkwasser to your top-up water like many of us, then it is not distilled water when it goes in the tank anyway.

tiffany, i was rubbing my screen trying to kill that darn insect until i realised it was in your signature! lol

[peacemaker]

tiffany, i was rubbing my screen trying to kill that darn insect until i realised it was in your signature! lol

LOL...

[tiffanydunk]

LoL.. i was tricked at first too!

[RockyBoy]

Some brand of distilled water have bad TDS. If you want your reef to grow well through the years, use DI water as standard topup water and water change and if you have deeper pocket, use RO/DI.