Conflicting information regarding distilled water

as40

as40

Give it to us raw and wriggling!
Oct 12, 2003
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Ventura, CA 93003
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Hey all,

Read many things regarding the use of distilled water. I've never used it primarily in my FW tanks as I'd always thought the potential for copper in the water may be a bad thing. Also, R/O water is fairly easy to come by. However, for curiosity's sake...

For my SW tank, to use simply as top-off water to replace what's evaporated (I figure about 1/80th the amount of water per week), would the amount of potential copper in the distilled water be so negligable as to not be a concern? Also, once a small amount of copper is introduced into a tank (potentially), can it be removed through water changes, or not?
 
Im a newb, but i think im correct.

Copper can contaminate many things other than the water, it can contaminate the rock, substrate, and even the glass itself. Water changes can remove some, but not all, potentially leaving lethal amounts (lethal to invertebrates). Copper is no major threat to fish (its in some medications), but to invertebrates it is very bad.

The best course of action is to test your source of distilled water for copper, if there it's there then find another source. Im not sure what levels are considered "safe"

Edit: The amount you top off may be less than a gallon and low and copper, but the element will eventually build up.
 
If it's distilled in glass, you're fine. If it's distilled in a system containing copper, avoid it. The whole point of using non-tap water is to avoid introducing impurities, especially copper from pipes. It seems like you're defeating the purpose by adding it back by using distilled water that is potentially contaminated.
 
Yeah, I'm haven't/am not going to use it, because I have no way of knowing how it was distilled.

But, the reason I asked is because I want to do this:

For top-off water, it's kind of a pain using a 5 gallon jug to pour R/O FW into the tank. So, saw some bottled distilled water cheap at the store, and bought three 1 gallon containers of it.

Not interested in the water; just wanted the smaller containers.

Do you think once the jugs are emptied/dried out they're safe to fill with R/O water and use then, or think the plastic containers would have absorbed any potential copper, and if so, would the amount be anything to worry about?
 
Ya know.... it's a funny thing.... I've seen many a tanks setup before... right now... the big fad is R/O... everybody has to have a R/O or knows someone who does...

I used R/O on my original tank stickied at the top of this forum, but I know soooooo many others that either put regular tap, or just use the machines infront of most grociery stores and never have a problem..

By the time the tank has stabilize, and equalized itself out, you'll find that most of, if any of your copper levels are gone or are low enough..

Now, if you are instantly putting "X" amount of live rock, fish and starting right from the gecko, then I'd use ONLY R/O.

But if you are going to be starting it up, letting it spike through the levels via shrimp or whatever.... then standard, filtered water is fine..
 
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