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Distilled in reef tank?


DiaryReef

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DISQUALIFIED-QQ

In a sense yeah you can use it. Most of the folk wisdom will tell you that distilled water is generally used in a pinch if you do not have RODI water accessible. Let's say you're in a situation where you don't have a RODI unit at home; there's no water shop or Whole Foods open (they sell DI water to anyone that wants to go on a "cleanse"); and the local fish/coral shop isn't open. That's when the distilled water you bought at your local grocer really comes in clutch. 

 

For the long term I don't know or at least I don't think it'll be harmful... as distilled water (in an oversimplified sense) is basic tap water boiled and the vapors are captured again to get mostly purer water. There's a chance that your distilled water is not 0ppm like true deionized water, but may have some reading on the ppm reading. However, ppm only tells how much dissolved content is in your water not specifically what is in it. That dissolved content can be salts, organics, metals, etc. 

 

If you really want to be safe, maintain your own RODI unit well and have a TDS checker on hand. A lot of people still go to fish shops to buy RODI water...It's not a bad idea if you like the shop as you can always chat with staff and just look at what stock is in town. For me for a while I went to my local Whole Foods as they have a self-serve water refill machine for normal drinking water, DI water, and super alkaline water. 

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Yes, distilled is good pure H2O (just make sure it’s regular distilled, not that distilled baby water they sell at some drugstores that has stuff added to it). I was getting mine delivered in 5 gallon returnable jugs from Arrowhead for a while. I only stopped using it because I got too many tanks so it was too much water to have delivered. My tank ran well using distilled, and I still use it for my top off water in my tank that has an ATO. 

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Distilled water is the same 0 ppm TDS water as RO/DI (reverse osmosis with deionization membrane), only made by using different method. There is a chance that it was made using metal parts, but for a water, sold for human consumption, this is highly unlikely. It could be ozonated, but mixing salt will aerate water enough to remove it. I used distilled bottled water for making saltwater for pico tanks without any ill effects, later installed RO filter, cheaper per gallon and no need to carry it home.

 

When buying RO water in the store, it has to be checked for a quality, at least with TDS meter. They could change cartridges less frequently than they should and there could be accidental pollutants, not critical for automotive use, but they could affect live creatures.

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Making your own RO/DI water is cheaper and more convenient than hauling distilled water home from the store.  However, both types are pure water which are suitable for reef keeping.

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3 hours ago, Kindanewtothis said:

I use distilled but as other daid, you got to carry it...20211126_123030.thumb.jpg.c8472538901bf7928013920b6e4c805e.jpg

...and use all that plastic....every time.  Wow.  😳

 

RO/DI is way way better unless you have a teeny tiny tank.  Above 50 gallons or so it's really a no-brainer.

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Kindanewtothis
1 hour ago, mcarroll said:

...and use all that plastic....every time.  Wow.  😳

 

RO/DI is way way better unless you have a teeny tiny tank.  Above 50 gallons or so it's really a no-brainer.

This hobby is not really eco-friendly at all.

 

I don't know much about RO/DI period. You are right that RO/DI would be better for me having a 50 gallons financially speaking. Also you have acces to it at home vs going to the store to get water. I will get a RO/DI eventually, I even choose the place where I would put it in the house.

 

However, I don't like the fact that you have to change the membrane. With distilled I get the same thing in every bottle. 

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8 hours ago, Kindanewtothis said:

However, I don't like the fact that you have to change the membrane. With distilled I get the same thing in every bottle. 

You only change the membrane like once every three years.  However, you do need to replace the prefilters about twice a year.  The DI resin needs replaced the most frequently and is the most expensive.  However, if your tap water is very good, the DI will last a lot longer (or you might not even need the DI stage at all).

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I have used distilled water in a nano setup and I always felt it was the root of problems for me. I think okay for quick fixes, but i found after purchasing an RO buddie (like $59) that I had a much more stable system and less algae issues. Distilled goes through a different process that sometimes uses copper, which could be a driver. But also any impurities in the water with approx same boiling point (100C) could find their way into that distilled water water (if you know how that physical chemistry works)

 

but look, a $59 RO buddie you get unlimited water really. I just bought a new one after 2yrs and all good.

 

definitely recommend the RO Buddie.

 

M

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1 hour ago, MSunkin23 said:

Distilled goes through a different process that sometimes uses copper

I believe that this might have been an issue several decades ago.  However, it would be unusual for copper to be used in the process today (although it is still occasionally cited as a reason not to use distilled water).

 

Copper would likely kill your inverts (including corals), and not just cause excessive algae growth.  Personally, I did more maintenance once I had a water reserve available at home.  Maybe that contributed in your case too.

 

The RO Buddie is perfectly fine to use; plus, it's fairly compact.  Many pico and nano reefers use them.  However, standard 10" filters tend last longer (costing less per gallon of use) and are always readily available.

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Kindanewtothis
7 minutes ago, Diamonds x Pearls said:

Doomsday prepper here

They always look at me funny when I buy 12 or 16 4 liters at Wal-Mart. The most I bought in one time is 22.

 

However, I don't think you can survive on distilled water...

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DISQUALIFIED-QQ
1 minute ago, Kindanewtothis said:

They always look at me funny when I buy 12 or 16 4 liters at Wal-Mart. The most I bought in one time is 22.

 

However, I don't think you can survive on distilled water...

Yeah I got a bunch of weird looks with big totes of water at Whole Foods..up until the pandemic. Now, carting 20ish gallons probably feels less awkward now.

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I ran my first tank, 12g on distilled before I bought a RODI. It works just fine 🙂 Just make sure it isn't the kind that adds minerals back for taste. 

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On 12/14/2021 at 12:14 AM, seabass said:

I believe that this might have been an issue several decades ago.  However, it would be unusual for copper to be used in the process today (although it is still occasionally cited as a reason not to use distilled water).

 

Copper would likely kill your inverts (including corals), and not just cause excessive algae growth.  Personally, I did more maintenance once I had a water reserve available at home.  Maybe that contributed in your case too.

 

The RO Buddie is perfectly fine to use; plus, it's fairly compact.  Many pico and nano reefers use them.  However, standard 10" filters tend last longer (costing less per gallon of use) and are always readily available.

I think your right, the accessibility of the RO Buddie leads into better maintenance than having to run to target/walmart to get distilled. Who knows, but I can tell you had a more stable system not using distilled. Not a bad idea to keep some handy though for emergency.

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  • 3 months later...
jcrisman2009
On 12/12/2021 at 10:01 PM, DiaryReef said:

I’ve been told I can use distilled water in my nano reef tank, and others have told me not to. Would my reef tank still thrive and be healthy if I used distilled water?

I’ve used distilled for a few years now and haven’t had any issues thus far.

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