2006-10-12 00:32:08 · 17 answers · asked by angk 6 in Pets ➔ Fish
I do have two tanks I've had for years, and normally use tap + chemicals. We just have several gallons of distilled we bought by accident, which taste awful, and we're trying to figure out what to do with them.
2006-10-12 01:36:47 · update #1
Absolutely! The water would be crystal clear and sparkling and have no chlorine in it to harm the fish- but check for the proper pH for your fish- angel fish like it a bit on the alkaline side- ask someone at Petco- because it does depend on the fish-I D
2006-10-12 00:38:08 · answer #1 · answered by Debby B 6 · 1⤊ 3⤋
I just started up my first fish tank and I'll pass on the information that was given to me. Yes, you can start a tank with distilled water. Most people choose not to because in bigger tanks this can be quite expensive. Regardless of what type of water you decide to use, you should let it circulate with the filter running for at least 3 to 5 days before adding fish so that the proper oxygen levels and settling can occur. You do not need to add any chemicals to distilled water (because there's nothing in it), but a stress coat would be a good idea regardless of whether you use distilled or tap. I set my tank up with distilled water and stress coat about a week ago. So far the chemical levels and pH have been good. I put in fish and a plant three days ago and so far everything's fine.
After setting up my tank, I was told that distilled water, though it'll work, isn't the best idea because it doesn't always come from the same source like tap water. If you decide to use tap water, you should use a chemical to declorinate the water. Don't just let the water sit out.
2006-10-12 08:45:56 · answer #2 · answered by nicoleharres 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Depends on how it tasted. If you just dont like the taste of water then ok but if it tasted like it had chemicals in it or something was wrong w/ it DO NOT use it. when you use it do not fill it completely with distilled in one setting. You can use it to add to a tank fine, but no more than 25% at a time. If you are going to fill a tank with distilled water fill it and let it sit running without fish for about 1 week then ou can introduce the fish. Distilled water is very compact and there is little air in it and a full tank of distilled water that hasn't been run a while will feel like the fish is at a very high altitude where the air is thin
2006-10-14 12:15:15 · answer #3 · answered by weebles 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good question never thought of using distilled water since it would be expensive to use in a large tank. But your answer is NO do not use distilled water it is not good for the fish. Distilled water has no GH and KH in it. GH = General hardness and KH = alkalinity. Fish need all the trace elements that are found in water that is not distilled.
More information provided in the links.
2006-10-12 10:43:27 · answer #4 · answered by OT 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Supposedly so but I had a bad experience with it. Unexplainable die off in tank a few hours after partial water change with distilled water. Now we only use tap water that has been aged for at least a day and add a product called stress coat when performing the weekly water changes.
2006-10-13 04:12:07 · answer #5 · answered by Cain 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
OT is on the right track, while the people babbling about oxygen levels are just plain wrong. Pure distilled water is bad as it's to soft, and slight acidic. Plus it lacks minerals that fish need. It useful for some people to often their tap water. (Hard ~= lots of minerals) Just keep in mind that some fish need hard water and others soft water. The important thing to remember is not to make quick changes.
Personally I recommend testing your tap water for pH, and kH. Then taking a look at a site like http://liveaquaria.com/ and find fish that fit your water chemistry.
2006-10-12 12:18:01 · answer #6 · answered by Sabersquirrel 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was always told not to, not only because there is no oxygen but there is nothing at all in the water. Even though tap water has chlorine and sometimes chloramines in it it also has other chemicals that fish need.
You could probably mix if 50-50 with tap though if you can't think of any other way to use it.
2006-10-12 10:15:07 · answer #7 · answered by Nunya Biznis 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. It'll kill the fishes in your tank. The Distilled water has less oxygen content and it'll easily kill them.
Why not try the natural see water or fill some container with a tap water for say 1 hour then you can use it. By then it would have already absorbed enough oxygen for use.
2006-10-12 07:59:44 · answer #8 · answered by Nazzyon 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The problem with distilled/purified water is that it has no enzymes or electrolytes in it. The fish will die if there is too much of this water put in. Even rain water can be a problem because of this.
2006-10-14 06:52:57 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes it is fine for topping off just don't use it for any thing more than a 10-20 % water change and if you are worried about oxygen levels for the water change when you pore it in air will go in to or just shake it up. But don't use nursery water it has high levels of fluoride put in to it and those levels can kill some less hardy fish
2006-10-12 10:11:24 · answer #10 · answered by james j 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Distilled water is not aerated and will lower the oxygen content. Beat some air into it with a mixer, then introduce it.
2006-10-12 07:40:47 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋