Is it true that fish can't be kept in distilled water?

Answer 1

Distilled waters definitely trouble fish, and heres the reason why...

Water in nature is rarely pure in the ``distilled water'' sense; it contains dissolved salts, buffers, nutrients, etc., with exact concentrations dependent on local conditions. Fish (and plants) have evolved over millions of years to the specific water conditions in their native habitats and may be unable to survive in significantly different environments.

Beginners (especially the lazy) should take the easy approach of selecting fish whose needs match the qualities of their normal tap water. Alternatively, an advanced (and energetic!) aquarist can change the water characteristics to match the fish's needs, though doing so is almost always more difficult than first appears. In either case, you need to know enough about water chemistry to ensure that the water in your tank has the right properties for the fish you are keeping.

Water has four measurable properties that are commonly used to characterize its chemistry. They are pH, buffering capacity, general hardness and salinity. In addition, there are several nutrients and trace elements.
pH
pH refers to water being either an acid, base, or neither (neutral). A pH of 7 is said to be neutral, a pH below 7 is ``acidic'' and a pH above 7 is ``basic'' or ``alkaline''. Like the Richter scale used to measure earthquakes, the pH scale is logarithmic. A pH of 5.5 is 10 times more acidic than water at a pH of 6.5. Thus, changing the pH by a small amount (suddenly) is more of a chemical change (and more stressful to fish!) than might first appear.

To a fishkeeper, two aspects of pH are important. First, rapid changes in pH are stressful to fish and should be avoided. Changing the pH by more than .3 units per day is known to stress fish. Thus, you want the pH of your tank to remain constant and stable over the long haul. Second, fish have adapted to thrive in a (sometimes narrow) pH range. You want to be sure that your tank's pH matches the specific requirements of the fish you are keeping.

Most fish can adjust to a pH somewhat outside of their optimal range. If your water's pH is naturally within the range of 6.5 to 7.5, you will be able to keep most species of fish without any problems. If your pH lies within this range, there is probably no need to adjust it upward or downward.

Answer 2

If you think about it, not even humans can live healthily if the only water we got was distilled. 'Water' as we know it, contains a combination of trace elements which we all need. Countries which 'recycle' their water add these trace elements into the water before the water is piped into homes. If your water is well-oxygenated, the fish will not die, but you should not expect the fish to last very long on distilled water alone. There may be products in the shops that may just require you to add a few drops during each water change if you cannot help but use distilled water. Check out your local petstore.

Answer 3

Fish will not survive in distilled water. Most fish need a PH level between 6 & 7. Distilled water doest not have that. In an estblished tank or when first starting a new tank, it may be recommended to fill a pecentage of the tank with distilled water to lower the PH level. So, no fish can not live in distilled water alone.

Answer 4

Distilled water is awful for fish. Even hardy fish like betta, and gold fish will not do well in it. Distilled water lacks any minerals which fish need. Also it lacks any buffers so your pH will tend to change quickly. Generally your tap water is better for fish. If your tap water is too hard, and basic for you fish you can mix tap, and distilled to reduce the mount of minerals in your tap.

Answer 5

It's true. Distilled water lacks the minerals that retain the "buffer" that prevents the pH from fluctuating wildly. It's also missing the trace elements generally considered benificial to fish.

Answer 6

ok, the blowing bubbles is them gasping for air, they are suffocating, goldfish have a high oxygen requirement, and a bowl is the worst possible thing to house them in as the surface area is too small for the body of water. now for the help... ok, you need to research aquarium cycling, that goes without saying, it will take around 6-8 weeks usually, and will take a lot of water changes. basically, ammonia from fish waste is converted to nitrite, which is then converted into nitrate, nitrate should be removed from teh tank via regular partial water changes, once a week of 25% or mroe is good. always use dechlorinator in your tap water as the chlorine and chloramines will kill the bacteria which convert the lethal ammonia and nitrite into the not so bad nitrate, nitrates need to be kept under 40ppm, you will need a test kit to test your water as you cycle. as for the fish, feeders are common goldfish usually, and will need 25-30 gallons per fish, so for your fish to fully thrive and grow, you should be looking at a 50+ gallon tank, sounds big but when they reach 14-16 inches and are zooming round the tank happy big fish you will see its for the best. if they are kept in a small tank, they will become stunted, this is where they cant grow to their full potential, and they have their lives shortened due to their insides being cramped inside a too small body and possibly reducing how well their organs work. they will also need massive filtration, aim for double the recommended for the size tank you have, canister filters work very well with goldfish. they are very messy fish, so be preparred for good gravel vacs at every water change to pull out that poop :-) also a good way to keep water quality up and to give the goldies some interest in life is live plants, any free floating pond plant will keep them happy, you can also bunch it and weigh it down so it looks like a rooted plant. they will enjoy picking at the plants and it breaks up the line of sight so they arent just sitting doing nothing. one last thing, well done on rescuing these guys and caring enough to give them a fantastic new life :-)

Answer 7

distilled water has no minerals or salt in it - its not that great for the fish. you can add some aquarium salt to make up for it but it is missing the minerals.

spring water is a better bet for fish if you have to use bottled water. the ph is a little high but fine for most hardy fish.

Answer 8

It is true. Fish require familiar odour which is absent in distilled water. To get the odour some portion of old aquarium water has to be added.

Answer 9

it is true .as fish are very sensitive and should be kept in hygiene by cleaning the tank often within 15 days.

Answer 10

Depend on fish.