Why not distilled water?

[onehawksfan]

Okay - newbie question. I've heard that you should use RO/DI water and not tap, carbon filtered, spring, or distilled water. I understand the others but why wouldn't distilled water be a good choice? Could the fact that I'm using distilled water be the cause of excessive algae growth in my tank?

 

[kevinpo]

Distilled water will work just fine

Regards,
Kevin

 

[IAP Brian]

RO/ DI water is the best. Distilled water is just as good as RO if not better (depending on the condition of the membranes and cartridges in the RO unit), for top off purposes. I have filled all most every tank I have ever owned with tap water ran through a carbon block filter and a chlorine remover added to the mix. I use RO for top off purposes to avoid excess mineral and elemental overbalance ( not to mention heavy metals, nitrate, phosphate ect..).

To expand upon Kevin's resonse, there is nothing wrong with distilled water, but it may cost more. In the long run, the initial expense of a RO unit pays of over time.

 

[bobt2]

STEAM distilled water is much purer than r/o. it would NOT be the cause of an algea bloom

 

[jsmkmavity]

thats good water. the algee growth is more likely just part of a normal cycle of a newer tank. we tend to exagerate the problem by over feeding and under cleaning or introducing phosphate or nitrates with additives or prepared foods that arent rinsed first. having a balanced bioload will help. cleanup crew plus tang for algee and dont overstock with too many fish or anemones.

 

[ClamLubber]

I've read some people's concern that commercial stills are often made of copper and so over time using commercial distilled water to replace evaporative losses could cause a build up of copper if using that. I dont know if the amount of metalic copper converting to ionic copper would be high enough to truely matter. The still obviously doesn't dissolve in few years or anything, but I did a research project in college with an instrument that was so sensitive that I had to make my own distilled water in a glass still because the chemisty department's main still was made of copper. RO is more economical long term likely as well.

Addendum: After thought.... use of carbon would almost certainly nullify the trace amounts of copper you might get from distilled water ?