Can I start with distilled?

[FrugalReeferJon]

Distilled is all I use for my tank.

 

[Baylott224]

I use distilled when I run out of diy just get a tds meter and check it it's 0ppm then your good

 

[Baylott224]

Soom cheaper brands but I can confirm that the pure life distilled has always been 0 ppm

 

[Baylott224]

Soom cheaper brands but I can confirm that the pure life distilled has always been 0 ppm

Sorry I meant some cheaper brands have like 1 tds some times

 

[Savage Henry]

Can you collect rain water? Just looking at what you are looking to keep and thinking the macro algae may absorb crap from the rain water and those corals might not care either way.

 

[Fish Fan]

I wouldn't recommend rain water, it's potentially full of a wide range of pollutants it picks up as it falls through the atmosphere. I'd stick with distilled water here

 

[Pat's Reef]

Just got my new waterbox 15 peninsula and I was wondering, when the time comes to fill up the tank, can I use RODI water to start and then use distilled for any water changes and top offs?

Asking because I got the Aquatic life RODI buddy off Amazon. With it being so small and needing to fill three 5 gallon buckets, I was worried id run through it too quick, risk contamination, and need to constantly replace the media if I was using only RODI for ALL my saltwater needs.

Or maybe I was thinking the reverse would be better? Filling with distilled and using only RODI for maintenance?

Thanks in advance.

I seriously recommend RODI for everything, including your freshwater topoffs. The traces of ions and metals left in lesser filtered water may not seem like anything at all and show no signs for a long time, but a reef is basically immortal and after 10-20 years of topping off, you can add a lot of metal into the system and lose everything. The same applies for any trace pollutant or toxic substances. The water evaporates, leaving it behind to concentrate in the tank over time. Using the purest water available is key to long term success. It’s the foundation of the entire system. I’d cut expenses elsewhere if necessary, but you really don’t want to be adding problems by using less than perfect water in the system. You may work out a smaller RO at startup, but unless you have a massive system, 50gpd should be way more than enough for topoffs and water changes.

 

[benthicBarbarian]

I seriously recommend RODI for everything, including your freshwater topoffs. The traces of ions and metals left in lesser filtered water may not seem like anything at all and show no signs for a long time, but a reef is basically immortal and after 10-20 years of topping off, you can add a lot of metal into the system and lose everything. The same applies for any trace pollutant or toxic substances. The water evaporates, leaving it behind to concentrate in the tank over time. Using the purest water available is key to long term success. It’s the foundation of the entire system. I’d cut expenses elsewhere if necessary, but you really don’t want to be adding problems by using less than perfect water in the system. You may work out a smaller RO at startup, but unless you have a massive system, 50gpd should be way more than enough for topoffs and water changes.

Thats….the plan. If you read what I said, I’d only use my small RODI for water changes and top offs. Distilled is only for filling.

 

[Saltynewby]

I was using distilled to top off my tank. It's only a 32 gallon. However, when I mentioned it at my LFS, the guy said to top off with spring water, that it had more nutrients. So now I have spring water and distilled, and a little confused. I think maybe I'll just stick with distilled for topoffs.

 

[UncommonSense]

I was using distilled to top off my tank. It's only a 32 gallon. However, when I mentioned it at my LFS, the guy said to top off with spring water, that it had more nutrients. So now I have spring water and distilled, and a little confused. I think maybe I'll just stick with distilled for topoffs.

Yeah, stick with distilled…. The minerals in spring/drinking water are not used in consistent concentrations, and aren’t in ideal quantities for our reef tanks…

On a semi-related note; here’s a fun fact about water quality!

— residential tap water quality is regulated by the FDA

— bottled spring water quality is regulated by the EPA

The EPA has less stringent requirements for water quality; categories like turbidity, and waterborne bacterial content… — that is to say, bottled spring water can legally have higher quantities of fecal coliform bacteria/etc living in it! Yuck!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I was using distilled to top off my tank. It's only a 32 gallon. However, when I mentioned it at my LFS, the guy said to top off with spring water, that it had more nutrients. So now I have spring water and distilled, and a little confused. I think maybe I'll just stick with distilled for topoffs.

There’s not ever a reason to prefer spring water. There’s nothing in it needed in a reef tank.

 

[DaprDon]

I have only used bottled distilled water ( Glacier Mist) Menards)). For 3.5 yrs,my only complaint would be that my water was too clean and have had a hard time keeping soft coral. LPS & SPS have thrived!
A little research about this brand revealed that it is RODI and UV Sterilized, not actually distilled.

 

[Fish Fan]

I have only used bottled distilled water ( Glacier Mist) Menards)). For 3.5 yrs,my only complaint would be that my water was too clean and have had a hard time keeping soft coral. LPS & SPS have thrived!
A little research about this brand revealed that it is RODI and UV Sterilized, not actually distilled.

If you're using this, it's "vapor distilled" according to this description, and fine for aquaria, in my experience:
https://www.menards.com/main/grocer...er-1-gallon/300124/p-1444451353936-c-6646.htm
They also make a Spring Water, and this I believe may be RO filtered like a lot of drinking waters are, so maybe this is what you saw?
https://www.menards.com/main/grocer...ter-24-pack/500159/p-1444451353159-c-6646.htm

 

[Baylott224]

Too clean. Is a misconception you can't get it cleaner than pure water and also many people run uv 24/7 in there tank. So the uv has nothing to do with it my rodi has a uv sterilizer I added my self for years and years it's been like this. Some spring and "purified" water has added elements for taste so you don't want that

 

[Baylott224]

I think your tank has a lower amount of waste. Because softer coral do like nutrients that's why they may be. I also used pure life for years before I got an rodi. It was fine all corals were soft and thriving but it was a heavenly fed tank