# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna > Invertebrates >  Top up with distilled water or aged water?

## Loudness

Do you guys top up fan chilled tank using distilled water or aged water?

----------


## hyun007

I am using ground water, I still aged it for a few days though, which is not really necessary.

----------


## vernonlcm

Talking about distilled water, where is the cheapest place to get it? I got from NTUC at $0.95 for 2 x 1.5lit which I supposed is the cheapest I can find in Singapore right? I went JB and saw in Jusco selling RM 3.99 for 5.5lit of distilled water but didn't have the chance to go Giant there to compare. In Singapore, the Giant don't sell 5.5 lit of distilled water, they only have 1.5 lit and price is more expensive then NTUC. If I didn't remember wrongly, the price should be $0.69 for a 1.5 lit bottle.

Any guys have cheaper lobang for distilled water, please do state here. I am not interested in getting those over $100 self fix over the tap type yet.

----------


## huizhong

Ideally u should top up with distilled water for fan-chilled tanks. Else water hardness will increase if top up with aged water.

----------


## eviltrain

> Ideally u should top up with distilled water for fan-chilled tanks. Else water hardness will increase if top up with aged water.


 +1 for huizhong 

i agree with what huizhong said.

----------


## gryphon

> Talking about distilled water, where is the cheapest place to get it? I got from NTUC at $0.95 for 2 x 1.5lit which I supposed is the cheapest I can find in Singapore right? I went JB and saw in Jusco selling RM 3.99 for 5.5lit of distilled water but didn't have the chance to go Giant there to compare. In Singapore, the Giant don't sell 5.5 lit of distilled water, they only have 1.5 lit and price is more expensive then NTUC. If I didn't remember wrongly, the price should be $0.69 for a 1.5 lit bottle.
> 
> Any guys have cheaper lobang for distilled water, please do state here. I am not interested in getting those over $100 self fix over the tap type yet.


There is a thread discussing this already
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...istilled-water

----------


## gryphon

I do a mix of both aged tap and distilled. I also check my GH often to ensure it gues not go past 5, if it is too high I will use full distilled.
Note that rather than just topping up, you should remove some of your tank water as well before adding aged/distilled water. Especially if you do not have much plants to keep your nitrate level low

----------


## copperband

Why would aged water increase hardness?

----------


## gryphon

> Why would aged water increase hardness?


When using fan based cooling, water is evaporated but other things like minerals are still left in the tank. Take the anology of salt water, if you put under the sun or use fan to blow a dish of saltwater, the water will start evaporating making it more salty. If you add saltwater won't it be saltier compared to you add tap/distilled water?

Over time the evaporation of the water in the tank will cause GH and also TDS to increase slowly. So if you add aged water, which has higher GH than distilled water, you are like adding GH to your tank.

----------


## eviltrain

another way to show increase of hardness thru topping up with tap water. 

you have 2 glass of water A and B with 1 spoon of salt in each glass. 

glass A is covered with a lid and glass B is left uncovered to evaporate. 

after all the water evaporates in glass B, you top up glass B with water from glass A

now you have 2 spoonful of salt in glass B

glass A is aged water and glass B is your tank water.

----------


## hyun007

> another way to show increase of hardness thru topping up with tap water. 
> 
> you have 2 glass of water A and B with 1 spoon of salt in each glass. 
> 
> glass A is covered with a lid and glass B is left uncovered to evaporate. 
> 
> after all the water evaporates in glass B, you top up glass B with water from glass A
> 
> now you have 2 spoonful of salt in glass B
> ...


It seem to indicate distilled water for top up is the best if you do not want to do water change.

----------


## eviltrain

Most people do water change to take out the excess nitrate in the water column.

If you can have a filtration good enough to clear all nitrate, you basically just need to top up. 

But, we add alot of suppliments into the tank too. No matter what, we still needs to do the minimum waterchange.

Send from my GT-P1000 (Overcome 7 Series v4.0.0)

----------


## avex30

Do note this i have did some test myself after a bro told me that some people commenting about the tapwater. Previously was still okie but recently seem to have got worst.

Test 1 - 10 litre pail with tapwater
Using Mosura software to bring down the Ph stop for 2 days before waterchange cause i add in alittle tds and gh + to buffer to tank parameter. Notice this Ph crawling back up from 4 - 5.6 and climbing 

Test 2 - 10 litre pail of tapwater
Using Mosura Ph down this time i mix in those bottle before i dose into pail 1night dose ph hit 4.5 stays overnight raise to 6.8. dose again 2nd night hit ph 4 next day raise to ph 6.5 

Our Singapore Tapwater cannot be use even with half tapwater and half Distill the ph still will creek back under this condition unless you let it stay for weeks and i mean weeks almost a month with a sponge filter inside running. Under this situation it will deplete your soil much faster.

Distill water will buffer to whatever ph additive you add and stay there. So for quick water change distill water for the supermarket works but inorder not to deplete your soil too fast too i would suggest adjusting the distill water parameter to your tank condition troublesome YES worth the trouble YES or would you rather choose to reset 6 to 8 months down the road.

I've not try or tested the situation on RO/DI water system (currently low on budget) Maybe someone that have such system can do a test. 

All the above is base on my own testing and experiemental with the tapwater in my area. So if your area tapwater do not have such issue please don't come and flame me quoting "I say so"

----------


## godprint

at where i live currently. i think my tap water is gh 0...

----------


## eviltrain

> at where i live currently. i think my tap water is gh 0...


you in Japan say lo~ no need to be shy.

----------


## Ebi

Try using a spare tank with shrimp soil + UGF for your water supply.
At most 2-3 days will bring your tap water 7+ pH to 6.2-6.3, plus you get the benefit of cycled water after this spare tank has been running for a while and you don't deplete your actual shrimp tank soil too fast. And when this soil is depleted, easy to reset as there is no livestock to content with.
I can't quantify by numbers as I had not collected any data due to busy schedule, but never had any "funny" probelms ever since I used this method and the main shrimp tanks parameters remain stable, hardly any change with the T/UP and WC.
By the way, simple test kit measurements are:

pH: 6.2 - 6.3
TDS: > 80
NO2, NO3 = 0
GH, KH = Below test Kit measurement range.

----------


## hyun007

> you in Japan say lo~ no need to be shy.


You forgot to add "plus a little radioactive from Fukushima".
Maybe we might get shimpzilla. =P :Grin:

----------


## Loudness

For my case, I'm using aged water. As I'm doing shift duty in camp, when I book out, I'll do a 20% water change. Next day or the day after next (before book in), I'll top up using aged water. The day before I book out, my sis will help me top up some too. Will this affect GH too much? I had some low grade crs and sakura inside, they still molt and berried. Sometimes I'll spray eros, which I bought cheap from a bro here.

----------


## cheetf

Collect and use rain water? Just have to be careful your neighbour from upstairs don't spit in it!

----------


## reiner09

Should only use distilled water/RO for top ups.. unless you live in the mountains( not in singapore's bukit timah natural reserve) .. using aged water still do have minerals and you will gradually increase the tds and gh..

----------


## felix_fx2

> Collect and use rain water? Just have to be careful your neighbour from upstairs don't spit in it!


I do love to throw cigarette butts in those containers in my zone. Lol

----------


## starman

rain water i heard quite good but with the pollution and stuff is it still good ?

----------


## starman

Guys, do you add anti chlorine into your distilled water before use?

----------


## milk_vanilla

Pure distilled water wont be necessary

----------


## g3rald

> Guys, do you add anti chlorine into your distilled water before use?


i just add a pinch of mosura shizhen and old sea mud when i do top ups (1 x 1.5L bottle) .
please remember check your water parameters though.

----------


## tureblue82

Is it lowering PH will bring down GH levels as well?

If above is true, putting ketapang leaves in the shrimp tank will lower PH and GH as well right?

----------


## thebaldingaquarist

> Is it lowering PH will bring down GH levels as well?
> 
> If above is true, putting ketapang leaves in the shrimp tank will lower PH and GH as well right?


Hi,
KH GH and PH are 3 separate things.
maybe you would want to check google for more information.

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/ph...aqauriums.html

----------


## tureblue82

after reading above link seems like lowering GH/KH will affect PH and vice versa.

----------


## thebaldingaquarist

> after reading above link seems like lowering GH/KH will affect PH and vice versa.


takeaway is GH and KH changes how difficult or how easy your PH sways.

----------


## Dscheng

NTUC has promotion for distilled water, do check it out. One carton 12 x 1.5L only $4.90 ! Really cheap.

----------


## seudzar

If you holds ntuc credit card, you can do bulk purchase and have it deliver to your house for free

----------


## Dscheng

> If you holds ntuc credit card, you can do bulk purchase and have it deliver to your house for free


Minimum like $100 then got free delivery right?

----------


## tetrakid

> Minimum like $100 then got free delivery right?


No harm to purchase $100 worth of the the offer distilled water. It will not expire?
Such great offers are hard to come by. But pity the delivery man, he will be surely exhausted and suffer backache , lol.  :Smile:

----------


## seudzar

Yes, there is a expiry date on the distilled water. So I not sure if it is meant for the bottle or the water.. Lol

----------


## Dscheng

Yes there is expiry date which is 2017.

----------


## tetrakid

> Yes there is expiry date which is 2017.


It will still be good even after the expiry date. Since it is used for fish tank WC, it should be fine.
Definitely worth buying $100 worth with the free delivery. Shrimp keepers will be delighted. This is a chance not to be missed.

----------


## Jimmy

$100 will be how many litres of distilled water?

----------


## tetrakid

> $100 will be how many litres of distilled water?


According to DsCheng, if he is correct, $100 worth will buy about 360 litres. 
That's a lot of valuable distilled water for a shrimp keeper. 
The savings on Prime will be an added factor for consideration too.

----------


## Urban Aquaria

12 x 1.5 litre = 18 litres of distilled water for $4.90... which means buying 21 cartons (to get above $100 for free delivery) works out to 378 litres.

I guess if a typical 20% water change for a 2ft/64 litre tank is around 12 litres, therefore using 8 x 1.5 litre bottles would cost around $3.20+ per weekly water change.

Just need space to store and stack up all those cartons of bottled water, at least you will be prepared and can stay hydrated during emergency/zombie apocalypse too.  :Grin:

----------


## 14litre

I am using bottled distilled water and am looking for alternative.

It is actually not environmental friendly as in i have been disposing those emptied bottles away.

It sounds funny if i get the bulk water just for shrimp tank water top up.
http://www.coca-cola.com.sg/beverage...its/dasani.asp

Still searching for alternatives than using bottled water.

----------


## Urban Aquaria

> I am using bottled distilled water and am looking for alternative.
> 
> It is actually not environmental friendly as in i have been disposing those emptied bottles away.
> 
> It sounds funny if i get the bulk water just for shrimp tank water top up.
> http://www.coca-cola.com.sg/beverage...its/dasani.asp
> 
> Still searching for alternatives than using bottled water.


I guess for shrimp keepers with small tanks, it makes more sense to just buy distilled water, since the tank water volume isn't large anyways.

The alternative is to invest in a RO/DI system to distill your water... there is an initial equipment cost and the filter cartridges have to be replaced periodically, but it usually works out cheaper over the long run (especially for those who have many shrimp tanks or tanks with much larger water volumes).

You might even be able to store the extra production of distilled water in large bottles and sell them to other shrimp keepers, become a distilled water maker/seller.  :Grin:

----------


## 14litre

> I guess for shrimp keepers with small tanks, it makes more sense to just buy distilled water, since the tank water volume isn't large anyways.
> 
> The alternative is to invest in a RO/DI system to distill your water... there is an initial equipment cost and the filter cartridges have to be replaced periodically, but it usually works out cheaper over the long run (especially for those who have many shrimp tanks or tanks with much larger water volumes).
> 
> You might even be able to store the extra production of distilled water in large bottles and sell them to other shrimp keepers, become a distilled water maker/seller.


I have thought of RO unit and that will be my last option. Haha.. That's a good idea.  

For my 14litre tank, i use up to 2 bottles (1.5l) each week. Sometimes I will use more and that was when I use it to do daily top up when the tds is on the rise.

After keeping so many emptied bottles, i felt bad to throw it away without any recycling needs.

----------


## Dscheng

Agree with UA, for small tank is ok. But not practical for 64L tank. For my office 9L tank, I got unlimited distilled water from office hehe. For my home one, I will mix distiller with aged water. Anyway my home livestock doesn't really required distilled water. If really serious, rather invest RO unit. How much average for one?

----------


## Urban Aquaria

> If really serious, rather invest RO unit. How much average for one?


RO/DI units typically range from under $100 (single stage types that use one mixed resin system) to $300+ or higher (multi stage types with separate filter cartridges)... the difference is mainly how well they distill the water and bring down the TDS, how much distilled water they can produce in a day and how much water their media or cartridges can process before needing to be replaced.

----------


## Dscheng

Sound quite complex haha. Distilled water TDS should be 0 right?

----------


## seudzar

For ro/di water, there is a waste water outlet which you need to think on how to make good use of it. As for those empty distilled bottle, we can dispose them in the recycle bin

----------


## Urban Aquaria

> Sound quite complex haha. Distilled water TDS should be 0 right?


Yeah, distilled water should be 0 TDS.

----------


## MCE

The $5/CTN or 12x1.5lit deal is hard to come by, esp they got it delivered. 
The delivery cost itself in COE/ERP and parking, and heavy lifting are indirectly add up. 
I wish the offer is perm't. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

----------


## IrvineChen

But is it still on discount? I went to Ntuc bough 12 x 1.5 litre and the cashier charge me $7.20...

----------


## MCE

Ordered online with delivery at 59$ for 10 ctn for Distilled. 

There is also a Drinking Water


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

----------


## Dscheng

Hehe, $5.90 per carton. I think 'life' is $7+

----------


## 14litre

> For ro/di water, there is a waste water outlet which you need to think on how to make good use of it. As for those empty distilled bottle, we can dispose them in the recycle bin


Thanks for the waste water outlet. That's something that I've not thought of. Cheers.

----------


## Youngming

Use to get the Life distilled water from my nearby petrol stn Cheers during their offer period. Spotted the offer for fair price pure drinking water today during my grocery top up and decided to grab a carton. Curious of what's the different for both so tested them with my ph and tds test kit. So here are the results:
Life distilled water: PH 6.3, TDS 002
Fair price pure water: PH 6.7, TDS 012

Hope my little information here helps. =) 
Anyway, Life distilled water is going at same price now. $5.90/ctn

----------


## Urban Aquaria

> Use to get the Life distilled water from my nearby petrol stn Cheers during their offer period. Spotted the offer for fair price pure drinking water today during my grocery top up and decided to grab a carton. Curious of what's the different for both so tested them with my ph and tds test kit. So here are the results:
> Life distilled water: PH 6.3, TDS 002
> Fair price pure water: PH 6.7, TDS 012
> 
> Hope my little information here helps. =) 
> Anyway, Life distilled water is going at same price now. $5.90/ctn


Good testing!

Looks like the fair price pure water probably has abit of minerals added in it to be more for drinking purposes. Btw, do you see any ingredients on the label that may suggest the included minerals? perhaps sodium?

----------


## tetrakid

> Good testing!
> 
> Looks like the fair price pure water probably has abit of minerals added in it to be more for drinking purposes. Btw, do you see any ingredients on the label that may suggest the included minerals? perhaps sodium?


Needles to say, tastier water will sell better.  :Smile:

----------


## Youngming

> Good testing!
> 
> Looks like the fair price pure water probably has abit of minerals added in it to be more for drinking purposes. Btw, do you see any ingredients on the label that may suggest the included minerals? perhaps sodium?


The strange part is Life stated there is a 0.2mg per 100ml of sodium in it but fair price stated 0 for all.

----------


## Dscheng

Hmm strangely i tested NTUC drinking water is 0 PPS. Is my TDS meter got problem? Haha.

----------


## tetrakid

> Hmm strangely i tested NTUC drinking water is 0 PPS. Is my TDS meter got problem? Haha.


It's good to confirm your TDS meter by mixing a bit of tank water to some distilled water in a glass and test it again.
If the test shows some increase in TDS, then your meter is has no problem.

----------

