walmart distilled water

[jmpowie]

I have been using walmart distilled water for water changes but after I do I get a ton of hair alge growth.
I am using coralife salt and 4-5 gal walmart distilled water in a 24 gal nano tank.
I have a ro water filter but in my new house I have city water that smells like straight bleach so I dont want to use it. Is walmart water bad or something?

 

[steve24]

i buy it by the case there and no problems of any kind

i use it for top offs and water changes ...

 

[darknes]

Are you sure it's distilled water?
Have you tested the water for phosphates, nitrates, and TDS?

 

[jmpowie]

Are you sure it's distilled water?
that is what it says on the gal jugs. I did not know if water from China or where walmart gets it is real distilled water.

 

[maxalmon]

There are two types of water, RO and Steam Distilled....I've seen store bottled water thats RO and then you read the fine print and it has "added minerals for taste" This is another instance of putting faith in whoever bottled and filtered the water.
You have no idea how often the filters are changed or what the actual quality of the water is.....I will use grocery store water in an emergency but thats about it....You can get a cheap RO system from Lowes thats very easy to hookup

 

[bonebrake]

I used the purple cap and labeled distilled water from Wal-Mart for over a year with no problems. It always measured 0 ppm on my TDS meter, however, another member on this board posted they bought the same jugs from a different location in the USA and their water was 100+ ppm on TDS.
Moral of the story: Don't put any water in your tank unless you know the TDS.

 

[jfingers088]

I guess every walmart is different because its obvious that some people have had no problems but i also had a huge problem with hair algae from using there distilled water. If it wasn't for me getting a foxface i would still have a huge hair algae problem. It was horrible every rock in my tank water covered in hair algae i have a 90 gallon tank and 95 lbs. of live rock covered in hair algae wasn't a pleasant sight. I wouldn't use there distilled water anymore if i was you. Good luck!

 

[flricordia]

I would be afraid of what type of metal it is steamed in. Would hate to get a copper poisoning some day because Walmart had a lower bid form a new supplier and they used copper or a quality control inspection was goofed and something slipped by.
Best to just invest in an RO/DI unit. Now days you can get them for the price of a few corals and save yourself the problem of undesirable algaes and possibly something worst. On ---- they are less than $100 and work just fine and with an optional attatchment can be hooked up to your kitchen sink when needed and stored away when not in use. I bought one off of there a year ago and it has preformed very well.
It can mean the difference between an algae infested headache and this...

 

[jonthefishguy]

What most people dont realize about distilled water is that it is very volatile. It is so pure that it pulls everything from the air. Also, adding a little water at a time as top off is fine but when you add gallon or two all at once, over time your ph will drop.

 

[patandlace]

They have culligan machines at most walmarts that have RO water. I've used it a few times and the TDS is always at 0 or very close to it.

 

[maxalmon]

Originally Posted by jonthefishguy
What most people dont realize about distilled water is that it is very volatile. It is so pure that it pulls everything from the air. Also, adding a little water at a time as top off is fine but when you add gallon or two all at once, over time your ph will drop.
Thank you....As far was local water and local stores, it really depends on the condition of the equipment and how often the filters are replaced...Way to many reefers take a chance with their water source,..."Stop the Insanity" buy a Ro sytem

 

[jmpowie]

I have a ro filter I just dont want to use it because the city water I get is so bad. So its hard to say what to do run almost straight bleach from the city through my ro or buy walmart water.

 

[kderider]

Does anyone know if you can use sterile water that is used in hospitals? Oh, I am just reading the label and it says "Sterile, distilled, nonpyrogenic, pH 5.5 (5.0 to 7.0)" I'm thinking that you would have to adjust the pH everytime you did a water change, or topped off.

 

[bonebrake]

Originally Posted by kderider
Does anyone know if you can use sterile water that is used in hospitals? Oh, I am just reading the label and it says "Sterile, distilled, nonpyrogenic, pH 5.5 (5.0 to 7.0)" I'm thinking that you would have to adjust the pH everytime you did a water change, or topped off.
Drop a TDS meter in it: if it is 0 ppm you're good to go.

 

[ibew]

why would you want to support a bussiness like that anyhow do yourself a favor and buy an RO unit I found out how they run there bussiness. I will never buy anything from them again

 

[jonthefishguy]

lets not bash other companies because you dont like how they run their business. Unless you have a BEST SELLER book on how to run a business or are part of the fortune 500, dont bash. I dont shop there because i dont need to. But that doesnt mean i never will. By the way, without a company like the one you are against, millions of people that work for them would be out of a job, and probably half if not more would be on welfare. So, you may not like them, but without them, many people would not be working and surviving.

 

[ibew]

Originally Posted by jonthefishguy
lets not bash other companies because you dont like how they run their business. Unless you have a BEST SELLER book on how to run a business or are part of the fortune 500, dont bash. I dont shop there because i dont need to. But that doesnt mean i never will. By the way, without a company like the one you are against, millions of people that work for them would be out of a job, and probably half if not more would be on welfare. So, you may not like them, but without them, many people would not be working and surviving.
dude the average walmart employee makes 13,000 dollars a year not to mention no health benfits and no pention thats not to far off from walfare and the more and more we rely on them the worse off our economy will be as a whole this is my last comment I am not going to ruin this thread

 

[jonthefishguy]

Originally Posted by Ibew
this is my last comment I am not going to ruin this thread
thanks