Spring Water verus Distilled Water?

Question

I have a 2 three gallon tanks. One male in each of them, I do a 100% water change every 2 weeks (Yes I will probably get yelled at for that). And I add 1 gallon of Distilled Water to my tank and the other 2 gallons from the tap.

My Grandpa went to the store and accidently got Spring Water, is it okay? I've always used Distilled Water so I don't want it to hurt my bettas.

Heres what I put him my water to make it safe:

-1 gal. Distilled Water

-21 Drops of AquaSafe

-About 10 pellets of Aquarium Salts.

Aquarium Salts just keep my fish's gills healthy, and produces more of a slime coating on them.

So people, would Spring Water be ok? I know Distilled has all of the harsh chemicals out of it...

Answer 1

Spring water is fine.  I assume you're using distilled water as well as tap water because the water from the tap is naturally hard (high in dissolved minerals).  If you already have hard water, there is very little need to add aquarium salt (more dissolved minerals) as they essentially serve the same purpose, HOWEVER, aquarium salt is extremely useful and DOES aid in osmotic function.  Fish are naturally alkaline and in an environment with less dissolved minerals, the fish must constantly work to keep their mineral content stable.  By adding extra dissolved minerals (specifically calcium and magnesium carbonate which are very present in aquarium salt), you allow the fish to use their energy for other things, like their immune system (slime coat included).

Answer 2

You should not used distilled water anyway.  Distilled water has no minerals that are needed for your fish and does not hold a normal ph.  (In short a very low PH)  Regular spring water too has the chemicals removed and minerals added back to the water   tap water is fine with your dechlor.

Also, aquarium salt does NOT promote healthy gills.  What salt actually does is an irritant for your fish and it will FORCE your fish to create a thicker slime coat to protect it from the salt.  It also does not allow your fish to properly use the water for it's body functions like digestion.

And you are right 100% is not good for a water change.  You really only need 25% once per week.

Answer 3

yea... and next time buy a filter. after that u wil see urself changing water once in a month or two..