water ph = 6.2
nitrite test = 0 parts per million
chlorine test = 0 parts per million
ammonia test = 0 parts per million
i don't have a nitrate test kit atm, whats the difference between the two
?
i use distilled water in my tank as the tap water around here is questionable at best especially with the addition of unknown factors such as fluoride ext in it.
Attached is pic of new tank setup with bubble figurine in it
thank you for any advice wildfirevs
Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are all part of the nitrogen cycle. Nitrate is the end result of a process that is carried out by the bacteria living within your filter, substrate, and anything else in or associated with the water in your tank. Ammonia and nitrite should almost always be 0 or extremely close to it. Nitrates are removed by weekly/bi-weekly water changes. The main difference is an extra oxygen molecule (NO3 is nitrate, NO2 is nitrite). Nitrite is about as, if not equally as, dangerous as ammonia to fish. Nitrate is less dangerous, but still toxic at high enough levels.
In a tank that is 8 years old, with no big changes in the system, it could stand to reason, that as long as you keep up with water changes, ammonia and nitrites will remain around 0. Nitrates in that same system could be anywhere from 5 or 10ppm to 30-40ppm and remain safe for fish. This is where test kits come into play. You must test for these things on a regular basis no matter how old your tank is. The results from the tests are what clue us in on things that are happening within our tank, possibly before we have fish deaths.
Using distilled water in a fish tank is not a good idea in any way, shape, or form. The ONLY time I would use it is to top off an already existing tank, with good chemistry, in order to lower pH/alkilinity a bit, but even then, I probably wouldn't use it. Distilled water is essentially, water without any of the absorbed minerals (like calcium or magnesium), which gives water the ability to keep a desired buffering capacity. By buffering, I mean it allows the water to maintain it's current composition or chemisty, protecting our fish from dangerous chemisty changes.
Every municipal water system in most modern, developed nations contains fluoride. While toxic in large amounts, it is not toxic to the point of instant death for fish. While I'm not sure if it evaporates from the water like chlorine, I have used tap water for years (in 2 different states) with no negative effects. Your tap water has NO unknown factors. Call the water company and ask them what chemicals are added during treatment. This is also why you need to test your tap water. The pH isn't the only important measure of tap water, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates need to be tested as well.
If you have been using distilled water for the entire life of this tank, I think you should consider yourself very lucky you haven't run into issues before. It has horrible buffering abilities. Like I said before, wild swings in pH can cause severe fish stress, which almost always leads to fish death. Tap water is your friend. Just make sure your remove the chlorine/chloramine and ammonia if present.
You could also just chalk this up to getting some diseased fish or something. But if you are going to do something, it's always best to do it right!
Good luck with the fishies!
