The Distilled Water Debate

[Guest]

I've seen on crab forums, again and again, that distilled water is bad for crabs. In my estimation that is inaccurate -- I believe distilled is the best source of water for them.

I just posted two articles to Epicurean Hermit about it that I will copy here. I hope that it clears up any confusion. The information that distilled leaches minerals from the body has been mistakenly interpreted by people who are not scientists nor doctors. The two articles I have unearthed explain why this idea is not accurate.

[quote]Question & Answers
by David Klein,
certified Nutrition Educator, Life Scientist, Healthful Living Consultant and Environmental Engineer (B. S. in civil engineering)

Question: Should I add minerals to my distilled water for taste?

Answer: Adding minerals to water gives us unbalanced nutrition, inorganic minerals which are toxic to and unusable by the body, and this corrupts the pure, “slipperyâ€

[Gorthaur]

I am inclined to disbelieve much of the New-Age preaching of David Klein (no credible research has shown that raw foods and alkalizing foods will eliminate 'toxins' or make us live better lives), who is not even a doctor, but Dr. Skinner provides several much more reasonable arguments. I have long been familiar with the pointlessness of enriching water for people, as we are intelligent enough to understand when we need certain nutrients and how to get them, as well as knowing what not to consume, but hermit crabs are far below this level. It is our responsibility as their owners to ensure that everything they consume provides reasonable nutrition and an overall complete diet. I would never say that natural spring water and dechlorinated tap water that meets EPA standards are unsafe, but distilled water cannot be inherently harmful.

[ripshaw]

ive been over this argument with people before and even though im no scientist i wont give my crabs distilled water simply because if it kills fish theres a chance in my mind it could be harmful. and dechlorinator is cheaper anyways

[JediMasterThrash]

There's too many tip-offs in those articles that scream that these guys aren't real research scientists.

First, no real research scientist uses "life-force-enhancing" in an argument. That's just for HR and evangelists.

And then there's statements that pure water is inert, and any 7th grade science student knows that's false. Pure water molecules are polarized. It might be ph neutral, but it's not chemically or electrically neutral. And it thusly has an affinity for metals.

Next, they say that "inorganic minerals" are all bad for the body. That's just a crock, and they're using evangelical tactics like choice scare-words (like inorganic) to bring negative connotations to innocuous facts. There are many minerals that your body needs to survive, and there's real research to back that up.

There's also research showing that seaborn animals like fish (and probably crabs) depend on minute concentrations of minerals in the water. So why should we be any different?

And they they go on to say natural water is bad??? Our bodies have evolved over millions of years to eat meat, fruits and veggies, and to drink water (before dstillation was invented!). And that's all direct from nature. Reprocessed foods are something invented in the last hundred years. 10s of thousands of years of eating cooked foods has caused our stomachs to lose the ability to process uncooked meat, (while by constrast, your pet cat and dog still can), but the rest is unchanged. Our bodies create our own vitamins and minerals for stuff we can't get from food/water/sun, and the rest we depend on regular intake for.

Our poor nutrition these days is caused by the fads of new foods that aren't from nature. The influx of carbs and sugar to our bloodstream, and transfats and carcinogen by-products of baking processes, artificial sweateners and preservatives and pesticides, and using high-fat farm-grown animal meat instead of natural leaner meat sources.

And the arguments about viscocity affecting how our bodies use water, and that it's better because it flows easier. But that's not necessarily true. Fiber is beneficial because it flushes out the intestines, and it does that by not being broken down. It's like a shovel that scoops junk out of your body.

And then there's the argument that inorganic calcium is bad for you... last I checked all calcium is inorganic (don't be fooled by labels saying it's coral calcium or bone calcium, etc, it's all the same mineral), and it's also good for you (though new research shows that resistance-exercise can increase bone mass better than calcium supplements).

There are valid arguments both for and against distilled water. The trick is finding the real research, and being able to discern whether you're reading something that's reliable, or something that's just evangelical.

Remember, anyone can call themselves a doctor and post stuff on the web. You can't trust anything anymore. Having written professional articles and done a masters thesis, I know what type of language and arguments a real scientist/PHD uses and have passed peer review. And most of the arguments from links I've seen in posts don't match up. They're just like stuff you'll see on informercials. Often times they are based in facts, but always have an evangelical twist.

[Guest]

i have a carbon filter on my faucet. i fill a cleaned out milk jug with this filtered water, and add 5 drops of dechlorinator, then pour it into an open bowl and let it stand overnight. this is how i have treated water for all the fish i've ever had, and all the hermit crabs i've ever had. and i have owned fish since i was 5 years old, and be the sole care-taker of those fish, and have owned hermit crabs for 2 years. 3 of the 5 i have now were the very first hermit crabs i ever bought. distilled water is devoid of vital trace nutrients and minerals. tap water is not. ocean water is FILLED with tons and tons of micro-nutrients and trace minerals that are vital to life, particularly hermit crab life.

[Guest]

distilled water is devoid of vital trace nutrients and minerals. tap water is not. ocean water is FILLED with tons and tons of micro-nutrients and trace minerals that are vital to life, particularly hermit crab life.

What you say about distilled water is true to a point. The nutrients may be vital, but it is not vital that they come from water. Most people on this forum use both fresh and salt water in their tank, because the crabs need it. If you are providing proper saltwater to your crabs (ie - Oceanic or InstantOcean) then they do not need to get the minimal amount of nutrients that you would get from the "fresh" tap water. And, with distilled, you are not getting all the chemicals that are currently used in most water treatment plants.

[Guest]

actually, there are absolutely NO FDA guidelines for bottled water, so for all you know, that "distilled" water might very well be just tap water.

besides, it's not hard to distill your own water. fill a large, wide, shallow basin about half way with plain tap water. in the center, place a HEAVY, CLEAN dish that is higher than the water line. cover the whole thing with plastic and place in the sun. secure the plastic around the edges and place a weight in the center over the smaller dish, so the plastic falls down in a cone towards the center of the basin.

after a while, the water in the basin will evaporate from heat, will condence on the plastic, and because of the weight in the center, it will run down the plastic and drip into the clean bowl in the center. and there is your distilled water.

[Guest]

The trace amounts of minerals in water are negligible. And they aren't in a form easily absorbed by the body. It's less than 250 ppm -- parts per million -- in normal bottled water.

If your crabs get salt water and a proper diet, the infinitesimal amounts of minerals in water won't be missed.

[Guest]

i have always used distilled water and never had a problem with it .

[Guest]

[quote]Mineral, Carbon Filtered, and Reverse Osmosis Water
by Ron Kennedy, M.D., Santa Rosa, California

There is circulating a point of view about distilled water, undoubtedly promulgated by producers and sellers of mineral water. This point of view is that water should be mineralized in order to have health benefits and that distilled water somehow leaches out minerals from the body.

To understand the truth about this matter one must know a little about mineral chemistry in living systems. In order for a mineral to be of any use to the body it must be presented in a form in which it can be used. That form involves an association with an organic (carbon based) molecule. Carbon based molecules are to be found in living systems, and are not found in the ground which is where mineral water comes from. Water from the ground comes with minerals alright, but these minerals are in salt form. When salt is presented to the body (with rare exceptions such as sodium chloride) it must be either stored or excreted. A good example is CaCO3 (calcium carbonate). Carbonate is not a sufficiently complex organic molecule and therefore cannot properly contribute its calcium to living systems. The calcium comes out instead in ionic form (with a positive charge) and precipitates by forming other salts. Common locations for precipitation of calcium are the lens of the eye (cataracts), the kidneys (kidney stones) and the walls of arteries (arteriosclerosis). Unbound minerals must be excreted, which is extra work for the kidneys) or stored. This makes dust of the argument that healthy water is mineralized, and dust is of course the source of minerals in mineral water.

Incidentally, CaCO3 comes from lime stone and comprises the bulk of most calcium supplements, including that in “calcium enriched orange juice.â€

[Guest]

Exactly! Thanks, Lisa!

[JediMasterThrash]

Interesting article! I'm defiintely going to have to reinvestigate calcium supplements. My wife and mom both take calcium supplement pills. I wonder if calcium in milk is usable by the body.

[Guest]

I was also told by a nutritionist when I was breastfeeding not to get calcium added supplement in juice and things because it would just build up in deposits in your joints

I never do and now I'm kind of glad!

[Guest]

Isn't it ironic that I do more research on my crabs than on myself or my family. Guess I'm going to stop buying the OJ with calcium, seems it may not be so beneficial after all.

[Laurie]

I moved a year ago, and now I provide only reverse osmosis water to my crabs. I didn't realize this until today, but it has been within the past year that I have had a problem with bigger crabs suddenly dying without any apparent reason. The articles seem to indicate that RO water is better than unfiltered water... but... now I'm worried that use of RO water could be harming my babies!

I know that in the wild, crabs would be ingesting any minerals that happen to be in their environment. Could I be depleting them of too many nutrients by using RO water?

Thanks for any advice/suggestions/guidance.