Would spring water be better than treated tap water or distilled?

[tiffany]

i use to keep my newt in distilled water but was told that distilled was not that good for them. then i read that bottled spring water is the best choice. im kind of leary about tap water although i keep my fish in it.

 

[ali]

Tiffany, I did a feature story for a magazine writing class in college on bottled (spring) water and its effects. It is often full of (nonbeneficial) bacteria, which begins to grow if the bottles are left in a lighted (not completely dark) area.

I have not researched the effects of this on animals of any kind, but since I found many reasons why it is unhealthy for humans, I would not consider using it for my newts at all.

Contrary to popular belief, tap water is the healthiest you can get. Cities are REQUIRED to inform you if the water is unhealthy in any way. Tap water in different areas may taste different, but after drinking it for a few days, it'll taste normal to you. City water is required to have certain things in it to keep you healthy. Likewise, it is would I use for my newts and would recommend. This is only my opinion.

 

[kyle]

City water is perfectly safe for Human consumption but not 100% completely safe for transfer through a caudates permeable skin. Most if not all city water is now treated with Chlorine as well as a compounds called Chloramines. Any pet store can sell you a product that you can treat the water with before putting a newt/fish in it.

Once treated, it is still a good idea to let your water sit and age for a day or two, giving sufficient time for any other harmful chemicals to be pushed out by the exchange of oxygen into the water (this process can be sped up with the use of an airstone, or something else that agitates the water.

If there is any doubt about the other quality of the tap water, there are plenty of extensive tests kits you can find to check pH, ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Phosphate, Water Hardness, and such if you are so inclined. Chances are nothing is too out of whack in such a way that it will harm you newts.

Why buy "spring water" when its probably from a tap any way when you can just get it out of the tap yourself and treat it so you know its safe?
Hope this helps.

 

[edward]

snip "Once treated, it is still a good idea to let your water sit and age for a day or two, giving sufficient time for any other harmful chemicals to be pushed out by the exchange of oxygen into the water (this process can be sped up with the use of an airstone, or something else that agitates the water. "

This is not how I understand the process to work....
Typically most tap waters particuarly cold water from city taps has a supersaturation of gases and the water should sit for at least 24-48 hours to allow for the excess gasses to outgas. This will be enhanced through circulation of the water as it allows for more of the water to contact the atmosphere and outgass. (as an example, fill a glass with cold water from the tap. The appearence of bubbles on the inside of the gas is the excess gas leaving the solution).

Ed

 

[mark]

Do caudates suffer from the same issues fish do when in supersaturated gases? I’ve seen larvae with gas bubbles in the body cavity, but it doesn’t appear to be fatal. Can bubbles enter the vascular system or skin tissue? I’ve never heard of it being a problem and used tap water myself for years.

 

[jennifer]

I believe that caudates probably can have problems from supersaturated gas in the water. Gas bubbles under the skin have been seen in adult frogs, that much I know. Larvae have been seen with gas bubbles in them, but it's not clear to me whether the gas is in the intestinal tract or the body cavity (or if both are possible). They can recover, but is it by expelling the gas or by the gas dissolving away? I wish I knew.

I believe that a product labeled as "spring water" must come from actual spring water. Purified tap water is labeled as "drinking water" (Dasani and other high-priced waters are just purified tap water if you read the fine print). I've never heard of bacteria being present in spring water, but that's something to consider. If the bacteria only grow when exposed to light, would that suggest that it's actually algae, not bacteria, growing? Bacteria alone wouldn't care about light, would they?

Getting back to Tiffany's question... tap water should be fine. It is helpful if you know (1) whether it has chlorine versus chloramine, and (2) whether it is hard, moderate, or soft. These details affect some aspects of how you prepare the water and maintain the tank.

 

[kyle]

Some bacteria are phototrophic (I believe thats the word anyhow) and feed off of light energy. There are plenty of Protist "algeas" that could be in the water as well. I would hope its treated/filtered somewhat though to remove these things.

The important thing to remember is that bacteria are everywhere and just because there is bacteria in the water, that doesn't make it a bad thing. That being said, its not necessarily a good thing either, and there really is no way to know without knowing exactly what kind of bacteria is growing in bottled "spring water".

all I know is that if that stuff really is coming from a spring, I wouldn't wanna be drinking water coming down off of a mountain, its just asking for the ingestion of some bear or moose urine.

 

[edward]

Supersaturation can cause gas embolisms in caudates however I suspect that is not commonly seen as the water changes are not typically 100% with new saturated water.

With respect to the bottled water, there are limits on the amount of bacteria as set by the Safe water drinking act and enforced by the FDA. (For an example of some results see http://www.uhl.uiowa.edu/newsroom/research/bottledWater.html). The general concensus is that bottled water (spring or otherwise) is in general no worse than tap water.

If you are wondering what may be in your water supply, it can depend on where you are living for example water sources downstream from major cities are full of all kinds of things including endocrine disrupters (see http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:S_rVrIoEWFcJ:www.ucowr.siu.edu/updates/pdfn/V120_A1.pdf+tap+water+endocrine+&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=6) and other chemicals (and the references at the end of the article).

Ed