# Using seachem equilibrium to distilled water for tadpoles



## Petpoor (7 mo ago)

Does anyone know what the dosing for 1 gallon of distilled water would be?
The instructions say 1 tablespoon for 20 gallons. I would like to add to 1 gallon jugs of distilled water since I do not have an RO system.
I don't want to dose it incorrectly.


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

1/20th of a tablespoon.

0.739338ml

0.15 teaspoons ( slightly more than 1/8th teaspoon)

All assuming my math was right


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## Petpoor (7 mo ago)

fishingguy12345 said:


> 1/20th of a tablespoon.
> 
> 0.739338ml
> 
> ...





fishingguy12345 said:


> 1/20th of a tablespoon.
> 
> 0.739338ml
> 
> ...


Thank you! Also I purchased josh's frogs RO Rx. They do not list ingredients by its for use with RO and Distilled water. It directs 10 drops per gallon. I assume this is also to replace minerals. Should I just stick with equilibrium or should I use both??


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Use spring water, well water or city water (some are excellent) instead of RO or Distilled. "Pure" water has killed thousands of tadpoles. I've raised everything from Tincs to F2 A.silverstonei on 'city' water.


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## Chris S (Apr 12, 2016)

Philsuma said:


> Use spring water, well water or city water (some are excellent) instead of RO or Distilled. "Pure" water has killed thousands of tadpoles. I've raised everything from Tincs to F2 A.silverstonei on 'city' water.


Just dechlorinate it and it is fine!


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

This study tested tap vs reconstituted RO:

*The relationship between spindly leg syndrome incidence and water composition, overfeeding, and diet in newly metamorphosed harlequin frogs (Atelopus spp.)*


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## npaull (May 8, 2005)

I use RO water for all my tadpoles. I never consciously/deliberately reconstitute it with a recipe. Prior to putting tadpoles in, I throw some debris in the water. Dead leaves, a bit of wood, alder cone. Maybe put a micro piece of fish food or tadpole food in. Give it a few days. Let some algae start to grow. Put the tadpole in.

NEVER had a problem. I figure this is how it happens in nature. Functionally, the rainwater that falls in these pools is RO, plus some decaying stuff. I refill the water with RO when it gets low. I let it get pretty ripe in most tadpole containers and just do water changes when I feel like it. When I do water changes, they can be massive (75%+) and I refill with PURE RO. 

Two things you can be sure dart frog tadpoles have evolved to tolerate, if not thrive in: sudden large flushes of super hypotonic water (aka a rainstorm) and gnarly stagnant water with rotting vegetation (aka every phytotelma from Guatemala to Uruguay).


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

npaull said:


> I figure this is how it happens in nature.


There is some limited data available on wild brom water parameters:









Re-mineralizing distilled/RO water.


Can anyone recommend a product to add minerals back to RO and distilled water? I searched the forums and didnt come up with much. I know Josh's sells a product. Looking for something not specifically marketed to frogs, but still safe, ie something I could buy without ordering online. Thanks!




www.dendroboard.com





Wild tad diets are different than captive tad diets, so I'd personally take this data with a grain of salt when it comes to replicating it. BTW, I'm not dissing the idea of using pure RO, just offering further info.


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## Petpoor (7 mo ago)

I am going to try using city water (tap) and seachem prime to declorinate. 
Would adding seachem equilibrium help the water or hurt it? Would that be overkill? Like I mentioned before, I live in the desert and do not know the exact water quality. 
I am also going to try a batch with distilled water and equilibrium.
It broke my heart to lose my first batch of froglets th SLS. I have more batches on the way but don't know how the next batch or two will fair after being exposed to the poor quality water they started developing in.
Suggestions?


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Getting a water quality report from your municipality would help make educated judgments here; getting a report from a nearby metro that sources its water similarly as does yours would be close enough.  Here is the report from last year from Phoenix. Their water contains 360-766ppm TDS (total dissolved solids -- basically, all the minerals in the water), which is crazy high (our well in WI runs 40-100 or so seasonally; we have a shallow well and a high water table). Adding more minerals to Phoenix water would be a bad idea.

We don't know where you live in the desert (so don't know what the source of your city's water is), so no idea how this compares to your water. If your house runs a softener, your source water is almost certainly very hard (like Phoenix's water). 

I like the idea of running two test groups to try to get a handle on which water works best for you.


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## Petpoor (7 mo ago)

Socratic Monologue said:


> Getting a water quality report from your municipality would help make educated judgments here; getting a report from a nearby metro that sources its water similarly as does yours would be close enough.  Here is the report from last year from Phoenix. Their water contains 360-766ppm TDS (total dissolved solids -- basically, all the minerals in the water), which is crazy high (our well in WI runs 40-100 or so seasonally; we have a shallow well and a high water table). Adding more minerals to Phoenix water would be a bad idea.
> 
> We don't know where you live in the desert (so don't know what the source of your city's water is), so no idea how this compares to your water. If your house runs a softener, your source water is almost certainly very hard (like Phoenix's water).
> 
> I like the idea of running two test groups to try to get a handle on which water works best for you.


I am in Phoenix so thanks for the report.


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## Petpoor (7 mo ago)

Socratic Monologue said:


> Getting a water quality report from your municipality would help make educated judgments here; getting a report from a nearby metro that sources its water similarly as does yours would be close enough.  Here is the report from last year from Phoenix. Their water contains 360-766ppm TDS (total dissolved solids -- basically, all the minerals in the water), which is crazy high (our well in WI runs 40-100 or so seasonally; we have a shallow well and a high water table). Adding more minerals to Phoenix water would be a bad idea.
> 
> We don't know where you live in the desert (so don't know what the source of your city's water is), so no idea how this compares to your water. If your house runs a softener, your source water is almost certainly very hard (like Phoenix's water).
> 
> I like the idea of running two test groups to try to get a handle on which water works best for you.


okay.. will try two test groups, one with Phoenix city water and Seachem Prime and the other using Distiller water and Seachem Equilibrium. Thanks!


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