domestic water or distilled water

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checco

checco

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Hi,

on the book "praying mantis.keeping aliens" it is suggested that use distilled water for sprating ooths of mantis(maybe for the concetration of Clorur in domestic water).I ever use domestic water for spraying insects,oooths and phasmids eggs(in my city concentration of cl is 2,5 mg/l),has anyone have some problems using this water?

 
It is not good for them, the clorine is a bleach, if you don't have distilled water, leave your water out for 24 hours in an open container so the bleach will leach out of it.

 
Tap/domestic is absolutely fine. I used it for many many years. I drink it so why not? The main advantage of using distilled is that it won't leave scale on the glass when it dries. That is the only reason I use it.

 
thanks at all guys!

I can buy distilled water,but in it there aren't any mineral salt...it is not a problem for ooths?water mineral salt are very important in every biological process!I think it's better to leave water in a open container for 24 hours,Cl evaporated but mineral salts no...right?

 
Tap water in my place is without chlorine, so I use that for myself, and my mantids. Chlorine can be removed from water by filters, or by letting it evaporate, but that takes time.

Distilled water contains no minerals and should not be incorporated in greater amounts. It's no problem spraying ooths or enclosures with it, but the mantids should not drink it, since it can cause problems with osmotic pressure within their system. As far as I know (haven't tried) distilled water does not quench thirst anyway. And using it for enclosures only means you have to buy something additionally, unless you have it in your home for other purposes.

Using water with minerals for spraying enclosures (I never sprayed ooths directly) also results in white mineral spots on the glass surface. Our tap water is very rich with minerals, so these spots appear quite quickly. I never clean that off, since crickets can climb the walls more easily then, for the mantids to find them.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hello i use * Tap water conditioner for mantis,fresh water,salt water fish thanks removes chlorine and chloramine

* Detoxifies ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and heavy metals

* Safely condition water without a pH drop

Prime removes chlorine and chloramine (even in high chloramine levels), and detoxifies ammonia and nitrite. Provides essential ions . Prime also detoxifies any heavy metals found in the tap water at typical concentration levels. Use 1 ml for each 10 gallons of water. For freshwater or saltwater use. 100 ml treats 1,000 gallons; 250 ml treats 2,500 gallons ; 500 ml treats 5,000 gallons; 2 liter treats 20,000 gallons.

 
cuervo said:
Hello i use * Tap water conditioner for mantis,fresh water,salt water fish thanks removes chlorine and chloramine

* Detoxifies ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and heavy metals

* Safely condition water without a pH drop

Prime removes chlorine and chloramine (even in high chloramine levels), and detoxifies ammonia and nitrite. Provides essential ions . Prime also detoxifies any heavy metals found in the tap water at typical concentration levels. Use 1 ml for each 10 gallons of water. For freshwater or saltwater use. 100 ml treats 1,000 gallons; 250 ml treats 2,500 gallons ; 500 ml treats 5,000 gallons; 2 liter treats 20,000 gallons.
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it's what I do too. works well with my good NY water. in fact I use leass then recamended as the clorine still goes away ultra fast as I must not have that much in to to begin with. :)

Harry

 
I find using tap water to be fine most of the time. To the point that I don't usually suggest even worrying about it.

But, I am suspicious that it is having an effect on my 1st and second instar fly larvae, will have to think that one over.

That said, for most uses it's fine.

Also, we have a thermous/jug (3 gallons) to keep water in the bugroom. So that will evaporate some chlorine while standing.

If you're worried, just let it stand for a day. But anything but the weakest arthropods shouldn't show an effect.

 
OMG! We keep being advised by the herpers to gutload our mantids prey with yummy vitamins and calcium to strengthen their tiny bones; now the aquarists are telling us to dechlorinate our mantids' water, presumably so that the chlorine/chloramine won't damage their tiny gills! Except in Ohio, mantids get the bulk of their fluid from their prey. Someone mentioned tapwater as a useful source of minerals. Where do you think that they get their water in nature? From mineral free rainwater, which ceases to be "pure" the moment that it enters their system.

This is how mythology can overwhelm a hobby. Someone makes an unsubstantiated, perhaps ridiculous claim, and others follow along lest they be guilty of not doing enough for their mantids. Everyone can make a mistake or make a debatable statement, but to just toss out unsupported guesses as though they were fact is, in my opinion, a disservice to the hobby.

 
I don't" make an unsubstantiated, perhaps ridiculous claim",I just tell if using distilled water for spraying ooths,like suggested by the book,is essential or not,because I've ever used domestic water.

Thanks at all for the answers(except Philinyuma! :p )

 
Tap water is fine and so is distilled. The mantids can drink both with no effects. Mantids don't do a lot of drinking as it is. LIke Phil said, most water comes from their food.

 
checco said:
I don't" make an unsubstantiated, perhaps ridiculous claim",I just tell if using distilled water for spraying ooths,like suggested by the book,is essential or not,because I've ever used domestic water.

Thanks at all for the answers(except Philinyuma! :p )
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Dang, Cuervo, there goes my day! Actually, I wasn't referring to any statement of yours. What got me stirred up was the claim that mantids should not drink distilled water, "since it can cause problems with osmotic pressure within their system." If I don't think about it, maybe it will go away.

My other, lesser, concern was the fussing over dechlorinating tap water. Fish live in water, and their gills are bathed in it. Sometimes the gills can become irritated by a surfeit of chlorine, though this is fairly uncommon in most areas (in Chicago, I routinely did 80% weekly water changes with raw tap water in 150 gal tanks that did not have a water drain. The fish need to be acclimatized, though!).

I suspect that Findarato's concern with osmosis also stems from an unfortunate analogy between inverts and fish, since osmoregulation in salt and freshwater fish is an important issue. If tap water poisoned insects, though, my kitchen sink would be littered with dead flies, and the occasional AWOL mantis and the friendly spiders that drop in for a chat.

Have a good day, mate!

 
PhilinYuma said:
OMG! We keep being advised by the herpers to gutload our mantids prey with yummy vitamins and calcium to strengthen their tiny bones; now the aquarists are telling us to dechlorinate our mantids' water, presumably so that the chlorine/chloramine won't damage their tiny gills!
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just wait Phill, I read and reread your email and what I'll say in a PM is that it is proving what I've been saying. ;)

just not in the way you think I'm getting at. but hey, I did breed fish too at one point in my life...what the heck do I know. :p

Harry

 
I used a "conditioner-dechlorinator" in my water to mist both mantids and ooths for some time. I stopped using it (just using straight tap water) almost 2 years ago, and did not see any noticeable difference in the health of my mantids or in rates of ooth hatching afterwards. I do usually fill a bunch of bottles at once and many sit a day or two before they are used though. I really don't know the answer to what is safest or best in terms of the effects of minerals or chlorine (or lack thereof) in the water we use for spraying them; but I tend to agree with the opinion that the differences don't seem to be critical.

 
PhilinYuma said:
Dang, Cuervo, there goes my day! Actually, I wasn't referring to any statement of yours. What got me stirred up was the claim that mantids should not drink distilled water, "since it can cause problems with osmotic pressure within their system." If I don't think about it, maybe it will go away.

My other, lesser, concern was the fussing over dechlorinating tap water. Fish live in water, and their gills are bathed in it. Sometimes the gills can become irritated by a surfeit of chlorine, though this is fairly uncommon in most areas (in Chicago, I routinely did 80% weekly water changes with raw tap water in 150 gal tanks that did not have a water drain. The fish need to be acclimatized, though!).

I suspect that Findarato's concern with osmosis also stems from an unfortunate analogy between inverts and fish, since osmoregulation in salt and freshwater fish is an important issue. If tap water poisoned insects, though, my kitchen sink would be littered with dead flies, and the occasional AWOL mantis and the friendly spiders that drop in for a chat.

Have a good day, mate!
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I did not want to cause this kind of discussion. What I said about distilled water is based on my knowledge as a vet, I am no entomologist. Only a small animal vet who keeps mantids in his home, misting their enclosures just with tap water.

All I wanted to say is that tap water is enough for mantids, it is cheaper than distilled which I use only for techical purposes in my practice. We don't have chlorine in water around here except in swimming pools. English is not my native language, and I am sorry if my posts sound strange, I don't want to lecture anyone. But I never said tap water was poisonous.

 

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