Please help with strange deposit

[Shelly]

I'm starting a new aquarium. I lost the last one which I had for years and all my fish :( because it cracked. I've mourned and sulked and now I'm ready to begin again.

I was getting a whitish/clearish deposit - not chalky looking. It looked like a mineral or sorta rock salty. It was on everything that wasn't wet.. the lid, the top, it even began to form on the outer part of the aquarium lid. My fish were fine - all happy little guys. But, the white stuff was so terribly ugly. I'd like to know how to prevent it from forming in my new aquarium.

I used/will use a bio wheel, an underground filter, and distilled water. (I read in another post that distilled water is bad because it lacks minerals so I won't do that this time.)

Can someone tell me what the deposit was and how to prevent it?

[William]

It still sounds like chalk to me. Can you remove it with vineager?

[Shelly]

I never tried to remove it with vinegar. I didn't know it was safe to work with vinegar that close to the fish. I still have my old aquarium components so I will try it.

If vinegar works, does that mean it's chalk? Where does the chalk come from?

Thank you for your help.

[William]

Yes. that most likely means that it is chalk. Try to avoid getting vineager in your water even if it isn't toxic for your fish as it can effect the pH. monitor pH if you spill into the water.

I would use a piece of clean well rinsed cloth and put a little vineager on that and try and remove the white stuff without getting any vineager in the water.

The chalk comes from the water.