please help?

[LFSrbad]

my local fish store said that i had to buy there revers osmosis water when the water from my tank evaporates but it is to far to go evry couple of days could i just add tap water?

 

[roka64]

You really want RO/DI for pre mixing and top-offs. You can get a good one off ebay for around $100. I think, if you do the math, you will find this the most cost effective method. RO only removes the heavy metals and some trace elements, not nitrates/ammonia/nitrAtes, not to mention, who know how often they really change out the membrane/media.

 

[Innovator]

Depends on what your tap comprises of. The safest bet is to purchase an rodi unit, but I've never had tap fail me either. Take it for what you will...

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

There's also no reason you can't buy a couple 5 gallon buckets (or however much you need) of RO/DI water at a time from your LFS. As long as you store it covered, it's no problem. At one of the LFSs I go to, I often see a guy there hauling at least 10x 5-gallon buckets into the back of his pickup on a weekly basis.

 

[Jimbo7]

You can test your tap water or request a test sheet from your water company. If all the levels check out then you will be fine. Also you may look into tap water conditioners. Your best bet is to just buy a ro/di unit and do it yourself, it will pay for itself in the long run.