Tap water Vs. Store drinking water

does anyone know that the difference would be between using tap water for water changes or buying the drinking water from the store shelf? does the drinking water still have the pollutants like tap water?

 

Would most likely be RO, but they put minerals back in. We only use distilled water, never failed me.

 

pecco - I believe the store machines dispence RO (reverse osmosis) water
provided they stay on top of filter replacement then this should be better than tap water (In general)

but unless you have a TDS meter (Total dissolved solids) and can check the water yourself , Im afraid as with most things in life, there are no gaurantees

which is why a large percentage of people with SW tanks and Reef tanks especially, instal a RODI system in their own home as this way they should stay in control of their own water quality rather than trust a major chain store or local water authority

and with quality units at 150 bucks or there abouts these days - it seems to me to be a smart investment

Steve

 

yea I had the same question answered for me about a few weeks ago as I have used both for water changes and top offs and now I'm trying to use distilled or RO/DI from the store if possible in the meantime till I purchase a in-home system. But the posts before me gave you the advice you were looking for I believe

 

if they are for drinking they may have tds as mentioned, or they may have re-ionized it, which would not be that much better than tap, unless you have bad tap. they might also have added chemicals (which is common in bottled water) to prevent bacteria from growing, which may be harmful to some fish(probably the more sensitive ones). i would say go for the ro/di system, it's definately a smart investment.