Hi all.

I am new here having just hauled my couple-months-in-the-backyard-pond goldfish in for the winter. I seeded the 10 gal tank with pond water and several rocks coated with algae to get things rolling.

So far so good... water not crystal clear but not too bad either. I plan to do regular water changes -- 10-20% at least weekly -- using RO (reverse osmosis) water for the replacement supply rather than the local grunge that comes out of the tap. Is this OK or do I have to add salts of some kind to bring it up to speed?
Thanks for any and all suggestions!

Jim

RO water will be a perfect 7.0 pH, but there is a bit catch with it. There is also no buffering whatsoever in it. All the carbonates and such have been filtered out. It is really just one step up from distilled water as far as being devoid of any of the "good" things that are in the water.

To use RO water, you need to find a way of adding a buffer to it. You can use a mixture of tap water with the RO - figuring out the percentages of each that you will need to get your kH and your pH where you want them, reliably, or you can use additives to the RO to "build" it to what you wish. You would need to add oyster shells or Baking Soda as a buffer - or a bottled one you purchase. You should probably add something on the order of Gold Trace - a collection of minerals and things that you fish use from the water - too.

I use RO - but I combine it 70%Ro, 30% well water. My well water is so hard you can walk on it. The fish bounce off the surface.

Thanks Daryl,
Wow sounds a bit complicated. Hmmm maybe if I boost the water change to 30-50% weekly I might not have to worry about buffering(?).

Can someone tell me what salt (NaCl presumably) does? Is it pretty much for treating disease/injury or should I add some on a regular basis?

Thanks!
Jim