# Frogs & Toads > Dart Frogs (Dendrobatidae) >  Reverse Osmosis vs Distilled - And Other Water Questions

## FreakyFroggies

So, because I live in an apartment and I'm not sure how long I will stay there, I'm not sure if installing an RO Unit is the best option.  I can get distilled water at Wal-Mart for less than a dollar per gallon.  Since I'm only going to have a few frogs to start with, that should last me a while.  Unless, RO water is better for the frogs, then I need to know where to get it.  Also, does anyone know how much it would cost?

Can I just continue to mist with distilled, or should I switch to RO Water?
Where can I purchase RO water and for how much?

Are there any inexpensive RO units I can purchase that I can store away when I don't need to use it and is easy to set up when I do need to use it?  

Thanks guys.

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## Amy

http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...html#post11325

There is a good post that explains most of it.

I use distilled for misting and treated tap water (seachem prime) for soaking.

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## Lynn

> So, because I live in an apartment and I'm not sure how long I will stay there, I'm not sure if installing an RO Unit is the best option.  I can get distilled water at Wal-Mart for less than a dollar per gallon.  Since I'm only going to have a few frogs to start with, that should last me a while.  Unless, RO water is better for the frogs, then I need to know where to get it.  Also, does anyone know how much it would cost?
> 
> Can I just continue to mist with distilled, or should I switch to RO Water?
> Where can I purchase RO water and for how much?
> 
> Are there any inexpensive RO units I can purchase that I can store away when I don't need to use it and is easy to set up when I do need to use it?  
> 
> Thanks guys.


Hello,
The article and information Amy gave you is very important  :Smile: 

The distilled water is perfectly fine for misting and very important for automatic misting systems.
Distilled water will not leave water marks/ mineral build up on the interior glass of the enclosure.

Just curious...what species of frogs do you keep  ? 

Additional information can be provided once we know more about the specific species.

 :Butterfly:

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## FreakyFroggies

I am trying to decide between the auratus, leucomelas or the tinctorius.  

1. Leucomelas are somewhat seasonal breeders and take longer to reach sexual maturity from what I've read.
2. Tincs and auratus seem a little easier to breed.  

Not really sure where to go.

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## FwoGiZ

There is virtually no difference in distilled and RO water.
Distilled is 0 ppm...
RO is 2-10ppm...
both RO or Distilled water will NOT leave stains or clog misting nozzles.

EDIT: to make comparison... good quality tap water can be as low as 60ppm (in Canada  :Wink: ) it can be up to 200ppm too depending where you are. Well water is probably VERY high.
US usually has very poor water quality and can be 300-500ppm.
If you buy bottled water, check out the PPM rating (they HAVE TO specify in Canada... not in the US...!) if it says spring water, it can be 200-300ppm which is higher than most of Canadian tap water!!! Treat that tap water with chlorine thingy and let it sit for 24hr and you just dropped another 20-40ppm.
RO water can be found in most grocery store. "Reverse osmosis filtered water".. it will be 2-10ppm usually.
You can get 2-3$ TDS Meter on ebay if you wanna test water around you  :Wink: 
Make sure you understand what TDS, PPM means.  There is more to water quality then just that one stat.

there is some saying that distilled might be bad in the long run if you use it in a soaking bowl, that it would strip the animal of its minerals.
For dart frogs, that usually doesn't really apply as they won't soak or if they do, it will be in a vivarium where minerals get mixed to water anyways.
That would be different if we were talking about a pacman frog and it's water dish for say.

I don't think auratus are such good frog for someone starting in this hobby.
Tinct azureus and cobalt, along with Leucomelas are great frogs. You should consider phyllobates terribilis too!

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