Water Hardness

[zackish]

I plan on getting my water tested for hardness but I already know it's on the harder side. I was wondering what is the easiest way to soften it?

[cocoa_pleco]

water softener pillow, lots of driftwood, or buffers

[Drumachine09]

I wouldnt mess with hardness. Itll put too much stress on the fish. Just drip acclimate or do the 1/2 cup of water into bag every 20-30 minutes.

[gm72]

Yes, I was about to say, this is another situation where new aquarists get hung up on the numbers vs. the stability. Stability is key, not the actual number. That being said, there are certain limits to that key. For example, if you have a pH of 9, not much is going to survive. :ezpi_wink1:

[sergo]

water pillows will only work about twice and then they do nothing. i found out the hard way. they can get expensive too. depending on the tank size you could mix tap water with r/o water.

[gm72]

True, but I don't see in this post where we have established what the actual hardness of the water is, therefore being no way to determine if zackish actually needs to worry about it. Maybe the number was posted elsewhere and I just missed it?

[sergo]

True, but I don't see in this post where we have established what the actual hardness of the water is, therefore being no way to determine if zackish actually needs to worry about it. Maybe the number was posted elsewhere and I just missed it?well, aren't we on the ball this morning? :ezpi_wink1:

[Lady Hobbs]

Zack, fish are very adaptable to most water conditions. If you have some that are not, then stay away from those types. Nearly all the fish we purchase today are farm raised in huge cement tanks and have adapted to many water conditions such as hardness and pH. They then go from the fish farms to the distributors who have different water, then to the stores where water is different again before ever reaching our tanks.

When you read on the net what different fish requirements are, much of that information is taken from what fish had in the wild....not what farm raised have had.

My fish are in hard water with a pH of 7.6. I just tested my water for the purpose of this post and HARD is what my test reads. One mark under the highest on the scale. I seldom ever lose a fish and have most of the same ones I originally started with. My angels breed in this stuff constantly and it says angels must have softer conditions. So....as you see....they will adapt.

Clean water weekly and gravel cleaning does much more than any chemicals will ever do and prevents fluctuating water conditions. This they can not live thru.

[zackish]

I have a salt water treatment system for my well water and I am sure it's up around 50 maybe....

And as far as fish I have them posted in my other posts like the stocking list ones.

[gm72]

"salt water treatment..." do you mean a water softener? I'm assuming so.

[zackish]

Ya, we have a salt system that I put pellets in every few months and it runs once a week.

[gm72]

Water softeners run constantly, not just once a week. You probably also have a brine switcher that perhaps runs only once a week.

[zackish]

Water softeners run constantly, not just once a week. You probably also have a brine switcher that perhaps runs only once a week.

Something like that...either way you think my water is safe enough?

[Chrona]

Something like that...either way you think my water is safe enough?

Don't use the water that has gone through the softening system for your tank.

Your water is fine for most common fish.

[zackish]

All my water goes through the softening system....

[Chrona]

All my water goes through the softening system....

They usually build in a diverter valve from your water source. Or else you'd be watering your grass or garden with softened water, lol.

Problem with softening systems is that they don't actually remove anything from the water. They just replace calcium with sodium (or something similar), which won't do the fish much good at all.

[gm72]

True that there is usually a valve that allows you to use just untreated water. If there isn't you could always install one, easy plumbing fix.

I have well water and a softener. I use that water for all of my tanks and it doesn't cause any problems. I can see Chrona's point though. It would depend on how much sodium is being added to the water to determine the detriment to the fish. In my case if I were to use untreated water it would be an unmitigated disaster.

[zackish]

I do have an untreated faucet but it comes out cold so I will have to put it in a big bucket it and let it sit in the sun or something. Anyways, the only problem with the water out of the front is it is probably going to have a lot of iron...is a lot of iron bad for fish?

[Lady Hobbs]

You could draw the water out the day before and let it reach room temp.

[zackish]

You could draw the water out the day before and let it reach room temp.

Ya that's what I was planning on doing but if it only heated up to like 65 or something would that kill offthe bacteria or it has to get to a much lower temp than that?

[gm72]

You mean the bacteria in the tank? Adding 65 degree water to an aquarium that I assume is hovering somewhere around 75 degrees is a bad idea, would shock the fish. What about drawing the water out and putting a heater in it for a day?

Or just use the softened water. As I have said, I have been using such water for years and my fish are in great shape.

[zackish]

Ya you are right GM and I was only thinking of my first initial water change because I don't have fish in there yet hahaha.
Anyways, I brought a water sample today to the pet store and they tested it for hardness and stuff and they said my water is really good for fish. It was almost a 0 GH. That was my treated water so I plan to just use the treated water.