Newbie Woes

[Anka]

I’m new to aquariums (aside from the betta that I somehow managed to keep alive for several years as a kid). I’ve had a 20 gallon tank set up for about 5 months now, not counting the time I let it cycle. The original stocking was 1 betta, 4 dalmatian mollies, 3 pepper corys, and 2 mystery snails. Of those, the only ones still alive is one of the mollies (though they had 3 babies that managed to survive, so it’s still 4 total) and two of the corys. I am on my 5th and 6th snails right now. Previous ones lasted anywhere from under a week to over 4 months. I also have two java ferns in there that I planted at the beginning.

I have a Fluval U2 filter and a heater set to 77°F. There’s a pair of little pumps wrapped in foam (sort of like filters) that send water to plant beds above the tank that then pour the water back in the tank. I do a 25% water change every weekend including vacuuming the gravel. I’ve also added some cuttlebone for the snails.

So my big question is: How is it that I kept a betta for at least 3 years in a 2 gallon tank, no heater or filter, that got cleaned with *soap* every other month but this tank has been nothing but a struggle?

Could it be my water softener? With the betta, there wasn’t a water softener so he was getting my straight, VERY hard well water. Now I have a water softener. It’s not my area of expertise but I know it uses a lot of salt (or some other kind of sodium). I looked at a few other threads asking about water softeners and saw very mixed opinions ranging from “very bad” to “makes no difference.” I decided to try refilling my tank with spring water when I do water changes. After 2 weeks and about 10 gallons of bottled spring water (half the tank), I saw no major changes on my test strips other than more nitrates.

Now I’ve decided to do a little experiment and test different water sources side by side. I’m not sure if my softener has a bypass or not, so I didn’t test that. The test strips are Tetra 6-in-1 EasyStrips. See the attached picture for the comparison.

So for more specific questions:

1. Are sodium-based water softeners safe for aquarium use, especially with snails? If yes, how should I add calcium and magnesium back into the water and how much? If no, what should I use instead? If my softener has a way to bypass it, would the (very) hard water be better or worse?

2. How is GH controlled? How can my tank water be over 100 ppm higher than the sink and spring water that has gone into it?

3. How can I lower KH and pH other than with liquid chemicals, which I’ve already tried?

I’m determined to get this right, so please give me any advice.

 

[Freshwater Sucker Fish]

First off changing your water is very hard on fish. Stay with one kind of water quality. Different fish have different water quality needs some like soft water some like harder water. Better to get water that suits your fish than playing god with water. Many factors can affect mass fish deaths in tanks. Fish get sick and they can spread it to their friends. Even if you have a well-set-up tank.

 

[NannaLou]

Better to get your fish to match your water than keep adding/removing chemicals to make it ‘right’..?

 

[Tez_20]

@Anka i have to agree with @NannaLou.
You just need to make sure you PH is at one steady level as this alone going up and down messes fish up quicker than rises from other sources in the water, you need your ammonia and nitrite 0 and nitrate can be between 0-20 although some fish can tolerate higher levels and using different waters won't help you, you must keep to one source only as that can mess with the PH.
Once you know everything is at the level, then look for fish that need that PH level besides heating and i do recommend API test kit for accurate readings

 

[Naughts]

I’m new to aquariums (aside from the betta that I somehow managed to keep alive for several years as a kid). I’ve had a 20 gallon tank set up for about 5 months now, not counting the time I let it cycle. The original stocking was 1 betta, 4 dalmatian mollies, 3 pepper corys, and 2 mystery snails. Of those, the only ones still alive is one of the mollies (though they had 3 babies that managed to survive, so it’s still 4 total) and two of the corys. I am on my 5th and 6th snails right now. Previous ones lasted anywhere from under a week to over 4 months. I also have two java ferns in there that I planted at the beginning.

I have a Fluval U2 filter and a heater set to 77°F. There’s a pair of little pumps wrapped in foam (sort of like filters) that send water to plant beds above the tank that then pour the water back in the tank. I do a 25% water change every weekend including vacuuming the gravel. I’ve also added some cuttlebone for the snails.

So my big question is: How is it that I kept a betta for at least 3 years in a 2 gallon tank, no heater or filter, that got cleaned with *soap* every other month but this tank has been nothing but a struggle?

Could it be my water softener? With the betta, there wasn’t a water softener so he was getting my straight, VERY hard well water. Now I have a water softener. It’s not my area of expertise but I know it uses a lot of salt (or some other kind of sodium). I looked at a few other threads asking about water softeners and saw very mixed opinions ranging from “very bad” to “makes no difference.” I decided to try refilling my tank with spring water when I do water changes. After 2 weeks and about 10 gallons of bottled spring water (half the tank), I saw no major changes on my test strips other than more nitrates.

Now I’ve decided to do a little experiment and test different water sources side by side. I’m not sure if my softener has a bypass or not, so I didn’t test that. The test strips are Tetra 6-in-1 EasyStrips. See the attached picture for the comparison.

So for more specific questions:

1. Are sodium-based water softeners safe for aquarium use, especially with snails? If yes, how should I add calcium and magnesium back into the water and how much? If no, what should I use instead? If my softener has a way to bypass it, would the (very) hard water be better or worse?

2. How is GH controlled? How can my tank water be over 100 ppm higher than the sink and spring water that has gone into it?

3. How can I lower KH and pH other than with liquid chemicals, which I’ve already tried?

I’m determined to get this right, so please give me any advice.

1. No, freshwater fish do not tolerate sodium.
2. Do you have calcium based rock or substrate? This would harden the tank water
3. Use RO (reverse osmosis) water that can be bought at fish stores. Or some garages sell Pure water. Or some people can rely on a regular supply of clean rain water where it can be safely collected and stored. Any of these can be mixed with the source water to get the correct ratio of minerals. Alternatively you can add minerals such as Rift Lake Cichlid salts to get the right levels.

 

[Freshwater Sucker Fish]

1. No, freshwater fish do not tolerate sodium.
2. Do you have calcium based rock or substrate? This would harden the tank water
3. Use RO (reverse osmosis) water that can be bought at fish stores. Or some garages sell Pure water. Or some people can rely on a regular supply of clean rain water where it can be safely collected and stored. Any of these can be mixed with the source water to get the correct ratio of minerals. Alternatively you can add minerals such as Rift Lake Cichlid salts to get the right levels.

freshwater fish don't tolerate sodium but there are types of fish that work in fresh water and saltwater. And as we know saltwater fish tolerate sodium just fine. i believe correct me if I'm wrong they are called Brackish fish species

 

[Naughts]

The discussion is freshwater fish, not marine or brackish, Freshwater fish live in freshwater which has no sodium. Permanently living with sodium damages their organs and shortens their lives.

 

[Freshwater Sucker Fish]

The discussion is freshwater fish, not marine or brackish, Freshwater fish live in freshwater which has no sodium. Permanently living with sodium damages their organs and shortens their lives.

Just spreading knowledge. before I did not know there were such types. U are right freshwater fish don't like salt.

 

[Colin_T]

Mollies regularly carry external protozoan parasites that can kill them. But soft water or acid water will also kill them. They do best in water with a GH above 250ppm and a pH above 7.0. They are fine with salt and or calcium.

If you post some pictures of the fish and tank, it might provide more information.

Have you tested the aquarium water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH?
If yes, what are the results in numbers?

How long did you have the mollies for before they died?

How often and how do you clean the filter?

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Mollies, platies, swordtails and guppies come from hard water with a high pH and are fine with sodium chloride in the water.

Tetras, Bettas, Corydoras, rasboras, angelfish, discus, barbs and South American cichlids come from soft water with a low pH and don't do well with sodium chloride in the water.

Sodium comes from sodium chloride (salt) and is the same thing for aquarium purposes. So using water softeners that remove calcium but replace it with sodium is not good for most fish. Sodium is also bad for people, birds, mammals, reptiles and most species on the planet. High levels of sodium damages the kidneys.

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If you could find out what the GH, KH and pH of the well water is, then it would help a lot. If you have very hard water, you are probably better off using it without putting it through the softener, and keeping fishes that live in hard water (livebearers, rainbowfish, African Rift Lake cichlids).

If you want to reduce the GH, KH and pH, then get a reverse osmosis (R/O) unit and fit it to the tap. You can also buy R/O water from some pet shops, and you can collect rain water or make distilled water to dilute the well water.