Quick Question: Help with my tap water

[starzfish]

Hi,
Quick question: Do I use the tap water that runs through my water softener or not? According to my city, my average water hardness is 195 PPM

Thanks everyone!

 

[Utar]

Kinda of hard for me to answer that question, I guess it all depends on the needs of your aquarium stocking. Some species need hard water while others need soft water.

Have you got a GH & KH test kits, test your water before and after the water softener to see what the difference is. I use liquid test kits because I don't trust the strips.

 

[starzfish]

Kinda of hard for me to answer that question, I guess it all depends on the needs of your aquarium stocking. Some species need hard water while others need soft water.

Have you got a GH & KH test kits, test your water before and after the water softener to see what the difference is. I use liquid test kits because I don't trust the strips.

@Utar I'm keeping Bettas and a few shrimp. My water softener uses salt, but I don't know if that makes a difference.

 

[OliveFish05]

I know bettas like soft water

 

[Utar]

@Utar I'm keeping Bettas and a few shrimp. My water softener uses salt, but I don't know if that makes a difference.

Honestly I am not really sure what a Betta needs for softer water or how salt works in a water softer, but there are others here that do.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

It is kind of on the hard side... filling the tank with 50% RO/DI water wouldn’t be a bad idea. Don’t use 100% RO/DI water, or it will be too soft.

 

[starzfish]

It is kind of on the hard side... filling the tank with 50% RO/DI water wouldn’t be a bad idea. Don’t use 100% RO/DI water, or it will be too soft.

@PheonixKingZ Will distilled water work? If not, is there a way to naturally soften the water like with driftwood or something?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

@PheonixKingZ Will distilled water work? If not, is there a way to naturally soften the water like with driftwood or something?

I personally wouldn’t... distilled water is made for humans, not for fish.

Yes, driftwood is a good natural way to soften you water. You can also try Indian almond leaves.

 

[starzfish]

I personally wouldn’t... distilled water is made for humans, not for fish.

Yes, driftwood is a good natural way to soften you water. You can also try Indian almond leaves.

Ok, thanks. I'll go with the driftwood route by using a driftwood centerpiece.

 

[Naughts]

No, don't use water that has been through a softener in aquariums. As you suspected, the salt is detrimental to freshwater fish. A softener works by replacing the hardness minerals with sodium ions. Freshwater fish cannot thrive in sodium long term.

 

[Avel1896]

Hi,
Quick question: Do I use the tap water that runs through my water softener or not? According to my city, my average water hardness is 195 PPM
Thanks everyone!

You shoult NOT.
Softener uses high level of sodium to remove calcium and magnesium. Harmful to fishes.

 

[Essjay]

Use a tap which does not run through the softener - there is supposed to be a bypass tap.

195 ppm is not very hard, it converts to 11 dH. This is middling rather than hard and is probably OK for a domestic, commercially bred Betta splendens.

If you do want to soften it, mix a source of pure water with tap water that's not gone though the softener. Half and half will reduce GH to 5.5 dH. Three quarters tap and one quarter 'pure' will give a GH of 8.25 dH.

Pure water is RO, DI, distilled or even rainwater if there is no air pollution and there will always be rainwater available.

 

[starzfish]

Use a tap which does not run through the softener - there is supposed to be a bypass tap.

195 ppm is not very hard, it converts to 11 dH. This is middling rather than hard and is probably OK for a domestic, commercially bred Betta splendens.

If you do want to soften it, mix a source of pure water with tap water that's not gone though the softener. Half and half will reduce GH to 5.5 dH. Three quarters tap and one quarter 'pure' will give a GH of 8.25 dH.

Pure water is RO, DI, distilled or even rainwater if there is no air pollution and there will always be rainwater available.

I would like to use something natural to soften the water. Buying RO/DI, distilled, or collecting rainwater (It rarely rains where I live) is impractical for me.

 

[Avel1896]

Canyou take tap water before softener ?

 

[Byron]

I would like to use something natural to soften the water. Buying RO/DI, distilled, or collecting rainwater (It rarely rains where I live) is impractical for me.

The only "natural" and safe method to reduce the hardness of water is to dilute it with "pure" water such as RO, distilled or rainwater. Adding organics such as wood, dried leaves, etc can acidify and soften water but only to a limited degree, because the initial GH and KH serve to "buffer" the pH. There are no safe preparations that will reduce GH permanently.

As @Essjay already mentioned, the GH of the source water before it goes through the softener is fine for bettas, so you are best to use that. You will need a conditioner if it is city water with chlorine/chloramine.