Soft Water

[MaddEnemy]

Using a water purifier = Soft Water.

Is this ok?

 

[tstenback]

soft water is OK. How Soft and does the purifier remove other elements as well? Some elements and nutrients are required by the fish and plants in your tank. So if the purifier removes them you can buy additives that will replace them. HTH

 

[MaddEnemy]

I will call Culligan to come do a water check. What should I ask him "what things need to be in the water"?

 

[MaddEnemy]

actually I can just call and ask I think. Again, what should I ask?

 

[tstenback]

just ask him for a list of what the purifier removes from the water. They should have a technical bulletin or like that explains what is removed by the device.

 

[MaddEnemy]

I guess what I meant to say is what should be in the water the fish need that the purifier might remove, just so I can check to make sure

 

[tstenback]

Here are a couple of articles that may help answer your question. A water purifier should not affect the water like an RO system but these are the things to looks for.
article 1 and article 2 HTH

 

[mrV]

And if you need to add some minerals, I think Preis Mineralsalt is great. It is made from seawater, so it contains every essential trace elements but not NaCl at all Other would be Preis Discus salt. they are use in RO-water and e.g. in tanganyika aquariums (<-mineral salt)

 

[MaddEnemy]

How do I know if I need this stuff is what I am getting at?

With my purifier I can make the water really soft to tap water hard. I am sure I can find a happy medium but what is a happy medium?

 

[tstenback]

if its just the hardness of the water you are concerned with then all you have todo is look up the specs for the fish you want to keep and adjust the device accordingly. I hav kept fish in water from very hard to very soft and it can be done either way. Perhaps you should contact the LFS of choice in your area and find out what type water they have and adjust yours to match theirs. It would be less stressful for the fish to acclimate to the tank that way.

 

[mrV]

Not only the hardness but electrical conductivity too. Water can be very soft but it's conduct electricity very well, because only some ions (like Ca2+ and Mg2+) affect on hardness, but every ions affect on conductivity.

It's not so common to measure conductivity, but it still important to know. Some hobbiest do it, some doesn't even know what it is. E.g. many discus breeders measure conductivity often. Or if you own malawis or fish from tanganyika lake... Conductivity affects on osmotic pressure that fish "feels" in water. If it's too slow or too high, fish' cells need extra energy to keep the osmotic pressure steady.

 

[MaddEnemy]

Not only the hardness but electrical conductivity too. Water can be very soft but it's conduct electricity very well, because only some ions (like Ca2+ and Mg2+) affect on hardness, but every ions affect on conductivity.

It's not so common to measure conductivity, but it still important to know. Some hobbiest do it, some doesn't even know what it is. E.g. many discus breeders measure conductivity often. Or if you own malawis or fish from tanganyika lake... Conductivity affects on osmotic pressure that fish "feels" in water. If it's too slow or too high, fish' cells need extra energy to keep the osmotic pressure steady.

My head is mush again!