Softening Water

[PlasticGalaxy]

Hello! This is a little overdue, but I'd like to ask for tips on softening my aquarium water. I almost exclusively keep fish that prefer softer water, and unfortunately have quite hard water. To improve the conditions of my tank, I'd like to soften the water. I'm not really a high-tech kinda guy, so any methods or tips that aren't too convoluted or complex would be greatly appreciated.
Big scientific essay-like replies are welcome, I'll figure it out.

 

[Rocky998]

Hello! This is a little overdue, but I'd like to ask for tips on softening my aquarium water. I almost exclusively keep fish that prefer softer water, and unfortunately have quite hard water. To improve the conditions of my tank, I'd like to soften the water. I'm not really a high-tech kinda guy, so any methods or tips that aren't too convoluted or complex would be greatly appreciated.
Big scientific essay-like replies are welcome, I'll figure it out.

Hi, I work for all the greedy fish companies... ADD EVERY CHEMICAL IN THE WOOOOORLD!

Ok, but in all honesty, I would try a water softening system maybe... its better than adding chemicals or using those pads in the filter

 

[kribensis12]

Hello! We're in a similar boat - my water has a HIGH pH and is VERY VERY hard. I purchased a cheap RO unit online ($50 USD) and mix it with a little tap water to stabilize the pH.

I also use Indian Almond Leaves and drift wood to softer it further.

 

[kribensis12]

Hi, I work for all the greedy fish companies... ADD EVERY CHEMICAL IN THE WOOOOORLD!

Ok, but in all honesty, I would try a water softening system maybe... its better than adding chemicals or using those pads in the filter

A water softener takes out minerals and replaces them with sodium. Essentially, you'd be turning your freshwater tank into saltwater and kill all of your fish.

 

[Rocky998]

A water softener takes out minerals and replaces them with sodium. Essentially, you'd be turning your freshwater tank into saltwater and kill all of your fish.

Ig, when I meant water softening system, I meant RO, I couldnt think of the name until you posted your comment lol

 

[Colin_T]

what is the GH of the water currently?
what fish do you keep?

 

[Byron]

There is only one way to effectively and safely soften water, and that is by diluting the water with "pure" water. The degree to which one needs to do this diluting depends upon the GH, KH and pH of the source water, and the desired level when softened. Note that the GH/KH/pH are connected, but it is the GH that is targeted and the other two will follow suit unless something is acting against them.

While I've been typing, another member has posted about RO (reverse osmosis), and that is the usual method. You can use exclusively RO water (which would have zero GH/KH and the pH would naturally be acidic), or you can use RO but add minerals back either by using the commercial mineral salts or mixing the RO water with the harder tap water. The extent you decide/proceed depends upon the fish species.

"Pure" water includes RO water, distilled water, and basically rainwater. The latter may be on the acidic side respecting pH, but it will have basically no dissolved minerals, and an acidic pH tends to complement this. Water is a powerful solvent, and easily assimilates substances it comes into contact with, such as minerals (calcium primarily) from limestone, etc.

Colin's questions are right on the mark; the first thing to establish is the present GH, KH and pH of the source water, and the species of fish you want to keep.

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

what is the GH of the water currently?

I have no idea . Can't find a definitive answer from our water company and haven't got a test. My county is generally said to have some of the hardest water in all of the UK however, which as you can imagine is not ideal considering the fish I keep (listed below).
Hoping to grab myself a test kit when I can next, it'll be a massive help.

Aside from this, pH is a good 7.6, nitrite, nitrate and ammonia are virtually at 0.00ppm at all times with 30-40% weekly water changes.

what fish do you keep?

I namely keep plecs native to the Orinoco river (orinoco angel/snowball, blue phantom, and sailfin plec), cardinal and rummynose tetras, giant African fan shrimp, clown loaches, a red tail shark, upside down catfish (synodontis nigriventris) and a few survivor fish (1 pygmy cory, 3 c. aeneus corys, and 1 otocinclus of an unknown species).
Off the bat, yes, I know I've fuplied up with keeping fish right on the opposite end of the water-hardness spectrum, but I'm adamant on keeping them and that's why I've made this thread, before any negative replies come in.

I also use Indian Almond Leaves and drift wood to softer it further.

There's a big ol' lump of driftwood in my tank, I've never really looked into the almond leaves, but now that you've reminded me I'll be expanding my options.

Hello! We're in a similar boat - my water has a HIGH pH and is VERY VERY hard. I purchased a cheap RO unit online ($50 USD) and mix it with a little tap water to stabilize the pH.

You can use exclusively RO water (which would have zero GH/KH and the pH would naturally be acidic), or you can use RO but add minerals back either by using the commercial mineral salts or mixing the RO water with the harder tap water. The extent you decide/proceed depends upon the fish species.

"Pure" water includes RO water, distilled water, and basically rainwater. The latter may be on the acidic side respecting pH, but it will have basically no dissolved minerals, and an acidic pH tends to complement this. Water is a powerful solvent, and easily assimilates substances it comes into contact with, such as minerals (calcium primarily) from limestone, etc.

As far as RO goes, I'm entirely up for it. Noticed that the local Maidenhead shop has an RO system, pretty cheap, you just bring in your own containers and they fill em up for you.
How does this go over when you're at home? I'm not a sciencey guy on a whole, so I kind of switch off when I read the words "Reverse Osmosis". It's all very well me getting an RO unit, but I've not got a scooby on how to configure it lol.
Would appreciate any further advice on RO, as it seems to be a good option.

 

[kribensis12]

It's much more expensive to buy RO from somewhere.

This is the unit I use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00204CQF6/?tag=ff0d01-20

Just connect it to your sink, turn it on and wait very patiently. I get about 3 gallons an hour of pure RO water. I have quite a few tanks so I run it for a long time. If you have really high water pressure it will go more quickly.

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

It's much more expensive to buy RO from somewhere.

It's impractical too, really. The next time I pop down there I'll get a look at the rates and see if I want to try it out before getting myself any new equipment. Parents will be mad lol

This is the unit I use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00204CQF6/?tag=ff0d01-20

Just connect it to your sink, turn it on and wait very patiently. I get about 3 gallons an hour of pure RO water. I have quite a few tanks so I run it for a long time. If you have really high water pressure it will go more quickly.

Ah, a lot simpler than what my brain was imagining.
So it's the sort of thing you do the day before your water changes? Unfortunately we have a cursedly modern house where hardly any adapters can, well, adapt to it. We'll see though, there's always a way.

 

[GaryE]

I battled this for years, and tried everything. Rain is irregular. Snow absorbs impurities. Peat treatment is ecologically wasteful and gives you very dark water.
Reverse Osmosis is the only way that gives you a predictable, reliable supply. If you're on metered water, it can cost as some cheaper units are wasteful. But for one or two tanks, no problem.

 

[Naughts]

Rain is irregular.

It's pretty consistent in the UK.
PG, do you have access to clean rainwater and a way of storing it?

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

It's pretty consistent in the UK.
PG, do you have access to clean rainwater and a way of storing it?

Yeah, we've been getting quite a bit more than usual this season, which is nice. Feels refreshing lol. But yes, could probably get a water butt or similar to collect it.

 

[Uberhoust]

I know you have mentioned you keep softwater fishes but life is much easier if you pick fish that match your water. I find a lot of the guppies and endlers very pretty and the African Cichlids are quite interesting and beautiful to. If you go for a hardwater tank you can get limestone pieces for decoration, some of the limestone can have some beautiful sculpting. When I moved to my present home I switched from African Cichlids to South American Cichlids because my water went from Hard, 8.2 out of tap (city well water) to Soft, 6.8 out of the tap (city lake water). My move was less than 40 km, but the water source is vastly different.

 

[Colin_T]

There's no need to buy a GH or KH test kit unless you really want one. The GH and KH usually remain pretty stable throughout the year so it normally only needs testing a couple of times a year, just to make sure it hasn't changed.

The GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).