Home water softener ok?

Dieselhybrid

Dieselhybrid

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Hey guys I was wondering a few things. The water in the area of my house in question is quite hard. around 7.4-7.8 and 3-400ppm TDS. I'm wondering if I should use the tap water or use water straight from my water softener? I have had no issues with fish health, things are going great but I'm curious is it better to use the city water with traces of hardness or the softener which basically exchanges all the metals etc. for sodium.

What do you think and recommend?
 
Yoimbrian

Yoimbrian

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I've read snails are bad with water softeners because they need the calcium and trace metals in the water. From what I have read nothing else cares.

I'd use soft water just to avoid hard water buildup on your equipment.


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Dieselhybrid

Dieselhybrid

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Thank you. One of the stickies by a breeder says he uses straight from softener but then I read elsewhere that this could deplete calcium.

Also, during WC my temps go from low 80's to the low 70's. This is usually over the course of 4-6 hours as the softener drips. Is this too much of the temperature swing? The fish behave normally but I notice after the WC they usually won't accept foods until the water warms up a few degrees. Could this be bad for a fetus in a pregnant female? Thoughts?

Thanks
 
Dieselhybrid

Dieselhybrid

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Except earthworm, they always accept earthworms!

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Latrelle

Latrelle

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Seems like a big temp swing. What's your filtration? Sump, canisters? What size of tank? I don't think that it's odd they don't eat immediately after a WC bit within an hour or 2 they should be very active and hungry. My temps will vary a couple degrees but that's about it. I shut my pumps off during the water change. So the media won't see any fresh water until all chlorine/ chloramine is neutralized. When the pumps are back on that evens the temps back out. But thats on big tanks with big filter capacity.


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Dieselhybrid

Dieselhybrid

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It's a 450 with a 150 sump, socks and k1 then floss
The wc is only in the tank so when the sump goes back on warmer water mixes in with the new cooler water. I just don't know how to do a wc without the swing this time of year. I drip slowly but pay off me wants to make it faster to minimize the time in cooler temps.

Any suggestions?

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Dieselhybrid

Dieselhybrid

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There's also a 2262 with sponge, substrata, and floss with purigen. The sump is overflow so the 2262 helps with debris from the bottom.

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Dieselhybrid

Dieselhybrid

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Some typos sorry on the phone "part of me" not "pay of me"

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C

calgaryflames

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Do not use your water softener water .
Buy a reverse osmosis and soften water that way.

Water softener uses salt and zeo lite . Salt to recharge the zeolite resin. It's possible for something to malfunction than you dump salty water in. Shouldn't be an issue if you always test the Tds of the water your dumping in the tank from the softener. Ro is pretty easy and cheap


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