water softener

[aclockworkorange]

Don't think that will help. The tank could not be further from the water softener. It's in the garage on ground level and the tank is basically on the third story on the other side of the house...


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[jcardona1]

It's a very large house and the water softener is whole house, so not sure exactly what I can do. Funny thing is the fish have been doing very well for 2 years, growing, breeding, and just look great. The only fish that didn't do well were angelfish (just figured this was bad genetics from crappy LFS stock), but severums, acaras, tetras, corydoras, etc. all appear healthy.

So, if getting water from another source isn't an option, what could I treat the water with? Buffer and some sort of mineral supplement?


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The problem with water out of a water softener is not really 'softened'. True soft water is that from a RO/DI unit with a very low (or 0) TDS content. But with a water softener, the TDS that comes out may be the same or even higher. That is because calcium and magnesium are replaced with sodium ions. Calcium and magnesium is what causes hard water stains. So by removing calcium and magnesium you get rid of the hard water effects (good for household stuff) but you lose the buffering capacity of your water (bad for fish-keeping), along with the essential minerals that develop a fish's bone structure. As we know, your buffering capacity is what acts as a 'sponge' and absorbs the impact of the bad kind of TDS-induced PH swings that can actually kill your fish.

The problem you could have by adding buffers and minerals to water softener water is that you will be increasing TDS levels by a lot (since they never changed to begin with). This may or may not be an issue. Just depends how delicate your fish are. Because you have no buffering capacity, your could shock the entire system if you introduce a different source of water (unlikely). This may also explain why the fish have had no issues since no 'foreign' water is being introduced. But I certainly wouldn't be raising fry in water that lacks calcium and magnesium. They may never develop correctly.

My best advice is to get a digital TDS meter and check your kh/gh and see where your are. Your KH (buffering capacity) should theoretically be 0 because you have no calcium and magnesium in the water. Try experimenting with RO additives/minerals to see where that gets you. And of course, take things slowly.

 

[aclockworkorange]

Yeah, I've read up on it but haven't thought of it in a long time since I live in a different state. Will get a TDS meter and test ph/kh/gh and experiment a bit when I'm down there next week.


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