Hard Water !

[Amy86]

I just found out from my local water company that the water in my area can only be described as VERY hard

All the fish i had my heart set on getting prefer soft and slightly acidic water

Is there anything i can do or have i got to rethink the whole thing??

 

[BigIan]

what fish exactly do you want?

the best way IMHO to soften water is to use a mix of R.O water and tap water///

 

[stang1]

I agree with Ian. I plan on keeping a pair of Rams in my tank so I'm using that method to soften the water.

 

[Amy86]

i want some loaches, threadfin rainbowfish etc and all the websites ive checked say they like soft acidic water. why use a mix?? and what ratios? When you do a water change will it drastically change parameters if you dont get it right?

 

[BigIan]

for the ratio i sufggest you experiment in a bucket. start with a 50/50 mix and work up or down from there...
and as for changing the peramiters at water change time... that depends on the ratio of R.O to tap water and how large the water change.

As for why use a mix...

R.O or reverse osmosis water has been filterd to remove all the hardness from the water, so creating very soft water. so mix this soft water with your hard water then you can get any hardness that you want

 

[Amy86]

ok that sounds good but ive also heard its quite expensive, is this true?? and are there any cheaper alternatives?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

an RO unit will set you back £50 or so, check out osmotics, the sponsor TFF so as a member you get a discount.

Unless your on a water meter it shouldn't cost much to run and then you have to replace the filter's either once or twice a year, so it's not a huge expense really.

you can buy RO water from most lfs's but I'd advise to get your own unit, I worked it out once for water changes on a 30g average tank a £50 unit will pay for itself in around 6 months.

up to you if you think the cost is worth it to get the fish you want or if you can't afford it then maybe adapt your fish selection to something that can cope with the hard water.

 

[BigIan]

you can buy chemical buffers, that will lower/raise the ph, but they also play havoc with water hardness and can stress your fish, and IMHO are useless...

Ro is the best way, thats why discus breeders use this method

 

[Amy86]

ok thanks for the advise every one