Lowering the Water Hardness.

[Jer-]

Hi

I am hoping to lower my water hardness level cos i wanna try breeding Cockatoo dwarfs. i Know the hardness level in my area is very high cos I know that Polish tap water is very hard, and it was also confirmed by my Local aquarium shop staff. Anyways, can anyone tell me how i can lower the kH/gH successfully? I hav read up on a few articles but i would love to hear some more personal advice (also in a way that i understand..haha...the sites i hav read are v technical).

Thanks so much

 

[CathyG]

I would not recommend using chemicals to adjust your water. Using reverse osmosis water as a percentage of your volume will help to soften your water though What are your current readings in pH, gH and kH?

 

[Invader675]

Rain water so long as you live in the country is great stuff.

 

[CathyG]

You would need to filter the rainwater of any flotsam and impurities though. I have heard of it being used successfully, but I would rather pay for RO water, and know I am getting the clean stuff, than go to the effort of rain water Just a personal preference, though.

 

[Jer-]

Hi

I do not know the hardness levels, but i am getting a test kit as soon as my Local aquarium shop stocks them again.

I do know that my pH is 7.6 which is ok i guess. But i hav read that cockatoos need soft water for the eggs to hatch and stuff.

Wot about the bottled spring water? or um....is it mineral water i need?
I hav read that either one of those are too soft in hardness? and that is bad cos then the pH is able to fluctuate easily. But i was thinkin wouldnt adding some tap water to the bottled water add some hardness? then the ph can be changed with pH up or Down....this way i dont need to spend big kaching on an RO water system! Is that a good technique?

Thx lots.

 

[Jer-]

CathyG, when u say ud rather pay for ur RO water do u mean ud rather pay for the filter thing so that u can hav the water all the time or can u actually buy bottles of RO water?!!!!!!!

 

[Salt Freak]

try didtilled or you can use peat moss here is a clip of the peat moss as a water softner.

http/www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...2&N=2004+113068 or

http/www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...0&N=2004+113068

 

[freddyk]

Unfortunatley peat moss will have a very limited effect unless the water is already at a decent level. R/O water is the best option. Filtered bottled water is good too. With either one of these you won't want to use it soley - you'll want to mix it with tap water to acheive desired levels - either that or use mineral additives to reach them.

 

[Jer-]

I hav read that water softening pillows or pouches substitute mg and ca ions in the water with Na ions, which is not that well tolerated by fish?

Is this tru?

 

[Jer-]

I am looking for a cheaper alternative to RO systems cos i dont hav enuf money for such a system. I cannot find bottles distilled water in the supermarket either!!! only mineral water, and spring water, both of which, after testing, hav a gH of 13! still too high. so i am putting my hopes on the water softening pillows.

 

[pnyklr3]

Ok, I ran into the exact same problem! My tap water is pH is high 8s and very hard. I started adding RO water to help with both of those problems, because I was starting to breed dwarf cichlids as well. The only thing you need to worry about is the pH, though.

Ph, as well as temperature, will effect the sex ratio of the fry. High pH= more females Low pH=more males Temperature plays a lesser role but hgih temp=more males and low temp= more females. Ph is the most important factor, but only if you care about the sex ratio. I would suggest not adding anything to lower the pH. Cockatoos do not like medications added to the tanks and will not tolerate high nitrates.

I buy bottles of RO water from a places that sell it. I can actually fill the bottles myself and just pay for them. It is about 40 cents a gallon. You can switch entirely over to RO, but then you would have to supplement the water with the good minerals that were taken out. I use a mix of RO and tap.

IMO worry about the pH if you want to breed, and you can accomplish this with bottled water from the grocery store.

 

[Jer-]

Thx for the tips. Dwarf cichies are the coolest!

but all i want to know now is whether Sodium in the water harms fish or their babies at all?

I speak NO Polish and it would be extremely difficult for me to go about asking for places that sell RO water... Its so frustrating. Maybe someone who lives in Poland on this Forum can help me out?

ANYONE POLISH?!!!! haha...

If i cant find RO water, the softenin pouches is my only option. and since my gH right now is 18gH!!!!!! it would be near impossible for me to sustain a stable pH. cos the hardness (buffering part) is gonna bring my pH rite back up a while after altering the pH.

Thanks for the tips tho. much appreciated.