Softened water???

[Lee171181]

Hi we live in a very hard water area so have a water softener fitted in the house. Question is, can I fill my aquarium with this, or should it be done from the tap that doesn’t go through the filter?

the soft water would keep the tank cleaner & have no limescale buildup etc, but not sure if it’s safe for fish? Could it be used & then treated, to make it fish safe, or should I go the other way, using the normal tap water and then treating that?

 

[Avel1896]

Hi
Water softener uses salt (sodium chloride = NaCI) to soften water, so, no, this kind of water is not suitable for freshwater fishes.

 

[StevenF]

Water softeners use either sodium chloride or potassium chloride. Resin in the softener promotes a reaction in which the GH is replaced with sodium carbonate or potassium carbonate. The high carbonate levels in the softened water can reduce the effectiveness plant fertilizers. it also changes the potassium and sidium balance in the water. Fish need both sodium and potassium to live. but If you have a lot of sodium with small amount of potassium, or a lot of potassium with little sodium the fish will have difficulty coping and may not be healthy Ideally you want a little bit of potassium and sodium in the water for healthy fish.