water hardness

[aquasam]

the water in my tanks/tap water run very high (250-425) ... .... what is the best way to bring it down? .. the fish seem fine though

[hashbaz]

move!

[hashbaz]

(Sorry I couldn't resist being a smart alec)

Lowering water hardness is a lot of work and/or expensive.

I had/have this problem too and did a little research. Other than moving, here are a few options:

1. Water softener. Bad in my opinion. They are expensive and only remove one type of hardness from your water.

2. Buying distilled water. Fish need some minerals in their water so give them part distilled and part tap. In the long run, this gets expensive. I found distilled water for $.69 a gallon, and over time it adds up to quite a bit.

3. [acronym:5ec8ad7a92="Reverse osmosis"]RO[/acronym:5ec8ad7a92]+[acronym:5ec8ad7a92="Deionization"]DI[/acronym:5ec8ad7a92] (reverse osmosis + deionization) These filters give you basically distilled water. This is the route I chose. I bought the cheapest one I could find on ebay- $100 with shipping. It took some work getting it set up and stopping the leaks, but wasn't too bad. If I knew what I was doing it would have been a lot easier. I like not having to go to the store for water.

4. Get water from relatives somewhere else. This can also be a lot of work.

If you're happy with the health of your fish, then I wouldn't worry about it.

[Deitta]

I also have very hard water, but my fish just adjusted. Just take a little longer to slowly adjust the newbies to the water - mico water exchanges over 30 to 45 mins so as to not shock their systems.
It also helps to do some research on fish that do well in hard water. As long as the water is kept fresh.... mine don't seem to have any more issues than any one else.
Also remember to use water conditioners.. they help to neutralize some of the chemicles.

[jeffs10]

How do you know if you have hard Water? I think i might but now sure.

And will a water softner hurt the fish?

Jeff

[tmcgee]

Go buy yourself a test kit!! It takes tons of guess work out of things. I think everyone would agree with me in saying, every fish hobbyist should have a testing kit.
tmcgee

[Menagerie]

There are other ways to soften the water and lower the pH. Add driftwood to the tank, or peat to the filter.
Using chemicals to change water quality is a bad idea, especially when there are natural choices.

[aquasam]

I have wood in my tank and am collecting more bogwood which is now soaking in water to add later ... I'll get the peat .... do you think these natural methods make a significant difference or is it only subtle?

[Menagerie]

I know driftwood alone has made a difference of .5 pH between two of my tanks. I don't have a hardness test, but I can say that I am keeping Bolivian rams and Apistos in the tank with driftwood. Those fish prefer soft, neutral water.
The addition of peat should bring it down even more.