I will be installing a RO system in the next 10 days because our water quality is beyond bad, its unsafe! I've been told I will also be needing to add a water softener because of the extreme hardness of our water. Will this softened water be safe for aquarium use? The softener will use standard softener salts.
Need RO Advice
- Thread starter caribou
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
scuba_steve
Aquarium Advice Addict
the ro water will remove everything and leave your with 95-99% pur water period
now you might have to change your pre-filter more often than most though
now you might have to change your pre-filter more often than most though
loganj
Aquarium Advice Addict
I wouldn't use it in an aquarium. Use the water straight from the RO unit and add something like RO Right to remineralize it if you're using it in a FW system. We had a post about this a while back. If I remember correctly, the softener replaces the calcium (or was it carbonate...memory's leaving me) ions with sodium ions. I think the end result to that debate was that this creates an unnatural environment for the fish and stresses them. Is there anything wrong with your water other than being very hard? If not, you could mix tap water with RO water to achieve the needed hardness levels for the aquarium. If you're using it in a SW tank, use straight RO water with nothing added for top off.
The main problem with our water is very high nitrates (12) and the water hardness. I was told that our hard water would clog a membrane filter rather quickly. If I had to replace filters more often, it would still probably than getting a water softener and all those salts.
scuba_steve
Aquarium Advice Addict
we have hard water in chicago and beyond changing the prefilter often and having a flush kit on your membrane has helped a ton
