Moving to a place with a water softener

[Catina]

I am moving to a place that has a water softener system and I am worried about how this will affect the water quality for my corydoras. Is there a way to make the softened water safe for them i.e letting it sit for a couple days. I use prime as a water conditioner. I also have 5 tetras and a non-aggressive Chinese algea...or Siamese (can't remember). Honestly, I am only concerned about are my cories, they are my favorite and I know they prefer no salt. Any tips or advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[vance1013]

Whats your ph now also the water softner wouldnt be adding salt so no worries there also whats the ph of the new place

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[dalto]

Water that has passed through a water softener shouldn't be harmful to corydoras.

You do need to consider how different the water from the new place is from the existing tank water though. I would acclimate them slowly.

 

[Mama Karoti]

I'm pretty sure the water softener adds salt. Have you ever tasted it? It's nasty to drink. There is an ion exchange between dissolved solids and the salt ions or some such thing. I have a water softener and the result of my research is don't use it in an aquarium. I use my hard water from the spigot outside and mix it with RO water to make it medium hard. If my water weren't so extremely hard I would just use it straight from the spigot.

If it is well water, you would do well to test ph directly out of the tap, too, and then retest after it has sat in an open container for a few days. The ph swing can be huge. Mine is.

Do some research on your own in addition to reading the replies in this thread.


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[Mama Karoti]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/_mobile/home/improvement/interior/1275126


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[dalto]

Most water softeners replace calcium and magnesium ions with sodium or phosphate ions.

sodium != salt.

 

[vance1013]

I stand corrected. My apologies.

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