If I should do anything at all, that is.
out of the tap (goes through a softener and an iron conditioner)
pH 7.4 immediately, about 8.4 after sitting a day
GH 1
KH 19
pretty high iron
out of the well, untreated
pH 7.4 initially, about 8.4 after sitting a day
GH 29
KH 19
super high iron - as in it gets cloudy and yellowish within minutes and after a day an orange silt starts to cover everything, we get an orange dust on the grass when we water the lawn
So, I keep reading that softened water is bad for fish and plants. Ok, but would the untreated water be any better? If so, what can I do about the iron? I don't want an orange fish tank. Should I add something to the tap water instead? Should I leave well enough alone and keep on using the tap water as is?
Also, any tips for managing water changes? I have to let the water sit out, or aerate it, to get the pH to where it eventually ends up, so I can't use it straight from the tap to get the right temperature. Right now, with only a 5gal tank to worry about, I've been aerating a bucket of water for a few hours then pouring it into milk jugs to store it. When it's time for a water change, I fill a bucket with hot water and float the milk jugs in it for a few minutes, monitoring the temp until it gets warm enough (which is surprisingly fast). While it's kind of a pain, it's workable when I'm only changing ~2 gallons at a time. But now I'm starting to set up a 20gal tank, and I just can't see doing the same thing on 5x the scale. I know other folks here have the same pH issue I do. How do you do water changes?
out of the tap (goes through a softener and an iron conditioner)
pH 7.4 immediately, about 8.4 after sitting a day
GH 1
KH 19
pretty high iron
out of the well, untreated
pH 7.4 initially, about 8.4 after sitting a day
GH 29
KH 19
super high iron - as in it gets cloudy and yellowish within minutes and after a day an orange silt starts to cover everything, we get an orange dust on the grass when we water the lawn
So, I keep reading that softened water is bad for fish and plants. Ok, but would the untreated water be any better? If so, what can I do about the iron? I don't want an orange fish tank. Should I add something to the tap water instead? Should I leave well enough alone and keep on using the tap water as is?
Also, any tips for managing water changes? I have to let the water sit out, or aerate it, to get the pH to where it eventually ends up, so I can't use it straight from the tap to get the right temperature. Right now, with only a 5gal tank to worry about, I've been aerating a bucket of water for a few hours then pouring it into milk jugs to store it. When it's time for a water change, I fill a bucket with hot water and float the milk jugs in it for a few minutes, monitoring the temp until it gets warm enough (which is surprisingly fast). While it's kind of a pain, it's workable when I'm only changing ~2 gallons at a time. But now I'm starting to set up a 20gal tank, and I just can't see doing the same thing on 5x the scale. I know other folks here have the same pH issue I do. How do you do water changes?