Making water soft without staining water

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Castillo

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
May 11, 2015
Messages
37
Sorry for the long title, but I want to get fish that all need softer water when my tal is pretty hard.

I also do not have the funds to invest in RO.

Thanks


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Ok so if the OP wants softer water would peat, leaves, driftwood all work but use carbon to take the color out or would carbon remove the tannins too? I just can't remember.

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Co2 gas itself will lower PH and also soften the water to a degree. Carbon in a filter will remove both the colour and the tannins.

Why are you trying to soften the water? For the most part unless you are trying to breed most fish will appreciate constant water levels instead of chasing after their perfect ph.

Tbh only way to get a much softer water is to use RO water and constantly adding the same buffers.
With the other methods, like barley, it softens the tank. But as soon as you do a water change your introducing the harder water again creating fluctuations in KH and pH.

My opinion anyway


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A water softener is cheaper than an ro unit they are commonly installed in houses did you price them as well they use calcium chips if i remember correct

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My bad they use salt or potassium chips to take out calcium and other hard minerals from the water

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What kind of fish are we talking? Some fish really like the tannins in the water.

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I wish you the best of luck. I too have super Hard, high pH tap water and nothing short of a RO/DI system worked. I did driftwood, peat moss and almond leaves. The first problem is that Hard water is super stable and the mildly acidic qualities of the prior mentioned remedies will have little to no impact. The second problem is that you will be renewing the calcium and mineral content of the tank water every time you do a water change. So what minor changes you might've made will start to revert back to its normal state.

Most commercially available hobby fish are able to adjust to various water conditions (though mine seem healthier and more active once I was able to better simulate native water conditions).

You could make the switch to fish that are better suited to the water you have available. African Cichlids come to mind first, but they aren't the only option.

You can save up for an RO system. Depending on how much water you need to prepare, you may need to invest in a container large enough to store the water in as well.



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Agreed with everyone else here- the hardness of your water is likely fine as long as you aren't trying to breed. If the hardness is so high that it would be a problem for the fish you want, then stuff like driftwood or peat moss won't make much of a difference.

I tried with my wife's 29 gallon when she was living with her parents way up north in the state with well water. GH was in the 20 degree range, KH was around 10- african cichlid water. She wanted glass catfish but they're not tolerant of very hard water. Tried driftwood and peat moss and it did nothing, and eventually we just got different fish.

You don't have immediate funds for RO, but do you have a bit of spare money per month? It gets more expensive than RO over time, but you can buy distilled water by the gallon and mix it with an appropriate ratio of tap water to get the KH and GH you desire.
 
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