Question about city water

[TheXevv]

We're on city water, which is horrible to say the least. Very hard, very high alkalinity, as well as chlorinated. We have a whole house water softener just so our soaps actually sud up. Will this be a problem for aquarium use? I had to fight tooth and nail to soften it by adding water softener pillows with each water change. We have our water softener set low. As far as I can tell, most pet stores around here no longer sell water softener pillows.
TIA.

 

[Quest84]

We're on city water, which is horrible to say the least. Very hard, very high alkalinity, as well as chlorinated. We have a whole house water softener just so our soaps actually sud up. Will this be a problem for aquarium use? I had to fight tooth and nail to soften it by adding water softener pillows with each water change. We have our water softener set low. As far as I can tell, most pet stores around here no longer sell water softener pillows.
TIA.

what are your water parameters out of the tap?

If your water is very hard and alkaline why not do an african cichlid tank? It is perfect for them. Prime will remove the chlorine

 

[TheXevv]

what are your water parameters out of the tap?

If your water is very hard and alkaline why not do an african cichlid tank? It is perfect for them. Prime will remove the chlorine

Is there anything I can do to soften the water? Maybe mixing some distilled water and ph down. I'll test my city water asap. I had to add PH down to my pool water at initial set up.

 

[Mebbid]

9 times out of 10 you won't need to alter the water parameters. We will know more after you test the water.

 

[Quest84]

Is there anything I can do to soften the water? Maybe mixing some distilled water and ph down. I'll test my city water asap. I had to add PH down to my pool water at initial set up.

its easier to raise PH in an aquarium than it is to lower it. I try to use the least amount of chemical that i possibly can. When you start messing with the chemistry of the water that's when you run into problems. Most tank raised fish will adapt to your PH as long as it isn't too drastic. When your dealing with wild caught fish that's a whole different story

like Mebbid said we will know more when you post your water parameters. If it was me and i had very hard alkaline water I would absolutely do african cichlids, you won't need to add anything other than prime into the water

 

[TheXevv]

9 times out of 10 you won't need to alter the water parameters. We will know more after you test the water.

I tested the city water
Hardness is 400 ppm
PH is 8.4
Total Alkalinity is 240 ppm
If it wasn't for our water softener it would be a lot harder I imagine.

 

[Quest84]

are you using your pool water test kit for your aquarium?

 

[TheXevv]

I don't have the aquarium set up at all. I tested water straight from the tap. I don't have an aquarium test kit yet. Just a pool test kit.

 

[Mebbid]

That water is just fine. It would be best for african cichlids or other hard water species, but unless you're going with fish that require super soft water then there won't be any issues with the majority of aquarium fish.

 

[TheXevv]

Thank you everyone for your help. I hope to get started on getting my aquarium supplies soon. As of right now, I'm just doing research and looking for best prices for everything I need. Then I'll start putting money back to start buying the more expensive items.