using softened water

guppiemama · 03-22-2008, 11:13 PM

After reading some of the posts I'm wondering if using softened water is going to kill my fish as I've been led to beleive. My unsoftened water is about 300 ppm, softened water is 30 ppm. I've been doing the bucket brigade and using the hard water, thinking that something other than the "softness" of the softened water is toxic to fish. The water is softened with potasium. I have one outdoor tap that is not softened water. It's a real drag trucking that water in and, in the winter, heating it up for water changes.

If I could use warm tap water from the sink for half the water in each of six 3 gallon buckets it would be half the work.

It seems that using half softened and half untreated water will give me optimum ppm of hardness. Is this a bad idea as I've been led to believe?

RustyNut · 03-23-2008, 08:20 AM

That is what I do!

orb4me · 03-28-2008, 11:26 AM

yeiks, sorry for not being more careful. I did notice, i forgot to put JMO in the post.

Jay · 03-28-2008, 04:59 PM

Quote:

I may have been one of the people who asked about using water softner water as most use salt to soften the water. Potasium is an alkaline and comes from pot ash

Please be careful with your posts.

Potassium is an essential element for biological health and cell function. All water softeners use "Salt" (<- the reference is NaCl or KCl, potassium chloride or sodium chloride, both mineral SALTS) Sodium (Na) is also essential for cell function and biological function. Both mineral salts are need for healthy fish...BUT only require trace <- read that very very small amounts.

Rusty Nut is dead on...and the technique he describes is the essence of simplicity.

Regards,
Jay