Crystal_Marie Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 Hi all! So it turns out I have very hard water…like it was off the charts 😳 I have my 9 gal fluval flex and it currently is home to a nerite (Lazarus) and blue shrimp (Pepé). I’ve added driftwood (previously boiled) and a softener pillow. I’m expecting my betta from aqua huna this week. Should I added Fritz dark water? Or any other source of tannins? I’m worried it’ll still be too hard for little miss when she arrives. side note: I didn’t learn about my hard water issue until after I ordered my new betta 😩 So I’m scrambling for something to get the water soft enough for a betta but not too soft because I have my snail. also, also…I have carbon in the back filter…should I take it out? I read it can reduce tannins. I plan to take it out to do the triple meds prophylactically once betta gets here. Beside my inverts, it’s just her in the tank so I planned to medicate her directly in the tank. I swear, I feel like the more I’m learning about fish keeping, the less I know 😓 Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Native Keeper Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 Plants will absorb mineral in the tank, making ur water less hard. So, just be patient. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 Lots of Indian almond leaves. Betta love them. The hard water is fine for your nerite and shrimp but not so great for betta. You could slowly start adding 50/50 your water and distilled water to fix it. Don’t go too soft your nerite and shrimp need calcium and not below 7.0 ph for your nerite or his shell will erode they prefer it higher but find a happy medium for all your critters. Shrimp love almond leaves also 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 I use wood and organic soil with my hard water. This matches my home ecosystem, with constant wood decomposition, plus copious minerals. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal_Marie Posted January 12, 2022 Author Share Posted January 12, 2022 @Guppysnailyeah, I guess that is my biggest worry is with water changes. Every time I have to change the water I don’t want to start at square one with the hardness issue. I definitely thought about the almond leaves. I don’t know if they are too big? I definitely feel like I’m back in chemistry class at times trying to find the right balance😅 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 I try to setup my ecosystems so that I do not have to change water. With hard water, all of my top-offs add minerals, and all the decomposition drives plant growth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 On 1/11/2022 at 8:32 PM, Crystal_Marie said: I don’t know if they are too big? I order them on Amazon in different sizes or just break them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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