Hard Water

[bm3aquatic]

I have hard well water and was wondering what would happen if I installed a water softener for the house. Is this safe for the fish? I currently have 3 tanks set up that have been up for 6 mo to 2 years.

[Bill Smith]

Depends on how acidic/soft the water is and how slowly you would introduce your fish to it.

But you could always set up a spigot or valve that gives you your tap water for water changes prior to it going through the water softener. That way, no disruption for the fish.

Such a setup provides you an ideal situation, in that you cold accommodate any type of fish with the right mix of hard/soft water (or high/low pH) that you desire!

[Dawn]

I live in Minnesota, it's one of those states with liquid rock!!  I have a water softener because it helps with running the household...dishwasher, washing machine, hot water heater...and of course my hair!!  When I am doing water changes, I use the by-pass on the water softener.  So all of the cold water I use for is hard water, and the hot water amount I use is so minimal, it doesn't have a big impact on the hardness.  The biggest problem for me is sometimes I forget to stop using the by-pass.  😄

[bm3aquatic]

Thank you Bill and Dawn that helps me out a lot. Dawn our water is the same as yours and we had a softener for the reasons you stated prior to keeping fish.

Thank you both for the input, much appreciated 🙏

[dublicious]

Also keep in mind that most water softeners work by exchanging mineral ions with sodium ions, increasing salinity. Depending on how hard your water was to begin with, this can be significant as more minerals removed means more sodium added.

For some fish at some levels this may not be a big deal, as they do well with some salt in the water (think aquarium salt). Other fish are more sensitive to salinity.

Edited July 18, 2020 by dublicious
I always have more thoughts after submitting :)