Aquarium water options

[Rando33]

Up for debate.  What is the best route to go for water to use for a freshwater tank.  I know that there will be better options for different species of fish, but in general, for your typical freshwater tropical fish, what is the best choice?  My son and I have some different opinions.  I would just use regular tap water.  Let me preface this by saying, we have well water.  We have a salt water softener.  We do have a kitchen cold water faucet that is not hooked up to the softener as well as the hose.  My son would like to bypass the water softener for water change days, use up all the hot, softened water with showering and then use a python to direct fill the tanks with precise temperature water, then turn the softener back on.  I want to keep it simple, fill buckets with cold, unsoftened water and then heat to the appropriate temp.  None of our tanks are huge.  The biggest is 55 gallon.  What is the best way to go for a healthy aquarium?  Either of these options?  Or should we buy RO water from the store?  We have been doing that as well.  Looking to learn more about this and keep it as simple as possible.  Thanks in advance for your opinions.

[Mmiller2001]

I would get the cheap API GH and KH test kit and test the well water. You do not want to use water softener water. Use the water from the bypass. 

I would then select fish based on those readings. If the well water is hard with lots of carbonates, and if you want to keep soft water tropical fish then I would get a RO system. It adds cost, but simplifies the process long term.

[Guppysnail]

On 4/26/2022 at 9:26 AM, Rando33 said:

fill buckets with cold, unsoftened water and then heat to the appropriate temp. 

I do this. It simple and easy for 8 tanks. I have totes because they are easier for me than trash buckets. I use either the hose outlet outside and run my hose or the faucet unsoftened in the winter with my hose attached. I use cheap 12$ pumps to return it to the tank and siphon waste to the garden.  It’s simple easy and quick.  I heat water in a 5 gallon stainless steal stock pot to get my bins the correct temp.  I set it up to give you a visual. I use a plastic measure cup with holes I drilled to disperse return water so it does not displace things in the tank. The pump in the drawer I sit in a 6 gallon bucket to siphon dirty water to and pump away the old water. The black hose hook is an old canister hose hook from a fluval 07 series.  Replacements can be purchased on Amazon. Tubes are pond tubing. Everything is from Amazon. The totes are from lowes. 

[Rando33]

Awesome setup and ideas!  Thank you.

On 4/26/2022 at 8:43 AM, Mmiller2001 said:

I would get the cheap API GH and KH test kit and test the well water. You do not want to use water softener water. Use the water from the bypass. 

I would then select fish based on those readings. If the well water is hard with lots of carbonates, and if you want to keep soft water tropical fish then I would get a RO system. It adds cost, but simplifies the process long term.

Thank you!  I will pick up that test kit.

On 4/26/2022 at 8:49 AM, Guppysnail said:

I do this. It simple and easy for 8 tanks. I have totes because they are easier for me than trash buckets. I use either the hose outlet outside and run my hose or the faucet unsoftened in the winter with my hose attached. I use cheap 12$ pumps to return it to the tank and siphon waste to the garden.  It’s simple easy and quick.  I heat water in a 5 gallon stainless steal stock pot to get my bins the correct temp.  I set it up to give you a visual. I use a plastic measure cup with holes I drilled to disperse return water so it does not displace things in the tank. The pump in the drawer I sit in a 6 gallon bucket to siphon dirty water to and pump away the old water. The black hose hook is an old canister hose hook from a fluval 07 series.  Replacements can be purchased on Amazon. Tubes are pond tubing. Everything is from Amazon. The totes are from lowes. 

Awesome setup and ideas!  Thank you.

[Tihshho]

If you do decide to get an RO/DI as @Mmiller2001 mentioned, you can feed the output to a storage reservoir with a float valve and have water on hand for water changes. If you go with a large enough vat you can heat it to make sure that you have the ideal temps for non drastic waterchange temp drops. I keep my RO/DI vat at 77, when it gets pumped out it will generally drop a few degrees so my RO/DI 'source' comes out the hose at around 75.

[lefty o]

you can use any of the options. this whole water softener thing is so way over blown its rediculous. you get trace amounts of salt in the water from a water softener. it wont harm the fish , or the plants. the real question that should be considered is, do your fish prefer hard or soft water. if the fish you have/choose prefer hard water, hit the bypass on the softener, and let the tap run for a minute to clear the line. if soft water, use it how it comes out of the tap.

[Guppysnail]

To expand on @lefty o comment. My betta and neon tetras did absolutely fine for 2+ years on water softener water straight from the tap add prime and in the tank it went. Edit I now have all hard water fish that’s why I bypass

Edited April 26, 2022 by Guppysnail

[Tihshho]

On 4/26/2022 at 10:36 AM, lefty o said:

you can use any of the options. this whole water softener thing is so way over blown its rediculous. you get trace amounts of salt in the water from a water softener. it wont harm the fish , or the plants. the real question that should be considered is, do your fish prefer hard or soft water. if the fish you have/choose prefer hard water, hit the bypass on the softener, and let the tap run for a minute to clear the line. if soft water, use it how it comes out of the tap.

You're 100% right on this for most fish. Ideally, test your source and see what you can keep and you'll be fine. The main issue I see people running into with softeners is when they get a giant swing when their softener system isn't maintained and goes from softwater to not softwater and the aquarist doesn't know what happened until they do home maintenance.

[Brandon p]

I just put water from the the softer in ive of one it for as long as I have lived her(16 years)