Re: Alum to soften the water
i have never heard of ALUM to soften water.. where did you get the information?
ALUM for waste water treatment.. but it does not soften.. it may coagulate particles.. hence the "white stuff" at bottom..
i use alum 2 table spoon per 1 gallon to kills snails when introducing new plants..
Re: Alum to soften the water
the alum is reacting with the Ca,Mg and Fe present in the water.After reacting it produces CaSO4,FeSO4 etc. which aren't soluble in water.So they get precipitated.
Thus amount of Fe,Ca getting lowered.So the water must be softer than before.
It also lower the pH.
Re: Alum to soften the water
Quote:
Originally Posted by
santanu18
the alum is reacting with the Ca,Mg and Fe present in the water.After reacting it produces CaSO4,FeSO4 etc. which aren't soluble in water.So they get precipitated.
Thus amount of Fe,Ca getting lowered.So the water must be softer than before.
It also lower the pH.
interesting.. cuz i googled it and could not find anything..
carry on
ps.. welcome to SD :)
Re: Alum to soften the water
Alum was and sometimes still used in surface water treatment plants as a primary coagulant for floculation to take place in a clarifier. Furic acid was used to lower PH below 7 as alum works best in slightly acidic water for coagulation to take place. Alum requires rapid mixing and primarily used to remove organic material from raw water. Synthetic compounds such as D-floc are used more often now. Just wanted to give a quick overview of it. It may collect some stuff in your water column in whatever you use to store water and settle it to the bottom but all your doing is adding aluminum to your water. Alum is and was not designed to soften water and highly recommend not using it for this application. Especially for aquarium use
Re: Alum to soften the water
Quote:
Originally Posted by
santanu18
the alum is reacting with the Ca,Mg and Fe present in the water.After reacting it produces CaSO4,FeSO4 etc. which aren't soluble in water.So they get precipitated.
Thus amount of Fe,Ca getting lowered.So the water must be softer than before.
It also lower the pH.
MgSO4 and iron(II) sulfate are soluble in water. Alum is a flocculant that forms Al(OH)3 in water that gels and surrounds suspended particles in water and settle and removes them. It should also react with Ca2+ and ppt out CaSO4. Not a common use for it but if you aren't adding too much alum as to be toxic and no discus are dying stick with it I suppose.
Re: Alum to soften the water
RO unit.... $100..... idk I just feel like if your going to do it and want good fish out of all this, why not do it right? Im sure theres plenty of fish or equipment that have cost over 100 bucks right? Idk it just doesnt seem worth the risk to me, I mean maybe short term while an RO unit is shipping...