Water softener locked? just a note

[korbi_doc]

:bounce2: :bounce2: Hi all, wanted to reply to water softener post, but it is locked (?) Anyway, just to add a note, early on when I was trying to figure out my water & new into the discus (1st group) I used the r/o water to tap 60/40 cuz of problems & the advice I rec'd. This is a really good thing to do in most cases, but my fish were much worse after I added the tap water, & I lost several. I do run a sodium softener, & when I got my tds meter, it checked out over 800ppm. So I began to use 100% r/o, utilizing the recipe to reconstitute the r/o synthetically & have done much better since.
Is it not true that when these sodium ions are exchanged, we lose the necessary calcium & magnesium for growth in these fish? They must be replenished, & I believe that may have contributed to my early difficulties, as well as too much sodium for health.
Is this what you guys are alluding to?? Dottie ??? ???

[jeep]

Dottie,

I guess you answered my question. Sorry you had to lose some fish in the process.

What I was curious about is if the minerals are replaced with a higher level of sodium, will that level of sodium be hazardous. Simple re-constitution of softened water will not be acceptable. I also was curious about using potassium rather than salt for the softening process. I think you would have the same lack of necessary minerals, although I don't know if the higher level of potassium is deadly.

I think my friend said her softener is carbon based; something I've never heard of, but then again, she thought she had a whole house R/O system, too (which she does not).

Does your softener supply your exterior faucets for lawn watering? My guess is not. Maybe you can use that source of water for re-constitution rather than using a recipe...

Brian

[korbi_doc]

:bounce2: :bounce2: Hi Brian, yes my softener is at the pump from the well, & it supplies everything, house, hospital bldg, 2 barns & all outdoor faucets for the horses. That was why I would have liked an alternative, but there's no way yet. Eventually will have to hook up to city water, but trying to avoid that cuz of costs, especially with 11+ horses. So far, this well has been ok, exc the water in the area is pretty bad, so I just go for r/o.
I do believe that this excess sodium is deleterious to the fish, & if you added to the softened water directly, you wouldn't know what you had in there & the ppm would be enormous, sodium + additives. & if potassium is excessive, that would be a problem, but you wouldn't add that much, remember the softener took it out. I think the only way to go is pure r/o reconstituted & its been great. It's just difficult to add enough to get to a gh 6. I've been testing for ppm with a tds meter, & use around 200ppm for young fish. Ideas Anyone? Dottie ::) ::) ::)

[jeep]

I don't know if this would be of any help, but in the beginning I used Proper pH 6.5.

It brought my TDS up to about 400, but the fish thrived in it and grew very nicely. The drawback is that it is phosphate based and bad for plants...

[korbi_doc]

My ph has remained between 6.5 & 7.1, so I don't try to do anything with that. The salts I added to a ppm of 300, then I thought it might be too much, so I dropped to around 200. I believe that's about 400ms, but there's lotsa controversy 'bout that too....lol, Dottie :o :o :o

[RandalB]

Dottie, I checked the water softener post and it appears that it's not locked. Feel free to continue the discussion there. Or here, no problem either way.

RandalB