HOW TO SOFTEN THE WATER

[ncguy]

WHAT IS THE BEST AND QUICK WAY TO SOFTEN THE WATER .

[ronrca]

RO! ;)

[Carol_Roberts]

Reverse Osmossis filter is the best way to remove minerals which makes the water "softer" and allows eggs to hatch. If you are not trying to breed your tap water may be just fine.

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

Peat works well also. It is much cheaper than r/o, but much messier.


-Ryan

[Carol_Roberts]

Peat will not soften moderately hard to hard water - like well water - to any appreciable degree.

[daveycrockett]

how much for a basic ro unit? That will change your ph right?

[Carol_Roberts]

RandalB has the best prices on RO units. My pH barely changes at all with RO - it drops from 7.8 down to 7.6

[XeBurnout]

Since you said "best and quick[est]" I'd have to say using Ion Exchange resin (a demineralizer). I know a lot of people like the RO and overall they may be right for your application.

RO is easy to set up, easy to use and the water quality is more than good enough for what you need. The drawbacks are you have more wastewater and they cost more to operate.

Using Ion Exchange will cost more to set up, if done right, and they are not as easy to run. You have to check the effluent closer to ensure the resin isn't exhausted. Also, I wouldn't recommend regenerating your own resin unless you know exactly what you're doing.

But the advantages are very good. The water quality is MUCH higher. In industrial settings Mixed Beds (Ion Exchange) are used after RO's to get what the RO's missed (note: this water quality is far more than you need). But from what I've read from other people they use the water they deionize just to cut their normal water supply. In that case the closer to pure water you can get (for the same cost) the less water you will have to add to your tap water to get the quality you want.

Don't get this confused with a water softner which is sort of the same but really just removes cations (+ charged ions) a true demineralizer removes anions as well (-).

I just threw this in to give you something to think about. Overall RO might be better for you, but as far as best and quick, it's hard to beat a demineralizer.

R/

Phil

[RyanH]

If you are intending to grow out Discus then you do not want to soften your water. The harder the better.

[RandalB]

I agree with Ryan...

RandalB

[jn4u]

Softer the water with DI or RO down to hardness to dKH 3. The last bit you can use peat to filter down pH and last dKH. The peat help to build up a buffert in the water.

Well the water from the beginning has a water dGH (hardness) of 4-3 If want to target
2. Well |4-2|/4 and |0-2|/4 that gives 50% tap and 50% ro or |3-2|/3 and |0-2|/3 gives
67% tap and 33% ro. Well if I mix 50-30% water I target a good value to breed discus in.

Well have made C# program... I look like this...
double ro1;
double tape1;
ro1 = System.Convert.ToDouble(tapeWaterValue.Text) - System.Convert.ToDouble(targetValue.Text);
tape1 = System.Convert.ToDouble(targetValue.Text);
Label1.Text = System.Convert.ToString(System.Convert.ToInt32(ro1 / (ro1 + tape1) * 100)) + " %";
Label2.Text = System.Convert.ToString(System.Convert.ToInt32(tap e1 / (ro1 + tape1) * 100)) + " %";

I hade not time to put a fast hack on my page
http://www.discusfish.nu/discus/ro_c.aspx

[Basilisk]

RyanH and RandalB, how hard could water be to raise discus. I'm new with discus, and already acquired a young red turquoise, about 2 inches long, it starts to show a bit of colour in the fins. I got him almost a week ago.

I dropped him in my planted tank, and he was fine since the first day, stress bars were there, but faintly. Then, my mother did not pay the light bill and power was out since friday morning to sunday afternoon, and I was out of town (I wouldn't have left, but they made me). When I came back water was 20°C, I had no doubt that the fish would have died, but he survived. For that long period of time I assume my filters' bacteria are dead, almost all of them. Good I have a planted tank, and my plants keep ammonia at zero. I did a water change as soon as I got home; my mother also overfed those days. My fish has had the bars very markedly all day, and I want to improve conditions as soon as possible.

Now I am going to set a bare bottom tank, and get a second discus. My tap water is 17° GH, I think it is way too high for them, I've read they get calcium depositions in their digestive systems, like kidney stones, yet I'm not sure this is true. So now that I have read your post I think I will dilute with soft water to get it to 13° GH or so to grow them out. Would this be good? I get the soft water I use for my planted tank at $1 per 5 gallons, too expensive for that many water changes.

By the way, the tank will be a 20G, it's the largest I have available now. And I will keep some stems of wisteria in a plastic pot to improve water quality and looks.

Sorry to plunk so rudely and long in my first post, I want to make the right thing as soon as possible.

[RandalB]

I've talked to people that are growing out fish at 20+ DkH...

You might want to consider more fish and a bigger tank though, you are asking for problems IMO.

RandalB

[Basilisk]

Yes, I'd like to have five or six and a large grow out tank, but I'm quite short of money right now, so I need a quick solution for what I have, I might be able to upgrade in a couple of months.

Also, you tell me 20 or more dKH, but what about GH?

[Smokey]

Peat will not soften moderately hard to hard water - like well water - to any appreciable degree.


I have p.m.ed Carol to explain her comment. No reply as of yet.

Now- for the members, who are not sure as to the effectiveness of sphagium moss as compared to a R/O unit.
First, I do not want to compete: a R/O unit against a peat filter.
A R/O unit is highly effective, in removing the salts from water. Properly setup and maintained.
Second - many have tried to use peat moss as a water conditioner and Failed to get the results they thought they would get. Fom reading their expierences - they did not follow the correct procedure.
Third, Peat moss conditioned water is Know as Black Water.

Peat conditioned water takes a bit more work. Personal work.
You have to fill the container; you have to empty the container. You have to moniter the waters numbers.
Also - the peat from Germany is different than the Canadian Sphagium moss.

Now, the ability of peat moss to soften water. Extremely good!
eg - 450 ppm KH; 450 GH ppm; = The softness can be as low as "ZERO".

Some have complained that their water is brown. They want crystal clear water.
The tannins from the peat are what colour the water.

Some have said peat was not effective in lowering the waters numbers. Upon reading their method, it was obvious; they did not follow the proper procedure.

Many members have posted on how to properly use peat moss. and the benifits.
However, many have tryed to simplified the use of peat and were not happy with the results.

A R/O unit is effective and simple to use.
Peat moss is a little more "time" demanding of the user.
Not for everyone; Yes I agree.
In the long term; peat conditioned water is worth the exta effort. MPO.

If you have to condition you raw water, match the water to the species of fish that have to live in it. By what ever method you choose!

Smokey