If I have a water softener, can there still be chlorine and other contaminents in the water?

Question

i have a water softener that uses potasium pelets. I also have a fish tank. I do water changes. When I do water changes, should I worry about chlorine?

Answer 1

Of course chlorine and chloramine are still in the water. Potassium is salt and only lowers the pH, it does not remove those two chemicals. Chloramine is by far the worst of the two and most all cities are using it now in addition to chlorine.

Use a retail product called De-Chlor, it removes both chemicals immediately when you add two drops per gallon of water you put in the tank. Add it as you pour the water in. 25-30% weekly water change is the rule to keep fish healthy and the ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels at 0.

Answer 2

If you have a well then you would not have chlorine in your water.
If the city is providing your water it has probably added chlorine as a disinfectant. The water softener uses salt to soften the water. When I had a softener I used the by pass to get non softened water. You can remove chlorine by aerating a container of water for a day This helps bring the water to room temperature) or buy chlorine remove from the pet store. Take your water to the pet store to have them test it. Does your water taste salty?) If you have an iron filter it may also put chemicals in the water.

Answer 3

A water softener is there just to get rid of chemicals that make "hard water" - the calcium, magnesium, and other minerals that make soap scum. It does that by swapping them out for the potassium from the pellets so now there is more potassium and less of other minerals. Will that still make the fish happy?
The chlorine is not a contaminant - it is the germ killer added to keep you from dying of typhoid or other germ-borne diseases. If you don't want it in your fish tank water just fill an open container with the water and let it stand for a few hours so the chlorine can bubble out.
If you want good fish tank water, start by collecting rain water or buy distilled water and let them stand at room temperature before pouring into the tank.

Answer 4

I wouldn't worry about the chlorine level from city water... I would let the water sit for 24 hours in a container before putting it in the tank though, if you're doing a full water change. Generally you only need to remove about 1/3 of the water in the tank and replace it... this helps keep the biological balance of the water so it's not like you're setting up a new tank (new enviornment) everytime you clean the tank.

Answer 5

Yes, a softener only softens the water with brine. To remove other chemicals or contaminates you will need to consult a water specialist. City water contains chlorine and I believe you can't get it out.

Answer 6

Is soft water safe for tropical fish?
Yes, soft water is satisfactory for most tropical fish. According to several authorities, both fully soft water and municipally softened water would have no undesirable or toxic effect for use in an aquarium.
FROMhttp://www.wqa.org/sitelogic.cfm?ID=367

Answer 7

Yes it can I found that the only thing that makes water taste good is reverse osmosis and they say it is bad for you because it takes out all the vitamins and minerals. So to make up for I take a kelp supplement.

Answer 8

I took this one class in college. It was a science class that focused alot about watetr and stuff. Like alkalinity and PH and stuff that was in water. We ran some tests that tested bottled water and regular tap water and found that there wasnt a significant difference between them. But there is something in tap water that makes it taste like crap, but its not and more bad for you than bottled water is.

Answer 9

I Don't think that chlorine would still be in the water.

Answer 10

Yes.Definitely get a water conditioner!