How do I make hard water soft in my fish tank?

Question

I 'acquired' a goldfish in a very small tank before Christmas. He now has a bigger tank. When I set the new tank up I put the water from the old tank in the new tank and topped it up with water from the tap which had been treated for chlorine etc. I have been monitoring the water in the tank and everything appears to be OK or is heading that way except for the hardness of the water which hasn't changed. The water testing kit I have does not really tell me how to make hard water soft. Is there a product available that can help me out? (I am a beginner to fishkeeping and am on a very steep learning curve so be gentle!). Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

Do yourself and the fish a favour and leave the water be.

Water is hard for a reason - it contains a higher level of minerals and other elements that end up resulting in this harder water. If you go and buy an additive from the store, it will add more elements that will try and fight with the existing elements, but won't actually remove them. The end result is unstable water, and this is much less healthy for the fish then just having water a bit to hard.

These fis hare more adapatable and hardier then sometimes given credit for. Keep it simple, add nothing to the water except conditioner, and your fish will do well.

If you really really want to get the water softer, then you should do it the proper way and actually remove those elements. R.O filtration is the best way to do this, and you can mix R.O. with tap water to achieve a middle ground. But still, in my experience playing chemist is just not necessary.

Answer 2

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RE:
How do I make hard water soft in my fish tank?
I 'acquired' a goldfish in a very small tank before Christmas. He now has a bigger tank. When I set the new tank up I put the water from the old tank in the new tank and topped it up with water from the tap which had been treated for chlorine etc. I have been monitoring the water in the tank and everything appears to be OK or is heading that way except for the hardness of the water which hasn't changed. The water testing kit I have does not really tell me how to make hard water soft. Is there a product available that can help me out? (I am a beginner to fishkeeping and am on a very steep learning curve so be gentle!). Thanks for your...

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How do I make hard water soft in my fish tank?
I 'acquired' a goldfish in a very small tank before Christmas. He now has a bigger tank. When I set the new tank up I put the water from the old tank in the new tank and topped it up with water from the tap which had been treated for chlorine etc. I have been monitoring the water in the...

Answer 4

Carp or Goldfish don't really need soft water and are fairly tolerant to chlorine as long as the water is added gradually.

You have two easy options for soft water,1, do you know anyone with a domestic water softener who you can cadge some water from, or, 2, collect rain water in a plastic container, allow it to settle and use this ( also no chlorine problem).

You don't actually say what the hardness level in the tank is - anything below about 200 ppm is quite safe, in the south of England (notoriously hard water) the range is between 300 - 350 ppm depending on recent rainfall.

Are you using any filtration? if not you need to change about 10% of the water every so often to prevent the buildup of nitrates/nitrites.

Answer 5

1}
keep tap water in a clean bucket over night,
before adding to your tank ( this will evaporate the chlorine in the water )
2 ] water conditioner tablets are available in all pet stores and aquatic specialists . They will help to get the PH right ,

Keeping fish is an acquired art and a great hobby ,

learn as much as you can from books and aquatic magazines , and experts .
Think about joining a local aquatic club, for first hand tips .

Keeping ,an attractive, healthy fish tank is a joy and a great achievement .

Nobody knows it all ,
just pick up as much as you can, from those who have achieved success.
Please , remember to pass on your own good tips to others

Good luck with your wonderful new venture

>^,,^<

Answer 6

I would leave it alone, I have been down that road and turned my tank into a chemical soup trying to change the water chemistry

As another poster mentioned you can add part tap water and part RO (reverse osmosis) water which you can purchase from pet shops.

I live in a very hardwater area (North London) and my goldfish (Mr Chunky) does fine in this environment. The only thing I would say is your filter in your new tank may not have had time to grow the benficial bacteria if you need more help PM me

Answer 7

Your goldfish will be fine in the water that is coming out of your tap as long as you remove the chlorine. There are drops that are sold to add to the water as you put it into the tank. DeChlor is what I use when I do my weekly water changes on my 25 tanks.

Just add the required number of drops as you add the fresh water to your tank. Remember, goldfish are dirty little guys and you should change 40-50% of his water every 4-5 days. Do not change 100% of the water because there are beneficial bacteria that live in the water that are needed to keep the water stable and healthy. Good luck!

Answer 8

Hard Water Aquarium

Answer 9

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Answer 10

I have a 2.5 gallon tank with a betta fish inside. I use spring water I get from work - LOL! That way I don't have to deal with hard water at all.