Water Softener

Discussion in 'Water Chemistry' started by Zach.66, Jan 11, 2012.

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  1. Zach.66

    Zach.66 Flamingo Tongue

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    Would a water softener make water for aquariums better than regular tap water? I'm not trying to compare it to an RO/DI system, but would a water softener do anything to help make tap water better for fish?:confused:
     
    Zach.66, Jan 11, 2012
    Zach.66, Jan 11, 2012
    #1

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  2. SwimsWithFish

    SwimsWithFish Giant Squid

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    Hardness is only one of the problems with tap. There's a ton of minerals phosphates, copper, nitrates, chlorine... The list goes on. The only way to make it 100% safe is to use an RODI. If you can't get an rodi the next step down would be distilled. And If both arent available then tap water treated with prime would be satisfactory. You would have algae problems though.
     
    SwimsWithFish, Jan 11, 2012
    SwimsWithFish, Jan 11, 2012
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  3. AZDesertRat

    AZDesertRat Giant Squid

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    No it does not make it better for an aquarium. It does act as pretreatment for a RO/DI system though and will make them last longer and work better. In fact all RO membrane manufacturers recommend softened water for their membranes.

    Prime is in no way a substitute for RO/DI or distilled water. It binds a few contaminants so they are not as active but they are still present.
     
    AZDesertRat, Jan 11, 2012
    AZDesertRat, Jan 11, 2012
    #3