Water Softeners & Phosphates

[TZ]

Do water softeners (the kind that are known to replace Calcium and
Magnesium, the usual hardness elements) also remove Phosphorous from water?
I'm wondering if I should be using "softened" water in my aquarium which
keeps getting green water.

TZ

[Racf]

"TZ" > wrote in message
...
> Do water softeners (the kind that are known to replace Calcium and
> Magnesium, the usual hardness elements) also remove Phosphorous from
water?
> I'm wondering if I should be using "softened" water in my aquarium
which
> keeps getting green water.
>
> TZ
>
>
>

I do not believe so. It seems though that they do exchange for
ammonium....which is a shame since there is rarely any in the water
coming into a house.

[Racf]

"Jim Seidman" > wrote in message
om...
> "TZ" > wrote in message
>...
> > Do water softeners (the kind that are known to replace Calcium and
> > Magnesium, the usual hardness elements) also remove Phosphorous from
water?
> > I'm wondering if I should be using "softened" water in my aquarium
which
> > keeps getting green water.
>
> The water softeners you're talking about use what's called "cation
> exchange." Basically, they'll release sodium ions, which have a single
> positive charge, in exchange for more strongly positively charged ions
> such as Ca++ and Mg++ with their two charges.
>
> Phosphate is negatively charged, and thus not affected by this
> process.
>
> Also, realize that the "soft" water will likely contain a lot of
> sodium, especially since two sodium ions are released for every
> calcium or magnesium ion captured. (The charges coming in and going
> out have to balance, so you need 2 Na+ to balance 1 Ca++.) Depending
> on your fish, they may not like that.
>
> - Jim

That's why I use Potassium Chloride instead of Sodium Chloride. At
least I do not have to dose Potassium anymore for the plants. There is
a bit of Sodium in it, but very little.