I am getting a water softner???

On Dec 22 I am having a water softner installed. I had 14 grain hardness.
What would be the best method to acclimate the fish to the new softer water
condition, or should I use the hard water from an unconditioned outside cold
faucet to service the tank with. Since it will be the dead of winter,
should I also take this "outside hard" water and store it in the house for
a few days to bring it up to temp or mix warm softened water with it.
Normally, I use a thermometer to adjust the temp from the faucet and then
add water condtioner before refilling the tank.

My fish stock is as follows:


50 Gallon Tank:

2 Glass Catfish (Large, -P 1/24/04) (Small, -P 2/5/2004)
1 Glass Fish -P 1/24/04
1 Rainbow Shark -p 1/31/04
1 Flame Dwarf Gourami -p 1/24/04
4 Clown Loaches -p (2) 1/24/04 -P (2) 8/1/04
2 Dalmation Mollies (1 female -p 1/24/04) (1 female, -p 2/7/2004)
2 Silver Angelfish -p (1 female, 1 unknown) 1/24/04
1 Red Velvet Swordtails (1 female; -p1/24/04) (1 female -p1/31/04)
4 Long-finned Zebra Danios -p 1/31/04
1 Plecostomus catfish -p 2/29/04
1 Chinease Alge Eater ( 10/30/04)

5 Gallon Tank:
4 Sunset fin Wag Tail Mollies (1 female; 7/7/04) -p (2 males; 1 female)
8/15/04
3 Sunset Fin Wag Tail Mollie FRY (Born 11/18/04)


TOTAL 32

This message was written on 100% recycled spam. SAM

"Samuel Warren" wrote in message
...
| On Dec 22 I am having a water softner installed. I had 14 grain
hardness.


There is another thread on water softners started the day before
yours. It is answering the questions you have. In short, water run
through a softner is generally not good for fish. If you are looking
to treat your water for aquaria use you're wanting a RO unit.
(Reverse Osmosis)

Looks like I need to just water from the faucet that is not softened.


This message was written on 100% recycled spam. SAM

"Billy" wrote in message
...


"Samuel Warren" wrote in message
...
| On Dec 22 I am having a water softner installed. I had 14 grain
hardness.


There is another thread on water softners started the day before
yours. It is answering the questions you have. In short, water run
through a softner is generally not good for fish. If you are looking
to treat your water for aquaria use you're wanting a RO unit.
(Reverse Osmosis)

"Samuel Warren" wrote in message
...
| Looks like I need to just water from the faucet that is not
softened.
|


Yep, as long as your water is not VERY hard, for most applications in
freshwater, this would be fine, provided you treat it for chlorine,
chloramine, etc.

I don't know about the RO unit. I had one such water softener and I wasn't
able to keep healthy fish of any kind other than one Jack Dempsey that just
wouldn't die. All other tropical fish got diseased and died within a few
months. Nothing I did seemed to work.

"Samuel Warren" wrote in message
...
On Dec 22 I am having a water softner installed. I had 14 grain
hardness.
What would be the best method to acclimate the fish to the new softer
water
condition, or should I use the hard water from an unconditioned outside
cold
faucet to service the tank with. Since it will be the dead of winter,
should I also take this "outside hard" water and store it in the house
for
a few days to bring it up to temp or mix warm softened water with it.
Normally, I use a thermometer to adjust the temp from the faucet and
then
add water condtioner before refilling the tank.

My fish stock is as follows:


50 Gallon Tank:

2 Glass Catfish (Large, -P 1/24/04) (Small, -P 2/5/2004)
1 Glass Fish -P 1/24/04
1 Rainbow Shark -p 1/31/04
1 Flame Dwarf Gourami -p 1/24/04
4 Clown Loaches -p (2) 1/24/04 -P (2) 8/1/04
2 Dalmation Mollies (1 female -p 1/24/04) (1 female, -p 2/7/2004)
2 Silver Angelfish -p (1 female, 1 unknown) 1/24/04
1 Red Velvet Swordtails (1 female; -p1/24/04) (1 female -p1/31/04)
4 Long-finned Zebra Danios -p 1/31/04
1 Plecostomus catfish -p 2/29/04
1 Chinease Alge Eater ( 10/30/04)

5 Gallon Tank:
4 Sunset fin Wag Tail Mollies (1 female; 7/7/04) -p (2 males; 1 female)
8/15/04
3 Sunset Fin Wag Tail Mollie FRY (Born 11/18/04)


TOTAL 32


Do small water changes more often using your heated tap (softened) water.
Eventually all the water will be to the new recipe and the fish will
acclimate to it. It is true that softened water is not a natural mix
(soft but salty), but many fish will adjust to it if it's done gradually.
jmo
--
www.NetMax.tk