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How do I lower the hardness in my 29 gallon fish tank?

It's about 350 ppi (dH 20)

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7 ANSWERS


  1. What the person above me and above them said.


  2. a good ph decreaser and a good 30 percent water chang should do the trick


  3. Peat moss is a good way to lower hardness.

  4. The ideal solution is to collect rain water and dilute it with tap water until the desired hardness is obtained. Unfortunately, this method requires various precautions and involves certain risks. The guttering and storage tank must be of non-metallic material. They must be as clean as possible, and cemented roofs must be avoided (essentially cement is powdered limestone). This activity cannot be carried out in regions where the atmosphere is highly polluted because the rain will contain all sorts of unsuitable elements. Water collected close to or downwind of, industrial areas may be polluted. Collect only during prolonged downpours, and wait a few minutes while the dust and any other rubbish is washed away. It is highly advised to filter or strain the collected water through filter wool to remove any detritus.

    Boiling water will remove some, but not all, of the dissolved salts.

    You can also pass the water through resins, which capture the mineral salts and leave it very soft. This method, which is known as ion exchange, requires a well regulated flow of water and the resins to be changed regularly (use only resins sold for aquarium use). This may affect the pH, and, as it exchanges calcium ions for (usually) sodium ions, the result may be soft but still mineral-rich (and unsuitable for fish from mineral-poor regions).

    In recent years a technique called reverse osmosis has been made available to the hobbyist. This involves utilizing a unit to produce water which is chemically pure, hence perfect for aquarium use. This removes all minerals but it is wasteful – some 45.5 litres of tap water are needed to produce 4.5 litres of mineral-free water. It cannot be used alone because when devoid of all its salts, the water becomes very unstable. The pH can then fluctuate widely in a short space of time, becoming dangerous for the fish. Also, the process involved in the removal of minerals, removes free oxygen, so there is nothing to “breathe”. It must be aerated heavily before use, and never used “neat”. However, the greatest drawback of this process lies in its high cost.

    Filtering water through peat can effectively reduce the hardness of the aquarium. Products such as sera super peat (sera biopeat granulate in ponds) or the addition of sera morena, which contain natural peat extracts, trace elements and humic acids, can help to lower levels for softer water species. Other sera products such as pH-minus will also help to reduce hardness, in conjunction with water changes.

    Finally, it is also possible to use a very soft bottled mineral water, either for dilution or for the small tanks used to breed fish. This water needs to be vigorously aerated because it is void of oxygen.

  5. Use a water softener.

  6. 10 points? 10 POINTS! 10 points? 10 POINTS!

  7. whatever the person above me said8D

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