I live in jersey (water is terrible for aquariums:-/) any hints/tips for conditioning water for aquariums?

Question

Main problem is hardness.

Answer 1

Excess hardness is a tricky one to fix because you have to actually remove something from the water (dissolved minerals). They wont go away by themselves and there is no simple solution to tip in and neutralise them.

Some solutions.

Reverse Osmosis fitler. This will remove pretty much everything from the water. You may want to mix it back with a percentage of unfiltered tap water to maintain some hardness though. If the amount is small some pet shops sell R/O filtered water by the gallon.

Rainwater. If you live in an area thats not too polluted then you can catch water in a rain barrel and use that. Again, best to mix with some tap water and get the hardness you want.

Keep fish that like hard water. Ideal for African cichlids. Many people have to Add mineral salts to their water to keep those cichlids happy, you have water thats already ideal for them.

Also many fish can adapt to harder water than their normal range. If your water is hard, but the fish are still happy, leave it like that.

Ian

Answer 2

Few if any places have tap water that is really suitable for aquariums. I have always used Reverse Osmosis water (can buy or use a home system) and since my tanks are salt as well as adding in anything needed to keep pH and other levels where they should be.

Even with fresh water tanks, you should do the same basic process and keep in mind that it usually pays off to initially spend the majority of the money on good equipment (filtration, lighting, pumps, etc.) and then later invest in the livestock you want.

Answer 3

yep you need to buy a bottle of decholrinizer from your local pet store like a petco, petsmart or walmart. it cost like four dollars. And you want to use it everytime you do a water change and add new fish. Follow the directions of the back of the bottle to ensure proper treatment for your tank and fish.

Answer 4

If the water is really REALLY bad then jut get water/fish conditioner from a pet store and add a little more conditioner than needed.

conditioner it usually used to get rid of the chlorine and other harmful chemicals also to add a slimy coating to the fish.

make sure the conditioner is right for the type of fish you have i have tropical fish so i use that conditioner but i also saw goldfish conditioner, marine conditioner, and freshwater conditioner.

Answer 5

Use spring water and dechlorinated tap water... then test for pH becuase water hardness usually has a high pH.