My area has very hard tap water, and it killed my fish. What can I do to keep this from happening?
by 
maria pacheco
ANSWERS: 8
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The most convenient thing to do would be buy a water filtration system. Britta makes one that works great at eliminating bacteria, polutants, chlorine, etc. All you have to do is put the pitcher under the tap and fill it up, there is a filter inside that cleans the water as you fill. Then you can pour the water into the fish tank knowing that it is clean. If the water killed the fish than it is probably not too good for you either, so it would be a good idea to use it for yourself too. Another thing that you can do which won't cost you anything but is more time consuming, is boil the water first. This will kill/eliminate most of the bacteria and other elements that you don't want in the water, but of course you then have to wait for it to cool before you can use it for the fish, or for yourself to drink.
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adjust the General hardness by using water softeners, and better filtration system
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Most pet stores selll something called a water softener or pillow that will bring the hardness of the water down ...the problem is some of them can be expensive and have to be replaced quite often ...the best thing to do for hard water is to use reverse osmosis water in ur tanks .While i know everyone can't afford this as the systems for reverse osmosis are extemely expensiive you could do what i do ...if u live near somewhere that has a kidney dialysis clinic you could ask them if they would let you fill some buckets out of their reverse osmosis unit ...most people will if u tell them why u need it .good luck .....
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Well, I've never done this myself, but you could try using peat moss in your filter or some driftwood in your tank. This colors the water slightly, but as long as your fish prefer soft/acid water (like most fish from the Amazon basin who naturally have this in their water), it should be fine.
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Hello; Hard water is caused by minerals in the water. Water can be softened by adding Ph-Down to disolve the minerals. There are also water softening pillows -- they are recharged by letting them sit in a salty solution just like your water softener. Just rinse well before adding them to your tank. OFM
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Hello; If your water is alkaline --- or very hard with calcium --- there is very little you can do to soften it. I have a previous answer on here about using softening pillows --- they work like the home water softener and add salt --Na2CO3 .. Sodium Carbonate to the water which is alkaline. The only way around this is to buy better water --- or purchase a R/0 unit -- reverse osmosis -- and dilute your water with this pure water. An R/O unit removes everything from the water as only pure water makes it through the membrane, this water without trace elements and minerals is not good alone. It has nothing in it to buffer PH and any Carbonic acid from CO2 in old water will cause a PH crash and will kill your fish. Over time you will know the right % to add to your water. A reverse osmosis unit can be purchased at a low cost from Ebay. OFM
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many local stores have reverse osmosis (R.O.) water for sale that can help soften your water.. use about half R.O. and half of your tap, and that should bring it down (and it's a safe natural way of bringing it down)
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5-9-2017 How much money do you want to spend? For about fifteen bux you can get a pitcher from Pur or Brita and that will filter a little less than a half gallon in fifteen minutes or so. For about 300 bux you can get a particulate filter for the whole house and a carbon filter for drinking water, and those work as fast as the water flows. Do not get a water softener for anything more than the laundry. A softener replaces the hardness with sodium ions, and those cause heart attacks. If you decide to do the whole house I can give you a link to the store where I bought mine. If your water kills fish, I think you need professional advice - and don't drink the water until you get it.
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