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when it failed to propergate within 24 hours. My appologies in the
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I have just completed my first water change using my new processed
water. Naturally, I tested this water first so that it had acceptable
values including a low enough temperature.
That final test seemed to indicate a pH level of lower than 7.2, where
either 7.0 or 7.1 seemed about right.
Anyway, after deciding that my fish should have no problems quickly
adjusting to this new better water, when after all it will be diluted
in the old hard water first, then so could this change be done fairly
rapidly.
So maybe I will have it completely switched over within one to two
weeks, but I will closely monitor my fish during this. I hardly doubt
that they will have any problems with neutral soft water, but then
this is a rather new event around here.
Anyway, since I decided that more of the old water being removed the
better, then so did I remove 40% of the volume. The new water added
back 30% of this volume, which means that I have a 10% gap to soon
fill.
This warmer water increased the tank temperature by 3 degrees C, but
as this was done slowly and within acceptable limits, then so did my
fish have no problems.
One odd thing that I did see was that my fish actually enjoyed
swimming into this water as I was pouring in. Maybe they just liked
the unusual warmth, when my usual new water is much colder, but then
maybe they could also sense the major water quality change.
After yet another water test, then so does my tank mixed water (60%
hard + 30% soft) now look like this...
pH = 7.6
KH = 10
GH = 13
NO2 = 0
NO3 = 75
So this 30% soft water addition lowered the pH by 0.2 and the general
hardness has gone down by 7.5, where of course the Carbonate Hardness
has gone down by 5, thanks to my boiling and filtering out almost all
the Calcium Carbonate.
I guess Calcium Carbonate is an alkaline, when this explains my former
7.8 pH, when pH will drop the more of it that is removed.
Most pleasing of all is that the General Hardness of my water has
changed from the early stages of Extremely Hard, to the upper stages
of Average Hardness.
That alone offers me much greater choice in the plants that I can now
have, but the best is yet to come, when all this aquarium water is
slowly removed and diluted into the upper realm of Soft Water.
So as long as I remember to never use "water with rocks in it"
straight from the tap, then my aquarium can have Soft Water in an
Extremely Hard Water area.
I am very pleased by this fact, where I am sure that my dying plants
will like no longer living in alkaline based extremely hard water,
when myself, my fish and my plants are on the road to total neutral.
It is going to take a long time for these water change benefits to
appear in the plants and maybe even the fish, but this certainly won't
be a bad thing.
In the end I am just wondering what you can do with filtered out
Calcium Carbonate, besides throwing it away, when my filter paper has
amassed quite a collection.
Anyway, I hope that other aquarium owners in hard water areas found
this useful, when in my case at least you do not need to spend a small
fortune to have Soft Water.
I am now wondering if I should drink this water instead (prior to the
fish pooping in it!), when is Calcium Carbonate good for you? Y/N.
Cardman.
http://www.cardman.com
http://www.cardman.co.uk