Salt-free water softener systems

[Becca]

Has anyone tried these? Are they useful if the fish you keep are soft-water fish (mostly new world cichlids, cats, characins, plus SE Asian stuff)?

Jeremy wants discus and also wants some sort of water filtration for the showers in the house because the hard water bothers his skin.

I'm wondering if one of the salt-free systems might kill 2 birds with one stone and be less of a hassle than storing RO water for the fish tanks (plus having to change out filters, tubing, etc.) and installing and changing shower filters, etc.

Of course, it's WAY more expensive than the other options, which means it will require a different kind of patience, but if it sort of solves everything, it might be worth the wait.

 

[willyb1972020]

I have a rain soft system in my house. Its not salt free but none of the African, s/a, or tropical fish mind it at all.

 

[DougGosnell]

What is the issue with the non-salt-free ones? If I understand it, they substitute sodium for calcium, then remove the sodium since it is easier to do?

 

[Becca]

What is the issue with the non-salt-free ones? If I understand it, they substitute sodium for calcium, then remove the sodium since it is easier to do?

They add some salt to the water, which isn't necessarily a big deal, but can raise pH... I guess if you want soft water because you want to be able to lower pH, it seems counter productive to raise it... I just remember being cautioned about them long ago, but I can't remember the specific caution...

 

[verbal]

I think that hardness tends to matter a lot more than pH.

 

[YSS]

I keep discus in Fairfax tap water. It's widely known that domestic discus can successfully be kept in high pH and hard water.

 

[Becca]

I keep discus in Fairfax tap water. It's widely known that domestic discus can successfully be kept in high pH and hard water.

Yes, I've heard that, but I've also heard that it's not necessarily a given. Where did you get your Discus?

 

[DougGosnell]

According to many many threads on Simplydiscus, the adults need soft water for fertilization but that the fry need hard water for correct skeleton and growth rates. Were I you, I would go to that site. It is also by FAR the best on the Internet with disease and drug info and has a sub-forum called Discus University that you can use to train your eye on desirable ( and not so) traits on discus.

 

[Frank Cowherd]

Salt (sodium chloride) is cheap. It is sold at Lowes and elsewhere in 40 pound sacks for $10 or $12. A whole house ion exchange system will turn your tap water into soft water and the salt holder that comes with it just needs to be filled with salt occasionally. The regeneration of the ion exchange beds is automatic and timed for your use of water. Basically the ion exchange system replaces (exchanges) calcium and magnesium ions which make water hard with sodium ions. THe resulting water is soft but does contain the sodium ions.

With such an ion exchange system you have no calcium deposit build up on any thing in the house which uses water. You have soft water for your fish and hard water if you get it before the ion exchange unit.

The down side of the salt use to make soft water is basically only for homes that have septic systems verses city sewer. Salt fed into a septic system can over time make the surrounding soil impenetrable to water. Salt interacts with clay containing soils to make it so water does not go through it as easily.

From what I have read on the non-salt thing it does not remove any hardness.

 

[Becca]

Salt (sodium chloride) is cheap. It is sold at Lowes and elsewhere in 40 pound sacks for $10 or $12. A whole house ion exchange system will turn your tap water into soft water and the salt holder that comes with it just needs to be filled with salt occasionally. The regeneration of the ion exchange beds is automatic and timed for your use of water. Basically the ion exchange system replaces (exchanges) calcium and magnesium ions which make water hard with sodium ions. THe resulting water is soft but does contain the sodium ions.

With such an ion exchange system you have no calcium deposit build up on any thing in the house which uses water. You have soft water for your fish and hard water if you get it before the ion exchange unit.

The down side of the salt use to make soft water is basically only for homes that have septic systems verses city sewer. Salt fed into a septic system can over time make the surrounding soil impenetrable to water. Salt interacts with clay containing soils to make it so water does not go through it as easily.

From what I have read on the non-salt thing it does not remove any hardness.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we have a septic system... d'oh.