# Water hardness?



## SageMyster (Jul 13, 2011)

I got this little beauty five days ago:​ 








 


... his fins were very badly damaged from poor Petco maintenance and he looked ill, so I began salt treatments (with 75%, 50%, 50%, and 50% water changes, respectively, in a 1-gal tank) four days ago. I have one day left to go.

I've been checking his water levels every day, and generally everything has been looking fine. However, today the reader indicated water hardness (not strong, just general). Normally it read "moderate". Is something wrong, or could it just be the salt treatments? Will hardness go down as the treatments stop?

Thank you in advance! :-D


----------



## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

What is the Alkalinity of your water? Judging from your previous posts about Harlot's water, I'm kind of curious...


----------



## SageMyster (Jul 13, 2011)

It doesn't give me any numbers, just a color indicating good/bad/moderate/safe/etc. Would taking an ammonia test be of any assistance to you? That one will give me an actual number


----------



## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

No it won't really help, haha. The thing is, there are packets you can buy to soften your water if you feel it is a little too high. However if the alkalinity of your water is poor, then it may cause your newly treated water to be TOO soft.

The alkalinity of water is basically its ability to withstand changes to its chemistry.

I was curious because on your other post about your foggy tank, you commented on a "high" pH that appeared in one day


----------



## SageMyster (Jul 13, 2011)

Yes, I took the coconut out and then everything went back to normal.  Not doing that again!

His pH is high, but I don't know if there's anything I can do about it. I live in SoCal, and I think that has to do with pH levels in water - at least as far as I've read. As long as it's not harmful to him, I don't think it's that big of a deal. I was just trying to throw ideas out there.

Strangely, the test strip indicated that his alkalinity levels were perfect. Weird? Maybe the water just has to settle. After tomorrow (last day of salt treatment), I'm going to let it rest for about two-three days before messing with it again.

Is hardness a really bad thing though? Even if it's the first time it's occured? If it's a bad thing, I will run to Petco in the morning and buy the softening packets. What is your opinion?


----------



## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

My pH is around 8 and my hardness is also considered "Very Hard" on the scale. 

There haven't been any verified long-term health issues (for fish) using hard/soft water. However I have been recently suspecting that VERY soft water is not good for them, because a lot of the metals have been removed and not providing any nutrients (Fish need calcium too!).

To be honest, as long as your fish is OK in the water, it should be fine. Messing with difficult stuff like pH or Hardness or Alkalinity will mean you have to consistently do it forever, which can become cumbersome and expensive


----------



## SageMyster (Jul 13, 2011)

All right, so it sounds like it's not a big deal. Thanks so much for your assistance!


----------

