soft water for fish tank

Question
I have been using the tap water in my house to fill my tropical fish aquarium and was wondering if it was safe or the right thing to use. My tap water is conditioned from a soft water conditioner from a tank outside our house. We live in an area that has really hard water (Los Osos, CA), so we have a soft water conditioner to maintain the water pipes and conserve on using soap when washing. Someone told me that I shouldn't use my water inside the house because of the type of salt they add to the water conditioner tank once a month. I have gourami fish and know that they like soft water so I thought I was helping the fish. Should I be using the water from outside of the house which is not conditioned? And if I should not be using the inside water, what do I do to make the fish tank water softer for my gourami fish? Thanks

Answer
Dona,

It is said that soft water conditioner water is worse - has higher mineral ion content, higher osmolarity (vitally important to fish and other aquatics), and higher TDS (total dissolved solids, which we can measure but rarely do). How long have you had this aquarium? On the other hand, if they are doing well with that water, then I don't know if it needs to be changed. Yes, they do like soft water, but also hard water. If you are very concerned about your inside water what I would do is, start doing water changes from an outside pipe, and then condition the water with the conditioners for your kind of fish. I wouldn't do a large water change, don't want your fish to go into shock. A slow gradual change will be best.  You will most likely have to add an anti chlorine to your outside water. Hope this helps. Let me know if i can help you more. Gourami's, as you know, are labyrinth fish, which makes them easy to keep since they are not too picky on the water you have them in.


I HAVE THIS IN CAPS SO YOU CAN SEE THAT I AM REVISING MY ANSWER. IF YOU THINK YOUR FISH HAVE DROPSY, THEN QUICK TREATMENT IS A MUST, OR YOU RISK THE CHANCE OF YOUR FISH DYING. THE NUMBER ONE REASON FISH GET THIS IS POOR WATER QUALITY, WHICH MIGHT BE BECAUSE OF THE WATER SOFTENER. I AM SURE YOU KNOW HOW TO TREAT IT BUT I THOUGHT I WOULD TELL YOU HOW IN CASE YOU DON'T. DROPSY IS NOT REALLY A DISEASE BUT A BACTERIAL INFECTION USUALLY CAUSED, LIKE I MENTIONED, BY BAD WATER. DROPSY IS THE HARDEST INTERNAL BACTERIAL INFECTION TO CURE, BUT IT CAN BE DONE. I WILL INSTRUCT YOU IN GIVING A SALT WATER BATH IN CASE YOU DON'T KNOW HOW. YOU CAN DO THIS WITH EPSOM SALT OR AQUARIUM SALT, BUT EPSOM IS BETTER. IN A 1 GALLON CONTAINER, ADD 1 TEASPOON EPSOM SALT AND 1 GALLON CONDITIONED WATER. PLACE YOUR FISH IN THIS FOR 15 MINUTES. MAKE SURE YOU WATCH YOUR FISH CLOSELY SO THAT IF A PROBLEM ARISES YOU CAN REMOVE THEM IMMEDIATELY. WHILE THEY ARE IN THE BATH, DO A 25% WATER CHANGE IN THEIR TANK. ONLY DO THE WATER CHANGE ONCE EVERY 2 DAYS, NOT EVERY DAY. YOU WANT TO DO THIS BATH 2 TIMES A DAY FOR 5 DAYS. YOU CAN GET AN ANTIBIOTIC, AND IF YOU DO, ADD IT TO THEIR FOOD, NOT THE WATER. YOU MIGHT WANT TO FAST THEM FOR 24 HOURS TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE HUNGRY ENOUGH TO EAT THE MEDICATION. I HOPE THIS HELPS, AND PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I CAN HELP IN ANY WAY.