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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!harpo!eagle!mhuxl!houxm!ihnp4!ihuxi!walsh
From: walsh@ihuxi.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.pets
Subject: Soft water use in the Aquarium
Message-ID: <695@ihuxi.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 22-Nov-83 15:07:37 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxi.695
Posted: Tue Nov 22 15:07:37 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 25-Nov-83 04:22:02 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, Il
Lines: 17

Does anyone out there use water softened by a household ion-exchange water
softener in their aquariums? If so, have you had any problems? I have been
using softened water in two of my four tanks for those fish that prefer soft
water for almost two years. A guy at a pet store told me that this would
introduce salt into the water and kill the fish (freshwater fish). Well,
since I've been doing it for two years and no fish have died mysteriously,
I have reason to doubt this. I always thought the ion-exchange introduced no
salt into the water (Yechh) and I sure can't taste any. Then my brother who's
got a degree in chemistry and is working on a doctorate in toxicology told
me that water softeners do put salt in the water. I find this hard to beleive.
Just because they use salt in the ion-exchange process, I don't think sodium
chloride is put in the water. Before this sounds like it belongs in net.general
or something, I just would like to know if others use soft water in aquaria. 

Sorry for rambling, 

B. Walsh