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The Goldfish Gazette, Issue #133 Soft Water Problems (for Goldfish) January 30, 2025 |
Goldfish Care TipsA Free Monthly Resource For Goldfish Enthusiasts In This Issue The advantages of soft water are the prevention of scale buildup in pipes, water heaters, and water fixtures (taps), less washing powder used to clean clothes, and longer appliance life. Soft Water Problems (for Goldfish)
Freshwater calcium test kitGoldfish are hard water fish. This means they like water that is high in minerals such as calcium and magnesium.Why? Because fish, especially Goldfish, absorb calcium from the water through their gills. Calcium is vital for the function and growth of most living organisms, promoting muscle growth, bone strength, and healthy egg formation. Calcium similarly encourages the development, strengthening, and healing of shells in aquatic creatures such as freshwater snails and shrimps. Calcium also increases resistance to degenerative diseases by lowering the acidity in the fish’s body. Soft Water Problems in AquariumsAs has been stated many times, Goldfish can live in a wide range of water conditions, such as hard or soft water, pH between 6.5-9.0, temperatures from just above freezing to 38oC (100oF), etc.But if we want our Goldfish to grow and breed successfully, we must provide them with water closer to their ideal water parameters. For those lucky enough to live in areas with hard water, this e-zine isn’t really of much value, but many of us get our water from lakes and reservoirs, which generally produce very soft water. I have chronically soft water for keeping Goldfish, with a KH (carbonate hardness) of 0.5-1 and a GH (general hardness) of around 2-3. Goldfish prefer a KH and GH around 11 (200 ppm) and above. Soft water pH drops quickly in aquariums when fish are present. My water from the tap is 7.5, but it will start dropping rapidly within days because of the low KH. I am seeing evidence from testing that Goldfish don’t grow when calcium levels in the water are low. Dietary calcium in foods will help with this, but many Goldfish foods don’t have calcium added. This is fine if you live in an area with hard water, but for the rest of us, we need to correct the water parameters to enable our fish to thrive. Soft Water SolutionsMany off-the-shelf solutions at your local specialist fish retailer will raise the pH and hardness, which are basically sodium carbonate and sodium chloride.I went down to my local garden center and bought a small sack of limestone. After washing, I placed it in bags and trays in my aquariums and ponds. Limestone is rich in calcium and magnesium. Within days, my pH stabilized, and now, it never drops below 7.5. The KH is still low, 3-4, but that level provides enough of a buffer to stop the pH dropping. The limestone partially solved my low GH but hasn’t raised it high enough and isn’t providing enough calcium a healthy freshwater aquarium should have of around 70-90 ppm. Mine is around 30 ppm. I could improve that by putting the limestone in a filter so water passes over and through it, but I don’t want to run multiple power filters as my setup is air-driven. Presently, I am adding a commercially available calcium chloride additive to two test aquariums I am running to bring the calcium level up to the desired 70-90 ppm. After only a week, results look promising, but it is too early to come to any concrete conclusions without further testing. Comments? Ideas? Feedback? I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this e-zine and tell me what you think, or what topics you want to be covered. www.facebook.com/aboutgoldfish |
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