edmonton water hardness

[Keen]

does anyone have any good ideas on how to soften the city water? I have read up on it, and we have the 2nd hardest water in all of canada. what do people use locally to soften their water, or if they dont, why not?

[Richer]

I use a hammer and chisel :mrgreen:

Honestly though, as far as I know, RO/DI units are the only things that can be effective against the hardness of our water... everything else just doesn't work or carry their weight in cost.
Water softeners won't do squat, all they do is replace one mineral with another to prevent calcium buildup on our water outputs. Most other methods are generally reserved for FW tanks (ie. use of tannins via peat filtration, driftwood, etc.). Chemicals are out of the question for nearly all experienced aquarists for a good reason.

I use RO water for my reef and straight out of the tap water (treated with prime) for my FW tanks.

-Richer

[Keen]

so the filtered water from supermarkets like safeway is softer than city water?

[jess128]

I think it's softer than the tap water. The water that's in my tank is RO from save on foods.

[jess128]

I think it's softer than the tap water. The water that's in my tank is RO from save on foods.