Chasing ideal numbers . . .

[KoiCop]

OK, folks: I'll be taking Steve Childers' recommendation and contacting the Culligan man on Monday to check out installing a water softener and a de-alkalyzer (whatever that is?).

Our tap water runs 8.3 pH, with KH and GH in the mid-hundreds.

We water change about 10% per day and use ST crystals for the chlorine/chloramines.

We have a mature 6K gunite pond with aerated bottom drains and a few show fish whose skin we'd like to keep young-looking longer.

I know he's going to ask for target #'s, so how about pH 7.2?

What would ideal KH and GH #'s be (with a 10% daily flow-through for replenishment)?

[mstrseed]

Don,

Are your Koi developing shimmies? Is your PH stable?

[KoiCop]

Quote: Originally Posted by mstrseed Don, Are your Koi developing shimmies? Is your PH stable?

Yes, several gosanke have dveloped shimies.

8.3 pH is rock solid.

[mstrseed]

I have a potassium softner and it has aided in a shimi vanishing on my Asagi. I blend the water 1/2 soft 1/2 hard. Except for the Omosako tank..........................it all hard

[KoiCop]

Interesting. But I've got to say, I'm as ignorant of your technology as I am of Steve's.

[schildkoi]

From:

Howstuffworks "How does a water softener work?"

We call water "hard" if it contains a lot of calcium or magnesium dissolved in it.

The idea behind a water softener is simple. The calcium and magnesium ions in the water are replaced with sodium ions. Since sodium does not precipitate out in pipes or react badly with soap, both of the problems of hard water are eliminated. To do the ion replacement, the water in the house runs through a bed of small plastic beads or through a chemical matrix called zeolite. The beads or zeolite are covered with sodium ions. As the water flows past the sodium ions, they swap places with the calcium and magnesium ions. Eventually, the beads or zeolite contain nothing but calcium and magnesium and no sodium, and at this point they stop softening the water. It is then time to regenerate the beads or zeolite.
Regeneration involves soaking the beads or zeolite in a stream of sodium ions. Salt is sodium chloride, so the water softener mixes up a very strong brine solution and flushes it through the zeolite or beads (this is why you load up a water softener with salt). The strong brine displaces all of the calcium and magnesium that has built up in the zeolite or beads and replaces it again with sodium. The remaining brine plus all of the calcium and magnesium is flushed out through a drain pipe. Regeneration can create a lot of salty water, by the way -- something like 25 gallons (95 liters).

From:

Alkalinity Feedwater Pretreatment

Dealkalization

Dealkalization is the process in which softened water is passed through a treatment tank that contains an anion resin. This anion resin removes anions such as sulfate, nitrate, carbonate and bicarbonate. These anions are then replaced by chloride. Sodium chloride (salt) is then used to regenerate the unit with the anion exchange resin.

Hard water has the ability to precipitate calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide within a dealkalizer, therefore it is necessary to have softened water fed to the system. In addition, the anion exchange bed is susceptible to fouling due to suspended solids. dealkalizer. The resin in a dealkalizer is lighter than that found in a water softener. This means that the backwash rate will be much slower and insufficient to remove any suspended material.

Hope this helps you Don.

Steve

[gspotmc]

Quote: Originally Posted by schildkoi From: Howstuffworks "How does a water softener work?" We call water "hard" if it contains a lot of calcium or magnesium dissolved in it. The idea behind a water softener is simple. The calcium and magnesium ions in the water are replaced with sodium ions. Since sodium does not precipitate out in pipes or react badly with soap, both of the problems of hard water are eliminated. To do the ion replacement, the water in the house runs through a bed of small plastic beads or through a chemical matrix called zeolite. The beads or zeolite are covered with sodium ions. As the water flows past the sodium ions, they swap places with the calcium and magnesium ions. Eventually, the beads or zeolite contain nothing but calcium and magnesium and no sodium, and at this point they stop softening the water. It is then time to regenerate the beads or zeolite. Regeneration involves soaking the beads or zeolite in a stream of sodium ions. Salt is sodium chloride, so the water softener mixes up a very strong brine solution and flushes it through the zeolite or beads (this is why you load up a water softener with salt). The strong brine displaces all of the calcium and magnesium that has built up in the zeolite or beads and replaces it again with sodium. The remaining brine plus all of the calcium and magnesium is flushed out through a drain pipe. Regeneration can create a lot of salty water, by the way -- something like 25 gallons (95 liters). From: Alkalinity Feedwater Pretreatment Dealkalization Dealkalization is the process in which softened water is passed through a treatment tank that contains an anion resin. This anion resin removes anions such as sulfate, nitrate, carbonate and bicarbonate. These anions are then replaced by chloride. Sodium chloride (salt) is then used to regenerate the unit with the anion exchange resin. Hard water has the ability to precipitate calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide within a dealkalizer, therefore it is necessary to have softened water fed to the system. In addition, the anion exchange bed is susceptible to fouling due to suspended solids. dealkalizer. The resin in a dealkalizer is lighter than that found in a water softener. This means that the backwash rate will be much slower and insufficient to remove any suspended material. Hope this helps you Don. Steve

Steve,
Thanks again. Chemistry

[KoiCop]

Well, actually, Steve . . . duh, no.

Try it this way, OK?

My water comes out of the tap (ph 8.3, KH 150 & GH 150) and enters the water softener; what comes out?

It then goes through the de-alkalyzer; what comes out?

Then I mix back in some untreated tap water to shoot for these levels:

pH?
KH?
GH?

Does anything else need to be replaced/restored (like calcium, magnesium, etc. that's been taken out) to maintain the koi's health?

[gspotmc]

Quote: Originally Posted by KoiCop Well, actually, Steve . . . duh, no. Try it this way, OK? My water comes out of the tap (ph 8.3, KH 150 & GH 150) and enters the water softener; what comes out? It then goes through the de-alkalyzer; what comes out? Then I mix back in some untreated tap water to shoot for these levels: pH? KH? GH? Does anything else need to be replaced/restored (like calcium, magnesium, etc. that's been taken out) to maintain the koi's health?

Don,
Why not try R/O?

[Nancy M.]

Quote: Originally Posted by gspotmc Don, Why not try R/O?

Michael
NO