Hard water questions, pls help

Can some one please tell me if I have hard water in my country.
Here is a link that shows are basic parameters
http://www.ci.blaine.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/7597

I'm so confused, I just don't understand their numbers.

Anyways, I'm asking because I want to get some axoloti eggs. But if the water is going to require large adjustments, I think it might be best to find something else.

It's like owning fish. It's best to keep fish that require water parameters that close to what comes out of you tab. But let's be honest, the goldfish I have don't really care as long as it's clean water

Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks!

:lame: Meant to say county, not country lol

I can't tell for sure from that report, but chances are that it is not excessively soft, since it is ground water (from a well).

At least, that is generally true in this part of the country, and I'd love to hear from others if it isn't true for them, since I couldn't confirm my notion with a quick google search. The reason it is hard in this part of the county is that water tends to dissolve limestone as it percolates down.

Do people in your town tend to have water softeners? Do you see big piles of water softener salt at the local hardware store? That would be an indicator of very hard water. So would white build-up inside of your water kettle.

An easy way to find out is to call a fish store in your town. They will know how hard it is and what the pH tends to be. You could also email or call the water department.

Good news: Since axolotls are close to extinct in the wild, all axolotls in trade are captive breed, and they are incredibly tolerant of water conditions, so long as it isn't too warm (or too cold) or contaminated with anything, assuming you don't let ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate build up. So, they are very much like your goldfish in that respect. :happy:

It is pretty easy to raise hardness if it turns out you water is unusually soft. Just put crushed coral in a nylon sock and place it in your aquarium.

Have you raised fish before? Axolotls are a bit more work to raise than (most) fish, since they go through a phase where everything that moved is considered food, and their siblings move.

I live about 90 min south of you - our water is extremely soft. It's routinely treated by local water districts to raise the pH, but it contains no calcium, magnesium, etc, and trace amounts of carbonates.

You're in town, not on a well?

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Hey, sorry about the late response. But this place vanished and I was lost and running around like a head less chicken lol. I'm so Friggen happy this place is back!!

Anyways, from what I understand, Blaine gets its water from an aquifer that gets it's water from Glacier. But I've been looking at the lack of white crusty buildup around the edge of the pond and around the waterfall. I mean there is a little, but not like what I used to get around the filters when I was living at a place with well water. The white crust was insane. My Angle fish suffered while while cichlids thrived. The water was so bad, that Peat Moss wouldn't even help the situation and back then I couldn't afford a Ro filter. I got my Axolotls a week ago, so now I'm actually thinking about getting an Ro filter.

So out of curiosity, my test kit for testing the NPK levels in my garden soil says I have a high ph of 9. I ended up ordering an aquarium test kit from amazon. It'll be here on Monday... I went to town to get one this afternoon... The local fish store doesn't have one for freshwater, and both petcrap places are out of stock as well.. Must be an influx of aquarium hobbyists or corporate cheapness.... I know last Friday petstupid only got in like 13 ghost shrimp... wtf? 13 doesn't even appease my appetite..... :crazy: Although I've never eaten one My fish seem happy with them . But still! 13!?!


Anyways, back on topic. What ph and kh is ok for axolotl? I know they like the high end, but can I keep them comfortable at around 7?

I'm glad the site is back too!

pH of 6.5-8.0 is considered good. Having said that, my water is 8.2.

Do NOT get an RO filter for your axolotls unless you are going to do something to harden the water again! RO water doesn't have the minerals they need. Also, RO water has no buffering capacity, so the pH can drop like a rock. Hard water is good for axolotls! :smile: