Question: Sources of water other than tap

I am setting up my tank (130x60 x90 high but only filled to 30) with a plan to keep 2 axolotls in a couple of months when it is established and cycled. At the moment I have put in tap water and plants. Our tap water is good quality as it comes from aquafers under the chalk downs BUT it is very hard. I also have softened water in the house which I could use. I also have a large ornamental pond which is well established (over 20 years) with lots of plants and several dozen large koi and goldfish. It is kept clear with a submersible pump which filters the water through a UV and large biological filter. I was wondering if I could use water from this pond and if so if it might speed up the cycling process. Would it be a good idea to cycle the tank with goldfish which I could then add to the pond or is fishless cycling best.

Pond water might help, but might also introduce things you don't want. I would say yes to it, but others might disagree.

Hard water is just fine. If your water goes through a water softener, this is actually worse, as it puts in salt in place of minerals. I would use the not-softened water.

Thanks for that. Using unsoftened tap water is the easiest way. I can see that there may be "nasties" in the pond even though it is well established and the fish are healthy as it does get visits from native frogs in the spring. I will stick with the tap water I think. I am going to take my time and make sure it is really set up correctly before getting any axolotls. Thanks