Philadelphia Pa Tapwater

[Levin Tilghman]

My tap water is moderately hard. The ph is 7.2-7.3 and the alkalinity is 45 ppm. The hardness is 6-11 grains per gallon or 100-150 ppm. Would mixing it with RO water make it more acceptable to most species of Apistos, or does it need to be chemically treated?

 

[gerald]

Yes mixing with RO, rain water, or other soft water source should work. Also, there's plenty of Apistos and other dwarf cichlids (including many of the commonly available commercial bred species, like cacatuoides, macmasteri, borellii) that will live just fine in water with 100-150 ppm hardness. Unless you're determined to breed obligate soft-water species, you probably don't need an RO system.