electronic water "softener"

[jjohnwm]

I recently installed a new-age water treatment device in my home.  It's an electronic gizmo that is supposed to alter the molecules that normally cause heavy mineral deposits in hard-water areas, and I must say that so far it works pretty well for its intended purpose.  It does not claim to remove minerals and so does not truly soften the water, but apparently the mineral molecules don't clump together to produce that hard white crust with which most of us are sadly familiar.  The small amount of white deposit that does form wipes easily away, no laborious chipping required.  The treatment unit itself consists of a small electronic control box with a digital readout, and two copper wires that wrap around the incoming water pipe in a particular fashion to produce the desired effect.

As a new returnee to the aquarium hobby, my indoor aquatic menagerie is pretty meagre, consisting of one small Musk Turtle who shares his home with a couple of assorted guppies.  Pathetic, I know...but it made me wonder if anyone else has experience with this type of treatment device and/or knows if it has any effect (good or bad) on fish.  I am slowly working on a home-made tank and am wondering if I will continue to enjoy the luxury of drawing tap water of the correct temperature and using it immediately, without worrying about chlorine.  So far (2 months now) I have seen no sign of a problem with the guppies; how about other types of fish?

Comments?

[Fores41]

I have no personal experience but have heard of similar results
with this type of electronics. And as far as fish go well guppies are pretty hardy fish so only trial and error will let you know how it will do with other fish.
Good luck

[GaryE]

I guess my question would be about the copper wire.
Copper can be a deadly poison for a lot of aquatic life. It is discussed (but I haven't seen the papers or research) as a cause of steriilty in swordtails, for example, and will kill many invertebrates. Once popular and effective copper based Ich killers have been long removed from the market.
Again, it is hobby lore I have never tested or researched, but exposure to copper coils is the reason why dehumidifier water isn't supposed to be a good option in tanks. A lot of us have copper pipes, with no problem, but I assume the charge going through the copper is the issue.
I have never had reason to dig deeper though. The water from my dehumidifier does look interesting at this time of year.

[jjohnwm]

Sorry for the late response, Gary; I somehow overlooked your post until just now. The copper wire is simply wound around the outside of the water pipe, never coming into contact with the water. The magnetic field created by this "coil" is what mysteriously affects the water. Sorry for any confusion.

I'll take this opportunity to observe that this gizmo has definitely eased the cleaning of that ugly white crust that appears on aquarium glass as the water evaporates and leaves behind its dissolved minerals. This is especially important with a turtle tank, where the water surface is always on display rather than hidden up near the top of the tank, behind the frame. The crust still appears, but it is less pronounced now than before the installation of the "softener". It is also far more easily cleaned off, much less scrubbing/chipping/cursing involved.

[jjohnwm]

Sorry for the late response, Gary; I somehow overlooked your post until just now. The copper wire is simply wound around the outside of the water pipe, never coming into contact with the water. The magnetic field created by this "coil" is what mysteriously affects the water. Sorry for any confusion.

I'll take this opportunity to observe that this gizmo has definitely eased the cleaning of that ugly white crust that appears on aquarium glass as the water evaporates and leaves behind its dissolved minerals. This is especially important with a turtle tank, where the water surface is always on display rather than hidden up near the top of the tank, behind the frame. The crust still appears, but it is less pronounced now than before the installation of the "softener". It is also far more easily cleaned off, much less scrubbing/chipping/cursing involved.