Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Fish & Water

When we had our old house for sale Preston kept asking to get a fish tank. We had the great excuse of not getting one because it would be too hard to move. This Christmas we didn't really have an excuse anymore (damn!) so he got one knowing he'd get the fish once we were settled in the house. I am afraid he has my OCD, and had his room together and organized before we had the truck unloaded. He was asking for fish the first week.

After things were a bit settled, Travis and Preston got the tank set up. It sat for a week to stabilize the water & temperature then they went and got a few fish. They started with two just to make sure the water was clean & the right temperature for them to live. They were fine. They lived, were happy & swimming. The following week they went and got a few more and within about two hours of the putting them in one of them died. Preston was so upset! The next day Travis took a water sample to Pet's Mart to have it analyzed. Cause of death: hard water. The funny thing about this, if you can call it that, is I have been complaining about the hard water in this house since we moved in. It tastes disgusting and we can only drink bottled water. Also, I can't clean it off of anything. I can scrub and scrub and nothing comes clean. The dishwasher does not work properly and clothes come out of the washer with soap still on them.  We have bronze faucets and they are covered in white residue that I can't get off. Of course, this would all fall on deaf ears with Travis. He can't taste the disgusting water and he thinks the water spots look the same as the old house. Glad he noticed how clean I kept the old house! Anyway, back to the fish. At Pets Mart Travis bought some water drop stuff that you add to the tank to make the water softer & the fish happier. This past Sunday Preston & Travis cleaned the tank and added some fresh water to it. Within two hours we had another dead fish even though he used the chemicals. So no more fish until we get the water under control. Obviously, fish are not long term pets & you expect them to die. But since they are dying so quickly of being exposed to the water we are pretty much killing them instead of them living out their short lives.



On my things to do list this week is to call a plumber and get bids on water softeners. My "issue" is that I absolutely hate soft water.  Obviously, this water is too hard to keep using, but I can't stand soft water. I hate how you are left with slimy skin and stringy hair when you get out of the shower. Granted, my hair and skin are extremely dry right now from the water, but I'll take that any day over slimy & stringy. Ugh! Anyone out there have lots of knowledge on water softeners? I know I want the saltless kind, but beyond that I am clueless. Email me if you have any words of advice.

3 comments:

  1. I have to agree with you. Soft water sucks! We don't need it here. .K

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  2. soft water sucks. good luck with it. LIsa

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  3. Coming from the Northwest, I am a big fan of soft water. I like how smooth my skin feels. I think water softeners have come a long way. i think you'll be happier once you get one installed. ...j

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