soft water ?

[reeffanatic]

just movin' into a new house and was wonderin',,,,,
can i or should i use water from my water softener or should i use water from elsewhere ??
everyone i talk to has a different opinion,,i guess that it seems to be very common that i cannot get a straight answer from anyone, (from "pros" at the local aquaria stores, or from the makers of my water softener)
some tell me that it is ok,,but i need to stablize the PH..
some tell me not to use it because that it wont be ionically balanced..
and others tell me that i wont be able to keep up my alkalinity..
i know that the size of my tanks wont make a difference,,but i'll let you know what i have..
a 110 gal . saltwater with just fish and liverock.....wetdry and a skimmer.vho tubes
a 45 gal.hex..reef,,,wetdry, skimmer ,(1)175 watt metal halide..(4) 40 watt actinic 03 tubes, w/live sand , misc.corals and inverts.
a 20 gal. mini reef,,,,wetdry,skimmer, (1)175 watt metal halide..(2) 40 watt actinic 03 tubes w/live sand ,misc.corals and inverts.
and help would be greatly appreciated..
-reeffanitic
i've got your "ionically balanced" right here

 

[@knight]

from what I've read, water softeners break down the minerals and trace elements in the water, so I would NOT use it. I would use RO water. you can usually get that at your grocery store or wally world for about .30 / gal.
IMO it wouldnt be worth the risk.

 

[@knight]

are there 2 threads running for this?