i have 300+ on my test strips for hardness, and my fish don't care. they've never been sick either. if you fish is already doing okay in the hard water, then just leave him. if you switch it now, it could make him sick or stress him out.

good luck!! hth!
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Seriously, it is very, very hard to change the hardness/pH of a tank and keep it stable.

Your fish will do fine in the water you have, and you are much better off keeping them in water that isn't "ideal", than trying to get the ideal water and having the chemistry fluctuate.
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Just add the required number of drops as you add the fresh water to your tank. Remember, goldfish are dirty little guys and you should change 40-50% of his water every 4-5 days. Do not change 100% of the water because there are beneficial bacteria that live in the water that are needed to keep the water stable and healthy. Good luck!
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26 years of keeping and spawning many different species of tropical fish and cichlids. 25 tanks up and running at present. Mostly cichlids and scavengers right now. I have worked in both the retail and wholesale tropical fish business.

The Greatest Enemy of Truth is not the deliberate lie; Rather it is all those things we know to be true…that are not.

As another poster mentioned you can add part tap water and part RO (reverse osmosis) water which you can purchase from pet shops.

I live in a very hardwater area (North London) and my goldfish (Mr Chunky) does fine in this environment. The only thing I would say is your filter in your new tank may not have had time to grow the benficial bacteria if you need more help PM me
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You have two easy options for soft water,1, do you know anyone with a domestic water softener who you can cadge some water from, or, 2, collect rain water in a plastic container, allow it to settle and use this ( also no chlorine problem).

You don't actually say what the hardness level in the tank is - anything below about 200 ppm is quite safe, in the south of England (notoriously hard water) the range is between 300 - 350 ppm depending on recent rainfall.

Are you using any filtration? if not you need to change about 10% of the water every so often to prevent the buildup of nitrates/nitrites.
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Keeping fish is an acquired art and a great hobby ,

learn as much as you can from books and aquatic magazines , and experts .
Think about joining a local aquatic club, for first hand tips .

Keeping ,an attractive, healthy fish tank is a joy and a great achievement .

Nobody knows it all ,
just pick up as much as you can, from those who have achieved success.
Please , remember to pass on your own good tips to others

Good luck with your wonderful new venture

>^,,^<
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in my experiance

Water is hard for a reason - it contains a higher level of minerals and other elements that end up resulting in this harder water. If you go and buy an additive from the store, it will add more elements that will try and fight with the existing elements, but won't actually remove them. The end result is unstable water, and this is much less healthy for the fish then just having water a bit to hard.

These fis hare more adapatable and hardier then sometimes given credit for. Keep it simple, add nothing to the water except conditioner, and your fish will do well.

If you really really want to get the water softer, then you should do it the proper way and actually remove those elements. R.O filtration is the best way to do this, and you can mix R.O. with tap water to achieve a middle ground. But still, in my experience playing chemist is just not necessary.
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