API Water Softening Pillow

• Lowers GH – removes calcium and magnesium ions from water passing through it.
• Treats up to 75 L per charge – drop it into the filter flow path and let it work continuously.
• Regenerable – recharge in a salt solution and reuse rather than replace after one cycle.
• No dosing, no daily task – it works passively as water flows past it.
• One pouch per pack – sized for a single filter.

The cost-per-litre tile under the photo is calculated live from the current price against the 75 L this pouch treats on its first charge – so it always matches what you'd actually pay today. That figure understates the real value, though: unlike a one-shot treatment, the pouch isn't spent after that first 75 L. API rates it for several recharge cycles in a fresh salt solution, and each recharge treats another 75 L at the cost of a few cents of aquarium salt – so the effective cost per litre keeps falling the more cycles you get out of one pouch. Recharging, not replacing, is how you beat the first-charge figure shown.

1. Rinse the pouch under tap water.
2. Dissolve 3 tablespoons of aquarium salt in 7 oz (about 200 mL) of tap water.
3. Submerge the pouch in the salt solution for 2 hours.
4. Return it to the filter without rinsing off the salt solution.
5. When not in use, store the pouch in the recharging solution – don't let it dry out.

API rates the pillow for multiple recharge cycles before it stops performing effectively; treat repeated slow performance after a fresh recharge as the sign it's time to replace it.

Suitable for:

• Freshwater tanks kept for soft-water species – tetras, discus, many catfish – where tap water GH runs too high
• Reducing scale-forming minerals on glass and equipment

Not suitable for:

• Marine and reef tanks – removing calcium and magnesium is the opposite of what a reef system needs, since corals and inverts consume both
• Tanks that need hardness raised, not lowered – this pouch only works in one direction

As a consumable filter media, no manufacturer warranty period applies. That doesn't affect your rights under the Australian Consumer Law: if the product is faulty, unsafe or not as described, you're entitled to a remedy. Ships as standard freight.

• API GH/KH Hardness Test Kit – to confirm your starting hardness and track the drop.
• API Stress Coat – for conditioning the tap water you're softening.

How do I know when the pillow needs recharging?

API states the active life is around 48 hours in continuous filter flow. Test GH periodically with a GH kit – a reading creeping back up is the practical sign it's time to recharge.

Can I use this in a saltwater or reef tank?

No. It's built to strip calcium and magnesium out of water, which is the opposite of what a reef tank needs from those minerals.

Does it work instantly?

No – it works as water passes through it in the filter flow path, so hardness drops gradually rather than all at once.

How many times can I recharge it?

The manufacturer's own US packaging states it can be recharged and reused multiple times before replacement; the exact cycle count isn't published on API's Australian information, so budget for several cycles rather than a guaranteed exact number.