I would disagree about a softener removing metals. I have tested my water both before and after softening as I'm on a south texas well. The water has significantly less metals after being softened. The ingredient in the Iron Removing Salt pellets is citric acid. You can also use citric acid to remove metal stains from any pool. Additional reduction in metals occur when I prefilter the water before it goes into the softener.The 2 micron whole house filter I use becomes red with iron after just a few hours of filling the pool.