Water Well Being Bleached. What To Do About Water Changes.

[dandyzinc]

Hello everyone!

I have a few questions.

First of all, our water well sprang a leak recently, and the repairmen said they’re going to have to put some “bleach” in it after they do their repairs. I mentioned having fish, and they said if I run the water for about 20 minutes in the bathtub, it should get it all out.

However, I’m a worry wart, I don’t want to use the water from the well for my fish for a little while to ensure all traces of bleach are gone. They are all 5 gallon freshwater Betta tanks. (Today is their weekly changing day.)

So here are my questions:

I’m considering buying some bottled Betta water I’ve seen in the stores to perform the water changes with. Has anyone ever used this? Is it safe to mix with the water already in my tanks? What is your opinion of it? Should I still treat it with Seachem Prime?

Asking my neighbor for a few gallons of water is also an option, but I’m unsure of what’s in her’s and the parameters. (Her’s is from a well also.)

Also, how long should I wait before using the water from my own well again?
(I was thinking a week to ensure the bleach, or whatever they use( I’m wondering if they mean chlorine), is out of it.)

If anyone else has any suggestions, or ideas, PLEASE don’t hesitate to tell me!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Aquaphobia]

Can you get water out of your well before the work is done?

 

[david1978]

I would just wait a day or two. Get a few showers and some laundry and you will have it all out.

 

[dandyzinc]

Can you get water out of your well before the work is done?

I got some emergency water out for them a few days ago. Would it be safe to use it? It’s been sitting stagnate for about a few days. I may just perform a 10-20% water change on their tanks, so there is enough water to go around if I use that. (Their tanks are all filtered and cycled, so at least these changes aren’t extremely crucial.)

I wasn’t able to get any additional water, as when the well broke, it was reduced to very small drips from the faucets.

Okee dokee! Thanks for the info.

I would just wait a day or two. Get a few showers and some laundry and you will have it all out.

 

[Aquaphobia]

It should be fine to use to tide them over. Then do the showers and laundry and you're golden!

 

[IndigoTJo]

I would think the betta water would be much more expensive than getting distilled or spring by the gallon. I'm not sure what is special about their betta water, did you catch a brand name?

 

[david1978]

Betta water is just water. Nothing special. They call it that so people with no experience look at it and go oh this is what I have to use because I want the best for my betta.

 

[IndigoTJo]

Haha, I figured, thanks!

 

[dandyzinc]

I actually had the same thought while I was out shopping and ended up opting for around 8 gallons of distilled water instead of the Betta Water. I’ve been wanting some nicer, more sturdy jugs (the kind they use in office water coolers) to do my water changes with, so I got more bang for my buck. Haha!

Just an FYI: If I remember correctly, the Betta Water is Aqua Culture brand, (Walmart’s aquarium supplies brand), and is around $2 per litre. It claims to be pre-conditioned, however. (Hence me initially asking if mixing it with Prime conditioned water could cause an issue.) I am glad they have it, though. It may save the lives bettas with less-knowledgeable owners who have chlorinated city water, and don’t take that into consideration. I’d rather someone think they HAVE to have that and the fish be healthy. (Many people must believe it’s necessary. It is often sold out or in very low stock when I’m browsing the fish section at Walmart. And it’s normally stocked in large quanitities when in full stock.) The only sad thing is it’s probably being bought to fill those pathetic, 4x4x4 cube tanks they sell.

Anyway, thank you so much for the info, concern, and taking the time to reply, everyone! I’m still on my first year of PROPER fish keeping (I sometimes wonder how my poor childhood aquariums lasted as long as they did. Haha!), so I like double checking on here and being as cautious as possible. I’m always extremely paranoid of making one little mislick and killing my boys.

 

[JaymeP]

I agree with the above. Add a double dose of prime (or any dechlorinator/ water conditioner) just to be safe. I don't have well water but I would assume that by "bleach" he meant chlorine or a chlorine derivative/concentrate which is in most tap water in the U.S. in trace amounts all the time anyway. If it makes you feel any better I doubt that there is any type of detergent or chemical there, bleach is often just a broad term for chlorine.

 

[JaymeP]

I would NOT use distilled water. Distilled water is completely devoid of mineral properties and whatever else is in water. Honestly I don't know I'm not a scientist but I have never heard of betta water and I've seen a lot of dead fish in Walmart tanks. I also know that bleach is one of the safest things to clean and sanitize with and it rinses clean. Once you can't smell it anymore it's gone. But that's for cleaning aquarium decor, etc. Just go with spring water or filter the tap water or steal a couple gallons if you can? Even if you let your water "age" in a bucket for an hour or so maybe stir it around, you can air off any leftover bleach. That B word is horrible

 

[junebug]

Bottled betta water is just distilled water with an insane price markup. If you're going to do that, go buy a few gallons of distilled water at your local Walmart.

Or, just age your well water in buckets, or don't (I've used bleached well water for water changes dozens of times) and just dechlorinate it. If it makes you feel better, you can use a larger dose of Prime.

 

[JaymeP]

I just double checked that. You're good distilled water is just fine for bettas. Go with that.

 

[dandyzinc]

I just double checked that. You're good distilled water is just fine for bettas. Go with that.

Yeah, I double checked it’s safety before I bought the distilled water to use. I’m not a fan of using distilled water for many of the reasons you stated. I’m thankful it’s usable for short-term use, though. Thanks for the concern and reply!

Bottled betta water is just distilled water with an insane price markup. If you're going to do that, go buy a few gallons of distilled water at your local Walmart.

Or, just age your well water in buckets, or don't (I've used bleached well water for water changes dozens of times) and just dechlorinate it. If it makes you feel better, you can use a larger dose of Prime.

Yeaaaah, I ended up getting about 8 gallons of distilled water instead after looking at the betta water’s label. (I had seen it before, but never payed it much attention until today.)

Apparently the Betta Water is “pre-conditioned” but it doesn’t state with what, the bottle was EXTREMELY vague, so I didn’t want to mix it with what’s already in my tank. (If they even “conditioned” it at all in the first place. Haha!)

And yeah, I’ll probably double dose the Prime this time. Thanks for the suggestion and reply!

 

[OnTheFly]

I agree with the above. Add a double dose of prime (or any dechlorinator/ water conditioner) just to be safe. I don't have well water but I would assume that by "bleach" he meant chlorine or a chlorine derivative/concentrate which is in most tap water in the U.S. in trace amounts all the time anyway. If it makes you feel any better I doubt that there is any type of detergent or chemical there, bleach is often just a broad term for chlorine.

Exactly correct. Run the water a while before you use it for any purpose, treat it like city water for a day or so, then it's back to normal.