Well water safe for fish?

I am planing on seting up a small fish tank with "starter fish" but we have really bad well water (we don't even drink it) and I was wondering if its a bad idea to use it.
thanks
Fishrfriendsntfood

 

Explain bad.

Chemicals?
Bacteria?
Smell?
Rust?

 

....it kills plants, there's so much rust when you shower and dry off the towel turns orange, I wouldnt want to look at it under a microscope, and if you cultured it you would end you would end up with little godzillas eating towns people bad....
so weve decided to use distilled water, now my question is would you treat distiled water with anything?

 

Pure distilled will kill your fish.
It literaly leeches the chemicals out of your fish.
You might do best to mix the two.

 

yea we got a 50/50 mix. our fish are doing well, thanks!

 

Are you sure it's your well water and not your pipes? Have you ever had your well tested?

Having well water around here is usually a bonus because the water tastes so much better than city water....

 

Are you sure it's your well water and not your pipes? Have you ever had your well tested?

Having well water around here is usually a bonus because the water tastes so much better than city water....

we swear the city puts something in the water that makes the fish sick...and probably us too! Well water FTW!

 

Actually cities can put things in the water, without telling people ahead of time, that can literally take the flesh right off of your fish. We had friends in Middle Tennessee have that problem. The city put a chemical in the water (Dino could tell you what it was) and they lost a whole lot of bettas, I believe.

 

Ok... I'm a fish tank goober. I have some questions.

I just re~did my 35 gallon hex (all fish died, except 2 possible tetra something or anothers (which are happily homed in another tank) due do power outage in the winter).
This is technically a test. NO! THERE ARE NO FISH IN THE TANK!

I've always bought bottled water for my fish tanks (and still do for the ones that have been running for a while). Well, I decided that I want to give my well water a try.
I have iron water & the well has a softener on it (salt & bleach).

Anyway, I filled the 35 gallon hex with tap (well) water yesterday. I put prime in it about 30 minutes ago. Other than the ammonia, nitrites, nitrates & ph,
do I need to test for anything else? Or can I test for anything else?

When do I need to start testing the water? I do have the API Freshwater Master Test Kit. How often do I test?

Please give answers in fish tank goober language. LOL

Does anybody else have iron water?

Do you think iron water & softener will cause any probs (if the ammonia, nitrites, nitrates & ph are ok)?

 

The iron should be fine. I have a friend who has water from a well, and much of Minnesota has iron in the ground. His water tastes very metallic straight out of the tap. I'm not a fan of using softened water with fish, however. They can use the other minerals a lot more than they can use the salt. The chlorine (I presume this is what you're talking about when you say the softener has bleach) can be easily dealt with when using Prime.

Are there any taps in your house that aren't softened that you could use for water changes?

 

Thanks for replyin' & the info.

Yes, it's chlorine (Only added 1 time per month, if that often). The softener is at the well itself, not on the taps.

 

the water I use comes out of a softener and I have absolutely no problem with it, the thing that kind of worries me is that its from a well, I would get some cheap commet goldfish or some kind of cheap feeder fish and just try it out with 1 first acclimate them very steadily and you should be able to find out... that had to get expensive! that a lot of bottled water for me

 

Thank you for the advice. That was kinda the plan.
I just don't want people callin' me a fish killer. =:-O

It's startin' to get exspensive. 6 fish tanks (about 110 gallons).
I wanted to try this with the 35 hex before I go out & buy enough
water for it and the 55 gallon. It wasn't too bad before, but now
that I've added the 55. UGH! Hopefully this will work out.

It's just been set up for a little over 24 hours. I have friends that are
gonna bring me some filter media (I guess that's what it is... remember
I'm a fish tank goober!) They also said something about bringin' me a
couple of fish to try it out... t~barbs (I think)? Don't even know what they are. LOL
I'm such a dork.

How long after you set up a tank are you suppose to start testing? How often?

 

Generally, I do an initial test on my water supply (I try to do one at least once a year) to get an idea of where my starting point is.

After that, it's a good idea to test the day after the fish go in, and every day after that until you're sure the cycle from the filter media has stuck.

 

I would wait an hour it shouldn't matter how long it sits it should still have the same readings... I don't really know how to test the water I never have and never really had a problem with it

 

Thank you all. Very helpful info!

 

If i'm doing a water change....Do I need to treat if I have well water?

 

Well water is a good source to collect water. I myself use well water for both of my tanks, and ive had no problems. The best part of well water is there is no clorine in it, so you don't have to treat for it.

Oh, and Welcome to Fishlore

 

I just moved to a new house in the country,and it has a well,and I still use what I needed for treatment just to be on the safe side.better to be safe than sorry.also what I have has stress releaver in it and I think that is good for all my fish,also keeps a good slime coat on the fish.

 

Yes, it also does other things than treat chlorine. Well water does have other things in it that can affect fish, iron, minerals, bacteria, etc. I use well water and I know it has all of the above and then some. Also, does your water use a filter system, that could have salt in it.

 

Didnt mean to sound over cocky about the water being fine, but here in the country of Georgia nothing really effects my water, this might not be the same for u

 

well water is good,to use but some of it will be high in iron,but what I have heard is that iron may not be all that bad if it is low in quantity?also welcome to fish lore,hope this site is a service for you I know it has been great for me.

 

You could ask bolivianbaby, she has 48 tanks in your area.

 

Thanks for the info.......yea this site helped me out big time with setting up my new tank!

 

Good morning and Welcome to Fish Lore.

I have well water and it's my only option to fill my tanks. I still use Amquel + and Nova Aqua + to be on the safe side. Peace of mind for me .

Too, having the chemicals you may need, on hand in case of an emergency such as an increase of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, is a good idea. (Amquel +)

As mentioned above a reducing stress and adding body slime can be very important as well. (Nova Aqua +)

I would suggest you have these chemicals or others like them (Prime is a good one), on hand whether you use them in the initial set up/water change or not.

I hope you can share some fish photos/videos with us sometime soon.

Enjoy the site!

Ken

I'm moving your thread to the Aquarium Water/Water Changes section of the forum. You'll learn the categories as you become more familiar with the site.

 

I use well water without chemicals, and haven't run into any problems. Then again, we don't soften it. It goes straight from the ground to the faucet, no-one in our family has ever suffered any ill effects from it, and it doesn't taste bad. Actually, I'm kinda hoping the hardness level will help my endeavor to keep plants and snails.

 

Is well water safe to use in a fish tank?

I would like to get a bigger tank(55), but it would cost way too much money to have to buy water for it for water changes and such. :/

My main concern is that my well water has a lot of sulfur in it. Also, I worry about potential bacteria and such. We only use the water for washing things, not for food.

 

Can you bring a sample of your water to have it tested? Not sure how they handle high sulfur in a tank.

 

Yeah, I work at a pet store so I can test the water there. I was just worried about the stuff that you can't test for, like sulfur and bacteria.

Is there anything I could do to prep the water myself? Like boiling it or adding something to it?

 

I've been googling like crazy and read somewhere that hydrogen peroxide can be used to kill bacteria in water. The dosages I found varied, but I found on for pet drinking water andit was 1 ounce of hp per quart of water.

Do you think that would be a safe way to sanitize the water for the fish? Also, is the dosage safe?

 

I have smelly well water too. We don't use water to drink, but wash dishes and cook w/ it. I was worried myself and would use spring water at first. I then decided it was too expensive and just used activated carbon to filter my water. Recently I stopped using carbon. My fish are doing fine, no problems using warm water straight into tank w/ Prime. You could put a water filter on your sink if really worried. Sometimes Iron will smell like sulfer. A water kit from Home Depot for $10 will test for many water impurities.

 

We're moving!! We just got a house almost twice the size, and for less then half of what we owe on our current house (hurray for forecloser house shopping!). We are moving out of the city, meaning we will have well water. We are going to use the water softeners and what-nots to make it drinkable and better tasting and everything.

That said, how will that effect the water for the fish? I plan on using Stress Coat, and Prime or Amquel+ on occation, unless you don't think I need it? These fish are all from pet stores, so were all pretty much raised on city water. Do I need to do anything special to the water before adding it to the tank, like water conditioner (though, I'm pretty sure I know the answer to that), fishy water softeners or something?

I, personally, am only going to live there for a month or so, because I am going off to college in August, and the 30 gallon, and a couple of the Bettas, are going to a friends house for my first year. Should I just save the fish the stress of two moves and getting used to two different types of waters, and move them to my friends house straight off, and keep the Betta(s) I am taking with me to college?

 

Congratz on the move out of the city! I hope you as much fun in the country as I do. The hunting, the fishing, and kicking it in the sticks is a great life. Small town U.S.A. is the only place I call home! I'm sorry I just can't hide my redneck side...

Back to the fish, in my opinion I would move with the fish... The trip to your friends and the initial move should be far enough apart. The water shouldn't affect your fish that much... Just keep the water at the appropiate readings for the species of fish and all should be well.

 

Congratz on the move out of the city! I hope you as much fun in the country as I do. The hunting, the fishing, and kicking it in the sticks is a great life. Small town U.S.A. is the only place I call home! I'm sorry I just can't hide my redneck side...

Back to the fish, in my opinion I would move with the fish... The trip to your friends and the initial move should be far enough apart. The water shouldn't affect your fish that much... Just keep the water at the appropiate readings for the species of fish and all should be well.

Lol we aren't moving that far out of the city. Just far enough to not have nasty, chlorine-y and chloramine-y, city water. Only like 10 minutes to the nearest grocery store. We do have lots of empty lots around us though, so my and dogs will be tromping around in the woods and brush =3

Also, just learned we are moving in in about 2 weeks. And I'm leaving the 2nd-ish week of August. So about a month from when we move in to the new house, to when the fish are moved to my friends house. Do you think that'd be ok?

Oh, and no water conditioner and stuff? Do you think I should still go for the Stress Coat? Atleast for my HM Betta? Not sure how the new water would effect his fins...

 

I had well water when I first started fishkeeping. I noticed no difference when I moved in to the city. But my well had high copper so shrimp and snails were no good. I did have some blue crays that did pretty good. I used Nutrafin water conditioner. I switched to prime when I moved.

 

Good morning,

I have well water. The only issue I have is the fact that my pH is so high it's off the charts. To remedy the situation, I use a 29 gallon aquarium to pre-filter, heat and treat my water for water changes for 5 days so that my pH has a chance to lower on its own. pH naturally drops over time.

I still use my water conditioners: Amquel + and Nova Aqua +.

Test the well water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and pH and see where you stand. I have seen mention by some members that since they have well water and not city water, they do not use any water conditioners. (don't forget their could be heavy metals in the well water and if so make sure the water conditioner you use removes heavy metals).
There are test kits for Iron, Copper, Magnesium.

Ken

 

Good morning,

I have well water. The only issue I have is the fact that my pH is so high it's off the charts. To remedy the situation, I use a 29 gallon aquarium to pre-filter, heat and treat my water for water changes for 5 days so that my pH has a chance to lower on its own. pH naturally drops over time.

I still use my water conditioners: Amquel + and Nova Aqua +.

Test the well water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and pH and see where you stand. I have seen mention by some members that since they have well water and not city water, they do not use any water conditioners. (don't forget their could be heavy metals in the well water and if so make sure the water conditioner you use removes heavy metals).
There are test kits for Iron, Copper, Magnesium.

Ken

Thanks Ken! Is Amquel or Amquel+ ok by themselves? (I have both, but no Nova Aqua). I have used them in addition to what ever water conditioners I use, but not alone. Just a random, off-topic-ish question lol

Also, as of right now, I am only planning on bringing 2-3 Bettas with me to the new house. So at the most, I will be changing out around 10 gallons every 1-2 weeks (depends on who I bring with, and how I can stock tanks). Do you think I should buy some peat moss for the filter, or just buy bottled spring water, if my pH is crazy? I won't have a large enough container to hold rain water, nor will it be safe from my dogs (all water belongs to them LOL) or what ever other creatures live in the woods around the house.

Is there any way to DIY test water for pH and heavy metals? I will be really far away from any pet store, I think LOL

 

Home depot has water testing.

 

Home depot has water testing.

LOL Home depot is next door to PetSmart, the closest pet store to where we are going, which is about 20 minutes away I think. Might just have to suck it up and drive that far XD

 

I drive 30 minutes just to get groceries lol!

 

Good evening,

Amquel nor Amquel + will add body slime to the fish. This link may help you:



Ken

 

I drive 30 minutes just to get groceries lol!

Luckly there's a lot of houses around where we are moving to, so they built a new Publix (a southern version of Krogers or Piggly-Wiggly), like 10-15 minutes away from the new house.

 

Just thought I'd let you guys know, the deal fell through, and we aren't getting that house. We got the house inspected, just to find Chinese Drywall. So the house is unliveable, unless we want to spend several, several thousand dollars tearing out the old drywall, and copper, and anything damaged by the dryway, and replace it all (which we just can't do). So yeah...

 

I guess that's a good thing? Now you don't have to worry about Chinese well water!

 

I guess that's a good thing? Now you don't have to worry about Chinese well water!

LOL I don't think it works that way

 

lol @ sharkdude

Sorry about the drywall.. good thing you had it inspected!

 

For those of you who don't know,I am a fish newbie and I'm going to buy a 55 gallon tank. We have well water,so will I need to put conditioner in the water? Also, what conditioner is the best and how often do I put it in the water? Thanks!

 

We have well water also. I put Prime in the water whenever I add some or do a water change. Prime is the most recommended water conditioner on this forum. There is another one - Kordon, I think the name is - but I've never used that one. Also, if you haven't gotten one already, you should pick up an API Master Freshwater Test Kit so you can keep track of your water's parameters. You might be surprised at what you find in your tap water even if it is well water. I know I was. The kit is relatively inexpensive, costing anywhere from $16 to $24, depending on where you get it from. And it is much more accurate than using strips.

Good luck and post pictures when you get underway.

 

Welcome!!!

55 gallons sounds excellent! (I'm fairly new at this too and after starting up a 20 gallon I couldn't take it and knew I needed a bigger one so kudos to you for starting out with a nice size tank!)

First thing on my list with the "essentials" like tank, heat, filter should be an API Master Test Kit (Freshwater). The liquid one, not the test strips. Test out your well water, post the results here and I'm sure the more experienced members can help you determine if there is anything special you need to do.

Best of luck to you!!!

 

I recommend that you get Prime, for several reasons:

1. It removes heavy metals, which may be found in well water.
2. It promotes a healthy slime coat, which is a fish's first defense against infection.
3. It temporarily detoxifies ammonia and nitrite, which can easily be a lifesaver in ANY tank... and especially a new one.

It's a good investment!