using wellwater

[tjake68]

my friend just moved upstate ny he only has wellwater he has no ro unit and really cant afford to buy water or ro unit right now local fish store says well water is okay cause it has no clorine or phosphate and its more natural but it does have sulfer they say treat with water conditoner and its fine does any one know about this any info will be appriciated before he sets up his tank thaks :help:

 

[brianrish]

If he can't afford a $100 RO unit, then I think he is in for a big financial surprise when he sets up his tank! :scared:
That asside, it all depends...
I would first have him fill up a white, 5 gallon bucket with water from the well and make sure it is not cloudy, yellow, green, orange, etc or has any visible sediment...you'd be surprised what you will find doing this. Good water should be very slightly blue. Any other color is a sign of dissolved something in the water. The "something" could really be anything with a well: rust, minerals, pollution, farm run-off, etc.
If all "looks" ok, I would have him take a sample to the LFS and have them test it for everything they can. He may also want a professional water tester to test it and tell him what is really in it just so he knows. Especially if this is the well he drinks from. We have a town here that was just told their well water is polluted from run-off from an old Air Base...very bad stuff....
As this is can be a very expensive hobby (again a RO/DI unti is well worth the investment), the last thing you want is for your water to be bad before you even put it in your tank.
As for the water conditioner the LFS is talking about they usually only take out chlorine. They are made to be used with Tap water really...not well water.
I guess the short answer is "yes" he can use it, but I would be very careful and test the HECK out of it before doing so.

 

[oreo12]

I would not risk it the great action site one ro unit goes for 60.00

 

[alyssia]

I have heard that well water can be worse than tap, but IDK if it's true or not.

 

[oreo12]

it comes out of the ground anything laying on the surface could get into it old motor oil leacking from ones car could find its way into the well. would that be good on your fish? what about antifreze it could also get into that water supply I just would not want to put it in my tank if I lived somewhere with a well i would buy water to drink

 

[cabin7882]

I have a brand new home and well and have used the water to replace evaporated water from the tank I just add salt and aqua plus and add maybe 2 gals of water once a week and it seems to work fine.

 

[bang guy]

Have your friend send a sample to Cornell for analysis. It may or may not be OK, quality will also vary season to season. If your friend can't afford an RO unit then a freshwater tank would be a much better fit.

 

[seaequus]

I had the local town water comission test my water, I do have a softener hooked up as ! have high iron content in the water. I have used this water in my tank after letting it circulate in my mixing vat for 2wks before adding salt. I have had no problems using this water in changes and replacement. The only thing I have to add is sodiumbicarbonate as the softener lowers the pH. I have had no problems with algae blooms or fish/invert die offs.
I do keep my bio-load on the light side as the tanks only 6 months old and I test once a week and 24hrs after every H2O change, good luck!