Well Water

[mbintraining]

I have searched this board and archives and I know the discussions on RO/DI water versus tap .....but I have well water that comes up from 350 feet below the surface it is cold clear and tastes great! It has PH of 7.8 no chlorine, phospates, nitrates, nitrites or ammonia. It is as natural as seawater minus the salt. What is wrong with using this water in my tank? MBintraing

 

[promisetbg]

Check for copper & silicates too.

 

[memphis]

I would check for trace metals and the alk level before using.

 

[mbintraining]

Trying to get this straight.... silicates is that the total dissolved solids test?
Copper and trace metals any particular brand of test? MBintraining

 

[rbrockm1]

no, don't use it. i used well water and algea city. but mine water could be different. i wouldn't use it tho.

 

[mbintraining]

I tested the well water 6 ways to Sunday and all readings were good but thanks for your personal experience. Since someone has tried it and found it no good and since algae was creeping I gave in and got ro/di from Wally world and it has improved tank. Thanks for all your help this thread is closed in my opinion. MBintraining

 

[sly]

The fact that your well water has a pH of 7.8 shows that you should not use it. Natural water has a pH of 7.0. Your water obviously has dissolved minerals in it such as calcium because of the water being passed through limesone layers underground. Calcium effects Magnesium and Alk. They all form a balance in saltwater tanks. If one level is too high it will affect the other levels. IMO, if you use this water you will have a hard time keeping your magnesium levels to where they should be which will cause harm to invertebrates in your tank because they won't be able to form their much needed protective shell.
Also your mineral levels in well water will fluctuate after heavy rains. Salt mix is designed so that each mineral and salt is carefully balanced to mimic natural sea water... If your water already has minerals in it, then the whole chemical mix is thrown out of calibration and unexpected things can happen to your tank including a total system failure.