Is well water bad??

invisible1130

invisible1130

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Feb 18, 2006
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Is well water bad for fish tanks? I read somewhere that you should not use well water (not even with water conditioners), so if that is the case and you have well water, what should you do? I have well water and I have several tanks that are doing great! I use Aquasafe for a conditioners. I read this in the book "Aquariums for dummies". What does everyone else think???
 
I read this in the book "Aquariums for dummies"
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well, the book is aptly named then, since anyone who would believe that well water is problematic is a ... well, a dummy. there's absolutely NOTHING wrong with well water. i've been using it myself for over 40 years with no problems as have tens of thousands of other hobbyists.
 
Like city water you should test the ph, hardness, and kh. Its not much different from city water. I prefer my well water which is rich in minerals.
 
I use well water. With my tanks I couldn't imagine hauling water for them.

My water straight from the tap test better than city water around here.
 
It depends on what type well system you're talking about.

My parents neighborhood is on a well system but they have some type of mini water treatment system that adds chlorine and what not. May as well be city water but they're outside city limits and the pipes don't run that far out.

I'm on an individual well and the water that comes out of the ground is "as is". No chlorine and what not.

I don't need to worry about chemicals. Just fresh water, I don't use any type of dechlor.

Once a year we usually get a thing in the mail for a free analysis of our water. I might actually do it this yr.
 
invisible1130 said:
Is well water bad for fish tanks? I read somewhere that you should not use well water (not even with water conditioners), so if that is the case and you have well water, what should you do? I have well water and I have several tanks that are doing great! I use Aquasafe for a conditioners. I read this in the book "Aquariums for dummies". What does everyone else think???
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I've read the same book and said to myself the guys have GOT to be kidding!! I use well water and haven't had ANY problems with it, When I first started the hobby I sure as heck wasn't goin to spend time collecting rain water or buying jugs of spring water. You will be fine!
 
I use to buy books in Amazon, and when I was choosing my saltwater encyclopedia, I ran across the Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies. There was about a 9 to 1 bad reviews ratio on that book.

Some buyers reviws for the Aquariums for Dummies book, by Maddy Hargrove, Mic Hargrove:

"Fast track to killing fish and getting burned out"
"A bit disappointed, redundant, 2.5 stars"
"Worst book ever"
"Very incomplete"
"Not quite a book, more like notes for a book"
"Don't be misled by this book! "
"Condescending, inacurate and redundent,, "
"For beginners, ONLY"
"More like---Aquariums Written By Dummies"
"Thumbs down! Way down!"
"Good intentions but misses"
"Not quite ready for prime time"

As read in the amazon.com page for this book.
 
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Should be fine but take some precautions.

The water should be fine. I would suggest that if you really want to use it then you put chlorine remover in it and also filter it through activated carbon and anything else you can. It will possibly contain toxins and other things like acids and sulfur. As much as you can filter it the better. And make sure it isnt stagnant. I used rainwater for a while until realising that the pH was totally wrong so make sure you test it after you have filtered and dechlorinated it.

Last thing: make sure the water isnt too cold (preferably warm it beforehand) when you put it in. A large temperature fluctuation could get them stressed and start a disease, but a little bit of temporary temperature change can make them think its just raining. Note: This can also make em start to breed if they think the natural rains are starting.

All in all the water is probably fine. Just be cautious.

Need anything else. Just ask.
 
Why on earth would you add a chlorine remover to water without chlorine? If the water is suited to human consumption, it is suitable for tanks. It may be better than area municipal water, or may be worse, but that you cannot tell without an analysis of the particular well's output.

Fitto the carbon filtration.

Ditto the temperature - houses with wells are no more excluded from having heaters than are houses on municipal systems.

If I may ask, where did all that mis-information come from? Not from the already cited book, I hope.
 
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