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RE: Well Water

felixpaws — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 15:12:43 GMT

Thanks. Will do.

RE: Well Water

Lumberjack — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:37:18 GMT

I have had wells both ways, always test the water before you do anything. Then you will know for sure what is really there and what you have to do to fix it. Everything else is just a guess...

RE: Well Water

Punch1 — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:10:07 GMT

We are not saying it is - only - in this case - cautious approach - when you have choices - is the better "part of valor " - you reduce the "should, would have could have" statements that may come in a bad situation - . if it takes no more time, costs little or no more to do, and the aquapups are worth the effort to you - choose the better of the choices....

RE: Well Water

felixpaws — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:30:45 GMT

The well is deep, according to the people around here, and there are some kind of filters on it, since it comes directly from the ground, but I don't have all the information on them. The well was shallower, and we have the pump head sticking out of our lawn from the old well, and it waters the grass. I can't see that the water could be all that contaminated, since I've had bunches of aquatic organisms breed in the same water. Neolamprologous brichardi's, ghost shrimp, Cherry barbs(puntius titteya), various snails, and a host of aquatic critters, in my little wading pool pond that I cultured Daphnia, and mosquito larvae in. Of course, animals are pretty tough, and can survive, and breed in all kinds of unpleasant environments that are unnatural to them. I need to do further research on my water, and post it.

RE: Well Water

princessotfu — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:59:08 GMT

ammonia in the water should not be an issue if your tank is properly cycled, always provided you don't do more than 50% water changes at a time. I think Lumberjack's comment still stands.

RE: Well Water

Punch1 — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 03:40:12 GMT

In fact - Ammonium Nitrate is prevelant in most listings of unregulated contaminants - as you can see in the trace analysis results they posted for chicago - what is startling is the monitoring results - from this year - of the drugs and hormones - and their levels - and as yet they are listed as unregulated contaminants - some amazing levels of common prescription drugs - check the report out on the water management site.

RE: Well Water

jsmith11618 — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:48:13 GMT

That would be treated sewer water isn't it? I dont see anything on their website about drinking water, although it may end up in the lake and I can see why chlorine would be bad for the fish.

Ammonia is naturally found in some water sources so its likely safer and well humans can likely take alot more before it becomes toxic vs a pet.

RE: Well Water

Punch1 — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:24:47 GMT

The water reclaimation district webSsite - this has actually made the Chicago Sun Times - not that that newspaper makes it important news -

RE: Well Water

jsmith11618 — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:17:29 GMT

Odd, I was just on the City of Chicago website looking up info on their water treatment and they still say they use Chlorine and no mention of using ammonia.

RE: Well Water

Punch1 — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 18:58:06 GMT

Lumberjack - I used to think that way until I went to the Chicago waterworks web site - They have decided to discontinue the use of Chlorine in the city water system because - after a 30 year study - they have found it harmful to humans and the fact that the added chlorine - to the waste dumped into the lake, was killing the fish. They have now converted to using Ammonia - but one thing just showed no common sense - the site expressly warns that all pet owners should refrain from giving the city water to their pets bercause it is considered posionous to dogs, cats, etc.... but the site clearly states that it is safe for human consumption ---- I guess the way you and I think is on the track of common sense - - this is where the common sense train derails - right???

RE: Well Water

Lumberjack — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:28:34 GMT

Just a thought for you, if it is bad for the fish then it is bad for you....

RE: Well Water

Punch1 — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 06:18:09 GMT

Hailey is correct- especiallyu lawn applications - you did not mention if you have a shallow or deep drill well. The shallow is a great concern for runnoff contamination - if it is a deep drill - runnoff and perculation of pesaticides etc is, generally not a problem.

RE: Well Water

draco — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:14:24 GMT

i hate to say it but if your useing well water you will need a water purification method cause like some people said the run off is a danger. this is true plus you dont know what can be decomposing near the well like in maine i heard reports of high levels of arsenic in some areas and in other states high levels of mercury or even waste run off of septic systems. so i would say get something to filter the water chemicals will not always filter those two heavy metals out especialy the arsenic which is highly toxic to all life.

RE: Well Water

FattFishy — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:20:35 GMT

I had 3 pandas with 6 neons in a 10 gallon. One of them died by a bacterial infection but the rest are doing great! Go ahead and do it.

RE: Well Water

dar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:12:43 GMT

hey paws, the fish store guy said 3 corys would be alright in my 14 gal tank that also houses3 neons. What do you think? This wk end I wanted to add 3 more neons to finish up.

RE: Well Water

dar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:07:33 GMT

Is that your betta showing in the pic? Is it alone or with another?

RE: Well Water

dar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:06:35 GMT

RE: Well Water

filipem — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:48:31 GMT

if the fish and shrimp are breeding then the water is fine. They wouldn't breed if the water was toxic to them. :)

RE: Well Water

felixpaws — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:17:33 GMT

I actually have several ghost shrimp in the tank, and they have bred for me numerous times. I believe I'm on the third generation to breed young, now. I would think that would suggest that it's okay water for them. Also, I've had several types of fish spawn, and the fry are, now, adults. I know that it isn't a surefire way to know, and would still like to find out for sure. No one came by at the end of the school year to check our water, so, I'll have to figure out how else to do it or wait until this semester is over. Sorry for the italics, I turned it on, and can't figure out what I did. Grogg no like computer, it make Grogg dumb!

RE: Well Water

Nikita — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:28:39 GMT

Hmm...I read the other posts and thought of one thing to add - Hailey mentioned heavy metals as something to watch out for, and that's spot on. Metal content can vary from location to location and even from year to year, especially when you're deriving it from a source like a well.

The sticking point with it is that even if water laced with metals is safe for humans and fish, invertebrates are far more sensitive to metal compounds. There's a reason that some commercial snail killers are copper-based! If it's possible to throw in a test for metals in addition to the standard aquarium tests you're running on that water, you might want to do that if you're thinking of keeping any inverts in your tanks, such as snails or shrimp.

...you're still lucky, though. I wish I had a well. :)

RE: Well Water

felixpaws — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:08:26 GMT

You may want to consider getting some more cories, before getting shrimp. Generally, cories are much happier in schools, and 30 gallons should be enough room for five more(six being the general rule of thumb for minimum sized schools). My ghost shrimp have bred a bunch. How do you ship fish, anyway? Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, I've been on vacation. Sure! I'll be your bud. How does it work online?

RE: Well Water

teamtetra — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:58:03 GMT

hi, looks like you have a great asortment.i only have one 30 gallon tank.

4 zebra Danios

1 butterfly pleco

1 panda cory

1 bronze cory

i want to get some shrimp.if you have any extras i may buy them

RE: Well Water

teamtetra — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:44:24 GMT

i also use well water and what i did is immediately test your water for ammonia,Ph,nitrates and nitrate.i got my water tested at the local fish store and got recommendations for home treatment kits.

P.s.i am also a beginner aquarist

P.s.s do you want to be friends

RE: Well Water

felixpaws — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:18:39 GMT

I really need to get a water hardness test kit, I guess. Sigh! I thought I could avoid it, but it seems like the more I read, the more that becomes important to know about your water. I love my well water. I don't worry as much about pollutants, no water conditioner, the waters free(sort of), and when I dump the dirty water, it filters through the soil, back into the well again(eventually). Thanks for the information, and I hope your city water situation isn't too bad. (We may ,eventually, be put on city water as well, double sigh!)Thanks, again!

RE: Well Water

math-only aquarium — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:21:05 GMT

I use well water as too, but without the water softener. One other statistic that would helpful is the water hardness level.

RE: Well Water

lilcherna — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:26:07 GMT

We have well water too, haha, 100 year old houses. but we will be getting city water soon grr, i like my well water.

my fish tanks are doing just fine and thats all ive ever used. we backwash and do regular maintenece. i also have live plants in some of my tanks and they are just fine too.

i never thought about fertilizers or anything but well water should be just fine.

RE: Well Water

felixpaws — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:33:57 GMT

I know in the short term that the fish are doing fine, but if it will significantly shorten the lifespan of my fish or hurt them, then I would have to figure out what to do.

RE: Well Water

felixpaws — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:31:55 GMT

How damaging would the salt be for the fish, and plants, in the long run? It would be really difficult, getting the water, pre-water softener. I actually have a water room, where our water heater is, where I get heated water from a piped in faucet, so I don't have to separately heat the water(which would mean added time, expense, equipment, and smaller water changes, every week). The water comes out of the well at extremely low temperatures for tropical fish.

RE: Well Water

MtnFishBoy — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:07:36 GMT

I dont think that well water is dangerous to use for fish. Like everyone else said, just be sure to check for the normal culprits (nitrate/nitrite, phosphate, etc.)

RE: Well Water

Hailey — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:11:35 GMT

It is better than city water, assuming the readings are all good and you can get it before the water softener. Can you tap it before it gets softened? Because that salt will not be a great thing for your tank. People do use softened water in fish tanks when they have to, but I have seen it lead to problems.

RE: Well Water

felixpaws — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:33:29 GMT

I don't use the filtered drinking water, because the filter works very slowly, and I have 2, 29 gallon tanks, and 1, 75 gallon tank, and I do large water changes every week. I do have plants in my tanks, but I don't test for phosphates. I guess, maybe, I should. So far, I'm at the beginner level of the planted tank side of the hobby, so, don't know a ton, yet. With all the different levels the water goes through to get to the faucet, I wonder if the water would change much? It's got to be better than city water though, with all the additives like chlorine chloramines, flouride, and all the other stuff. Any ideas on that?

RE: Well Water

felixpaws — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:26:35 GMT

We live near a university, so, we constantly get graduate students asking to test our water for their thesis. Next time we get one come by I'll ask him what the readings are. There are filters, as well as a water softener(the old rock salt type), and tanks, which hold the water after it has been filtered, before it is, then, pumped through our house. I tested the water, got 0 Nitrates, 0 Ammonia, and 8.0 pH. I'll try to take a sample to my lfs to check the phosphate, if no grad students come by fairly soon. The water is pumped up through pvc pipe, that comes from, I believe, 150 feet or more. It may be as much as 250ft. I'll have to check. It is safe for humans to drink, and there are issues with runoff, and other things, but we filter our drinking water through another filter, that uses UV for sterilization, and charcoal.

RE: Well Water

Lumberjack — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:34:23 GMT

You should have your well water tested yearly for your own safety. Usually if it is safe for human use then it is ok for fish as well....

RE: Well Water

Hailey — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:13:11 GMT

The big danger with wells is runoff getting into it (particularly fertilizers from local farms/gardens) and raising the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and/or phosphate. What are your readings, in numbers, for these parameters (your lfs should be able to do the phosphate test since you probably don't have a kit for that unless you have a planted tank)? The other issue is heavy metals (but that can be a problem with tap too) and anything any filters you may have on it may leech into the water. Are there any filters?

Well Water

felixpaws — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:04:45 GMT

Would well water be unsafe for aquarium use or would there be any reason not to use it(other than that people think only 100 year old houses still have wells, ours was built in the 70's, and even brand new houses around here use wells?). I checked my water parameters, after letting the water sit for 24 hours, and the only thing I found in it was a high pH, and it's only 8.ph. I live in a mostly rural area.