Well water + or- water softener???

[rickh]

I live in the sticks and have well water, very hard well water. I have a FW tank with mollies and the like. For 2 years I have been hauling "city" water from work. Not fun. The well water has loads of Iron, etc. Should I try the well water? Should I use the softened well water? Should I continue to haul water? I have read the forms and can't seem to get a definitive answer. Thanks.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

If it's very hard and you want to soften it some, just bring some water, distilled or drinking water, and mix with the well water, up to 50/50. Just experiment with it and see what you feel best fits for you. Just start in moderation though, if you have fish in the tank. You don't want to change your parameters too much too fast.

 

[hashbaz]

After paying for my own RO system to soften my water, I recomend choosing fish that like your hard water. Less work and less money.

 

[BrianNY]

Mollies can thrive in hard water. They can even adapt to salt water. I would have a water test done to be sure there isn't any sign of toxic chemicals. If you live in a farming area, pesticides and fertilizers can leach into the ground water. It's just a good idea to know.

 

[rickh]

Thanks for the info. The well water has so many minerals the unsoftened water will stain sinks red in a few days. If I use the softened water--it has a ton of sodium from the process. RO water on the other hand has no minerals--this isn't good for FW either. R

 

[BrianNY]

Well then it might not be a bad idea to use RO. You can always add buffers to the RO water to bring it right in line.