Concerned about Iron

[efeeley]

I filled up my 180 gallon tank with well water.I know my iron is high.Is there anything I can do to get rid of the iron?Chelating agent ect.. Thanks in advance.

 

[HannahJ]

Well, if you want to spend the money, you could get an iron filter (do an internet search). I think they're largely for treating drinking water, but I'm sure it could be used on fish water, as well. I'm also under the impression that a lot of iron in water isn't actually dissolved in, but is rather in particles that you could probably filter out with a good fine mechanical filter, but that really depends on what sort of filtration you are using. I think activated charcoal also claims to help remove iron, but I don't know how true that is.

Hope I've helped a little. Good luck!

 

[QTOFFER]

Excess iron can promote black beard algae growth, and be problematic to some plants.

Most dechlorinators contain chelating agents to remove small amounts of iron and other metals.

If your water is discolored by rusty sediment, you probably should have a whole-house particulate filter installed to protect your clothes and fixtures from staining. Something like this:
http://www.home-water-purifiers-and-filters.com/WH1.pdf

If you have dissolved iron contamination, you can get a whole-house filter like this http://www.home-water-purifiers-and-filters.com/whole-house-iron-filter.php or a relatively inexpensive faucet-mounted filter made by Brita or Pur.

 

[BillD]

I had occasion to visit a trout hatchery at a Community College, that had to deal with very high iron content. All incoming water ran over a pile of nails in a bucket. That removed the iron from the water. Filtering with manganese sand will also remove iron.