Well water

[Bruce410]

I'm gonna be moving back home from the city and home has well water with a water softener built into the house water. Do I still use Prime (de-chlorinater), and what should I do to prep the water for water changes?

I've read different things about this but want her hear what you guys think. I appreciate it!

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[tyspot1000]

Well water is actually better for fish tanks because it doesn’t contain any chlorine. The problem is it is "hard water",containing lots of iron and minerals (In your case, the, that shouldn't be a problem, since you have a 'water softener'). It also contains a lot of C02 (carbon dioxide).

The easiest thing to do, is take a test of your well water (Liquid test kit, not test strips). It can test your water and tell you the pH and what your general water chemistry is. Another easy thing to do is just leave the water sit overnight to get the C02 out of it before you put it into the tank. By the way, get real aquarium plants which will love the C02 and convert it to oxygen.

I would still recommend to add a little de-chlorinator to be on the safe side.

 

[Bruce410]

Well water is actually better for fish tanks because it doesn’t contain any chlorine. The problem is it is "hard water",containing lots of iron and minerals (In your case, the, that shouldn't be a problem, since you have a 'water softener'). It also contains a lot of C02 (carbon dioxide).

The easiest thing to do, is take a test of your well water (Liquid test kit, not test strips). It can test your water and tell you the pH and what your general water chemistry is. Another easy thing to do is just leave the water sit overnight to get the C02 out of it before you put it into the tank. By the way, get real aquarium plants which will love the C02 and convert it to oxygen.

I would still recommend to add a little de-chlorinator to be on the safe side.

Awesome! Thanks, just what I was looking for. I know the water will still be pretty hard even with the softener because we get water lines in the shower. What should I do or would just the sitting over night help?

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[tyspot1000]

You dont have to let it sit over night (like I said, it only helps take out the C02), but I recommend letting it sit with a heater in it before putting it in the tank (So that the temps will equalize).

 

[Bruce410]

You dont have to let it sit over night (like I said, it only helps take out the C02), but I recommend letting it sit with a heater in it before putting it in the tank (So that the temps will equalize).

Good deal, thanks!

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[BigJim]

I would still use Prime as a precaution. It does a lot more than just remove chlorine. You may have some heavy metals in your water that Prime will neutralize.