Well Water

[cardner]

I am considering moving into a house in the country that has a well. I'm concerned what additional precautions to take when treating well water for my Cichlids. Currently I am only using a declorinator and Cichlid salt. I would appreciate any assistance in what steps to take in treating well water.

[Pam Chin]

Cardner,

Everyones water is different, but the good news is you should not have to add dechlor or chloramines. You may want to get a sample and figure out what the parameters are, pH, hardness would be my main concerns. There could be other issues too; I have well, and while it has the perfect pH (8.5) for Rift Lake and Centrals, I have dissolved gasses. I have to let the water gas off for a couple of days before I can use it.
I set up a holding tank to take care of this little bump in the road.

So there are usually ways to get around these issues, but the key is figuring that out before you lose any fish.

Good Luck!
Cichlid Power!
Pam

[Bas Pels]

I know a breeder in NL who uses well water. This water does contain a lot of iron, as does the water our local tap water firm uses.

Iron is harmless, but it oxidises into rust - ths consuming oxygen and reddening the water.

Pam suggested degasssing the water before using it. A very good way of degassing water is using an airstone, and this airstone will also provide the oxygen needed to oxydise the iron - if in your water

[Darrell Ullisch]

I also have a well, and I would highly recommend sending samples to be tested for both chemical alalysis and biological contamination before buying the house. I really wish I had done that before moving into my current home. Ended up having to drill a new well, and while the new well is better biologically, it is still off the scale on hardness, which is not considered by the health department to be hazardous. I not only have to degass, but in the winter the water that is degassing also coats the inside of the container with a calcium scale as the water warms up.

[Bas Pels]

I'm not completely surprised hardness is considered as no threat to humans - in fact, if we drink hard water, our bones will remain stronger (and your childrens bones will develop better)

In our country the law states hardness should be above 8 DH - but under 12, because of mechanical failures due to hardness

[Darrell Ullisch]

I'm not completely surprised hardness is considered as no threat to humans - in fact, if we drink hard water, our bones will remain stronger (and your childrens bones will develop better)

In our country the law states hardness should be above 8 DH - but under 12, because of mechanical failures due to hardness

Yes, when I was in my early teens (about mid 1960s), we had to put down a new well head. My father took a water sample in for testing, and when the results came back, the person told him that our water was so good, we could have bottled and sold it. Of course, we thought that was silly; who bottles and sells water?!? One of those "if only we had known then..." memories.

Sorry about going off topic!