Anyone here ever use well water for a tank???

[Anonymous]

We are going to be moving soon to an area where there is no public water.........only wells. Never had a tank of any kind using well water so not sure if this presents a significant problem or not.

RO units are probably out as well because a large tank will have to much waste water lost.

What should I do??

Should I just have the water tested and see what it comes out like and then decide or what?


I shouldn't need Dechlor or water conditioners anymore right??


TOTALLY new for me.


Tank will be over 200 gallon in wall setup if size (amount of water needed) matters.


Thanks in advance.


I'm thinking fish only to be safe but want to know if anyone else has done this with no trouble first.

 

[blackcloudmedia]

1. Have the water tested. Water quality can vary from acre to acre depending on the water table location, geological specifications etc.
2. The water may be clean enough to use a (hose-bib) style RODI
3. Or if the water quality is that bad ask the local LFS where they get theirs.

If there isnt a LFS then having a reeftank in that area probably isnt the best idea anyways since supplies and stock will all have to be ordered. I wouldnt dream of using my well water as its mostly iron and sulfer. Luckily we have good tap water.

 

[Anonymous]

Well if your well is anywhere near any sort of farm whether past or present most likely your TDS will be off the chart. In fact my inlaws who are near farms I hooked up an RO unit just for them because the water itself is not drinkable IMO.

Testing definitely is something that should be done, if anything because I'm sure you'd like to occasionally drink some water

RO is possible, just put the waste back down the well.. Or you can do a DI only route, just make many stages before hand... multiple sediment filters, multiple carbon filters, you'll probably replace filters much quicker, and go through your resin like crazy but... such is the problem with living "off the grid"

 

[Anonymous]

If there isnt a LFS then having a reeftank in that area probably isnt the best idea anyways since supplies and stock will all have to be ordered.

LFS is about 45 minutes away.............I will travel the area enough to make trips there no problem but hardly convenient.

I wouldnt dream of using my well water as its mostly iron and sulfer. Luckily we have good tap water.

The water to the house has a complete treatment system in place in the basement before being distributed to the house plumbing. Softeners and removal of metals all occurs before the water reaches the tap.

 

[Anonymous]

Well if your well is anywhere near any sort of farm whether past or present most likely your TDS will be off the chart.

TDS??

There are farms nearby but not really close.

Testing definitely is something that should be done, if anything because I'm sure you'd like to occasionally drink some water

Good point :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

TDS??

Total dissolved solids. You can get meters from places that supply RO/DI units.

 

[Anonymous]

TDS??

Total dissolved solids. You can get meters from places that supply RO/DI units.

To test it myself??


Are they accurate?.............and what if they are high??

 

[Anonymous]

if they're high means you'll have more tasty food for algae in your tank.

Near by farms can be problematic (depending upon what you mean by "nearby"), especially if they are animals (cows are the worst), or if they use lots of fertilizers and pesticides (which is possible)... also if your property was farmland that kind of stuff likes to stay in the water table for a long time.

 

[Anonymous]

The main problem with TDS meters will be that tend to be designed to be fitted to the pipe used with RO/DI meters, not necessarily that useful in your case.

 

[Brian5000]

I know you can get (and I use) a handheld TDS meter instead of an inline one if that would work better (just dip it in every jug of water before it gets used in the tank).

I have a well out in the sticks, and I have an RO/DI system. The main problem with my area is iron content. I think I go through the stage 1 filter extra fast, but the rest seems to last about the right amount of time.

My water going in is about 200 TDS (no idea if that's good or bad by well standards)

My water coming out is 0-3 TDS.

 

[iseeweed]

Be sure the house doesn't use copper pipes. The copper level in the water would be to high to support any invertebrate life.

 

[Anonymous]

Be sure the house doesn't use copper pipes. The copper level in the water would be to high to support any invertebrate life.

Most houses are built with copper water pipes. At least around here in NY.

 

[purplefirefish]

I have been using well water for the last 6 years for my reef. I do have a booster pump for my ro/di. And the house has copper pipes. I've successfully raised lps and sps corals while living here. TDS before RO/DI - 450 to 550. After TDS is at 0-1

 

[iseeweed]

I have been using well water for the last 6 years for my reef. I do have a booster pump for my ro/di. And the house has copper pipes. I've successfully raised lps and sps corals while living here. TDS before RO/DI - 450 to 550. After TDS is at 0-1

Agree, My house has copper pipes as well. No problem growing sps. I am using a simple RO/DI unit. I think SaltyDog was asking about using unfiltered well water(or just a simple filter/soften).
I actually have a cousin that does this, and has sucess growing some mushrooms and soft stuff, but I have no idea what his water parameters are. :roll:

 

[Anonymous]

Be sure the house doesn't use copper pipes. The copper level in the water would be to high to support any invertebrate life.

Most houses are built with copper water pipes. At least around here in NY.

This is a new home..........has all that PEX flexible pvc stuff.


No copper.

 

[Anonymous]

Can you still taste the plastic residue through that PEX stuff as you can with regular PVC? PVC is way against building codes here, but the fact you can taste plastic in the water wouldn't make me want to use it anyways.