The water quality in the fish tank directly links with the health and well-being of your fish. You should use good quality water to keep your fish alive for the maximum period. It’s obvious that everyone wants to use easily available water for such activities. If well water is easily available to you, then a question arises can you use well water in a fish tank? Well! You have to read this guide till the end to get a detailed answer to this question.
What Does Well Water Contain?
Well water is sourced through the deep layers of earth and flows deep along with rocks and soils. People get access to well water by drilling the earth till reaching the water table. A motor pump is usually used to draw well water. Since well water travels through the rocks under deep soil layers, it is more filtered than surface water.
There are less or almost no chances of surface contaminants in well water. However, the mineral content in the well water is more than in surface water. As the underground rocks and soil seeps into the water, their minerals get mixed with water. The higher mineral content can alter the water chemistry of the well; thus, you must consider this fact before using it for a fish tank.
Is Well Water Safe for Fish Tank?
As well water has fewer possible surface contaminants; it is thought to be suitable for fish tank. Moreover, the pH of well water is also suitable for aquariums and various kinds of fish. The pH of well water lies between 6.5-8.5, and the ideal pH for a fish tank is 6.8-7.8. Thus, in terms of pH, well water is safe to use for fish tanks.
Municipal water is treated so it doesn’t have harmful substances and contaminants. On the contrary, the well water has nitrates, volatile organic chemicals, and agricultural and industrial runoffs. So, well water with these harmful substances and chemicals is not suitable for fish tanks.
In addition, well water has higher mineral content which makes it hard. Heavy metals and salts can be toxic to fishes and may act as slow poison for them. It is also low in oxygen and can be problematic for fishes, resulting in poor aeration.
Can You Use Well Water in a Saltwater Fish tank?
Marine or saltwater fish are sensitive to water parameters. Subsequently, you ought to be very careful while picking the water for a saltwater fish tank. Regular observing of the water parameters is essential to keep healthy saltwater for your fish.
Well water contains various heavy metals and salts. Thus, you shouldn’t directly use it in a saltwater fish tank. Well water may also have a high percentage of limestone in rural areas, influencing the pH level. The carbon dioxide level of well water is likewise higher than that of freshwater.
You ought to deal with these factors while adding well water to your aquarium. So, treated well water can be used in a saltwater fish tank. After conditioning of well water, it will become suitable to use in a saltwater fish tank. Conditioning includes the removal of heavy metals and mineral salts from the water. You should also monitor the TDS level of water and keep it low for the health of your aquarium.
Well Water Testing for Fish Tank
Before using it for a fish tank, it is necessary to test well water for the level of different minerals and contaminants. Regular monitoring of water quality in an existing aquarium is also necessary for its maintenance and fish health. So, in order to test water quality, you have to perform the following tests.
Contaminant Testing
Before making a fish tank or aquarium, you should test the water quality. Contamination level checking must be the priority of water testing. You can use water testing kits available on the market for this purpose. These kits are designed to test the water quality through test strips. You have to dip the test strip into the water sample and remove it after 10 seconds. The color of the test strip will be changed. Now match this color with the reference chart available along the strips. This test lets you know which metals and minerals are present in your water sample.
Certified lab testing is another way of checking water quality. You have to submit a sample of your well water at a certified lab, and you will get your detailed water report after a day or two.
pH Testing
After testing contaminants in your well water, you should check the pH of the water. As described earlier, the recommended pH value for an aquarium is 6.8-7.8. You have to test the pH of the fish tank after every two-three days. Aquarium pH test strips are available for this purpose. You can get them from Amazon and check your well’s water pH easily at home.
A pH meter is another good option to check well water. It tells the salinity levels of the water, and you can check whether your well water is suitable for an aquarium or not.
Treatments of Well Water before using it in Fish Tank
After testing well water, if it doesn’t prove suitable for a fish tank, you should treat it to make it suitable. You can use the following treatments to make your well water healthy and suitable for a fish tank.
Use Well Water Filters
Well water has different heavy metals and contaminants so, well water filters will be suitable to treat such water. You can use well water for fish tank after installing a well water filter to your home’s water supply. Along with clean water for the aquarium, you will also get clean water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. These filters can remove heavy metals like lead, iron, manganese, and other harmful chemicals along with agricultural and industrial runoffs.
Use Reverse Osmosis and Deionization System
The best way to purify water from contaminants is to use reverse osmosis filters in combination with deionizers. The reverse osmosis filter will remove the contaminants by pushing them through a membrane. 95 to 99% of contaminants will be removed by this process.
After filtration from RO, the deionizer works to remove the remaining microorganisms. In this method, you will get the deionized and purified water for drinking and fish tank. But if you can’t afford the installation of this filtration system, you can use baking soda to purify your fish tank water. Add some baking soda to the aquarium water before adding fish; it will re-mineralize the fish tank. Re-mineralization is necessary if you use reverse osmosis and deionizers because it will maintain the required mineral levels in water. Baking soda is the best choice for this purpose.
Final Thoughts
Well water has higher mineral content and heavy metals; thus, it’s not suitable to use it directly for fish tanks. After treating well water, you can use it for your aquarium.
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