Questions about aging water and well water

[Sheepies]

We have well water. It comes out fresh from the ground with some nitrates, once it goes through the house filter, nitrates levels go down a bit. And once in a planted tank, levels drop further. They would stay the same in a bare/QT tank. Levels fresh can be up to 40-60, but end up around 10 once gone through the filter. I rarely check it, so it could change after periods of rain or dry spells.

The filter is mainly to remove the mud from the water, sometimes it gets mixed up and ends up coming up with the pumped water. You can still taste the earthiness of it, tastes better than any city/tap water we've ever had to live with.

I've kept other fish on this water since we moved here, nothing fancy, no chemicals added at all, they all do just fine. But some posts/sites make me worry about how discus might handle the water. I haven't noticed pH changes, though, it's been awhile since I've tested for this before and after water changing.

I don't "age" the water. Since it's from the ground, my line of thought is that it will only "spoil" if I let it age. I haven't set some out and tested, will have to do that as a mini experiment. I also don't age it because I use the faucet, I can adjust the temperature to be very similar to what the tank's temperature is set to be. It's also easier, faster and more gentle to just stick on a hose and fill it up than splashing and dripping around water with a bucket.

Then I wonder about the minerals in the water. My master kit doesn't come with all the other tests, I didn't even know there were kits for the other things nor that there was a sera master kit with 9 tests, another brand has 10 tests! Do I need to test for iron, calcium, copper, Phosphate and KH Carbonate, anything else? I would guess that if I did have to test for these, then it would be once a month or during weather changes, like rainy season and dry spells, then adjust whatever I need to do to the water before filling the tank back up. What are the preferred levels of these tests for growing and adult discus? Are there ways to control or adjust levels without using RO units?

[afriend]

Shieepies,

Welcome to Simply Discus. The first thing that I would suggest is to take a close look at your well. You might be getting water draining in from the surface. If so, change the grading around it and provide a slope for water to drain away from the well head. I would also get the water tested to determine if there are contaminates in it that would make it unhealthy to drink, especially since you have some concern that it may "spoil" with aging.

Paul

[Sheepies]

The concern comes from the fact that well water isn't full of chemicals to "clean and sterilize" it, like city water is. Like if you gathered some clear river water, the small amounts of organic material would create ammonia or similar over time, is what I'd assume.
The well pump pipe sticks up about 1.5ft on a fairly flat area, water doesn't sit on it, there is a slight dip past the pipe off to the edge of the flat area where water runs off.
I'll ask around to find out how to get a professional to test the well and water.
Thanks.

[Sheepies]

Ok, tested with my API kit, Nitrates in the tanks and fresh from my faucet are the same, but hard to tell what color it matches to.
The pH IN the tanks is high. Fresh from faucet it is low.

What can I do to turn the well water pH to the same, high level as it is in my tanks?








I got my other air pump working, I don't know what it's rated for, but it'll have to do for now. Just need to pick up and air stone and tubing.

[Sheepies]

Don't know where my post went...

Tank water is high pH, tap is low. I'll go out and buy a bin, heater, air line hose and air stone to get the pH to go up in holding water.
Tested the nitrates as well and they are both the same, not much I can do about that....

How long can the holding tank stay in there for? Could I fill enough for 2-4 water changes?
Will they be fine with nitrates never really changing much? What can I use to drop it?

http://s20.postimg.org/g50ursmhp/regph.jpg
http://s20.postimg.org/tn7r42yn1/highph.jpg
http://s20.postimg.org/rjxbweyu5/nitratetest.jpg

[pcsb23]

Because you are a new member your posts with images and link in went into moderation. I've released them now.

The pH is caused because your well water is high in CO2, once this gasses off the pH increases. This is pretty much normal, though the difference does seem a lot. Aging the water in a storage barrel with an air stone in will deal with this.

[Sheepies]

Because you are a new member your posts with images and link in went into moderation. I've released them now.

The pH is caused because your well water is high in CO2, once this gasses off the pH increases. This is pretty much normal, though the difference does seem a lot. Aging the water in a storage barrel with an air stone in will deal with this.

Thanks!

[Sheepies]

What do I do about the high nitrates from the well water? Is there any way to easily, safely get rid of it or just live with it?

[pcsb23]

Hobby test kits are notoriously unreliable for things like nitrates. I'd be tempted to get the well water assessed at a proper lab - can't help with which lab as I'm in the UK, but google is your friend

The easiest long term fix for nitrates (and many other water born stuff) is an RO filter, some people persist with adsorptive resins but these quickly become a pita. Plants will use nitrates and phosphates as well as few other minerals and such but again this isn't always the right solution.

[afriend]

Sheepies,

Your well water is quite high in nitrates. My original response was to question the construction of your well. Here's my reasoning for that:

"Where and how does nitrate get into drinking water?

Nitrate can occur naturally in surface and groundwater at a level that does not generally cause health problems. High levels of nitrate in well water often result from improper well construction, well location, overuse of chemical fertilizers, or improper disposal of human and animal waste. Sources of nitrate that can enter your well include fertilizers, septic systems, animal feedlots, industrial waste, and food processing waste. Wells may be more vulnerable to such contamination after flooding, particularly if the wells are shallow, have been dug or bored, or have been submerged by floodwater for long periods of time."

The quote above is from a CDC website. Many wells in this country do not contain nitrates, especially if they are deep wells. Exceptions to this generally occur in farming communities.

Paul