Can I use well water?

[timmyrules]

Hey guys, it’s been a minute, I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving, this might be a dumb question but I’m wondering if I can use well water to mix with my salt for my tank…to give you guys a little context, I have a 10 gallon mixed reef with 3 clown fish. I have been using RODI water but the filter I have only filters half a gallon at a time, and it ends up taking 2+ hours to change 20% of the water in a 10 gallon tank. And, with my current work schedule of 4 jobs I’m having a difficult time finding a free 2 hours to change the water. I live in the country, and the well water is consumable.

 

[BlueBayouReefHTX]

You can. You may or may not receive consistent results. Can you not make a little water ahead of time and store it? I keep a 30gal trash can in my garage full of water to use when I need it. Some folks may not have as much space but even a few 5 gal buckets will get in a closet for when you're ready. Just make sure your salt is ok to sit for while, some others like Red Sea say to use it quickly.

 

[Tangdora]

I’m on well. But I would not use it without passing it through rodi first. There are a lot of mineral in it that may be good for you but not so much for tanks. Excessive iron being one at least in my case. What rodi are you using does it have a booster pump. To speed up time you can just a trash can or large container and make your water in bulk.

 

[Fish Fan]

How about using distilled water that can be purchased for a little more than a dollar/gallon at any grocery store, pharmacy, or your local Mega-Lo-Mart.

 

[jimk60]

Can't really answer without knowing whats in your water. People on here do use well water and get away with it. I would start with checking tds and go from there.

 

[Timfish]

Probably. You can send off a sample to get tested to get a better idea of what's in your well water. An ICP test is probably the easiest. There's also alternate filters that may work better in your situation like just running it through a cnaister filter with GAC or an iron filter. Here's one of my systems maintained with tapwater and the ICP tests for the tapwater used for water changes and system water.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

For that size tank, I would just get a 5 gallon jug of distilled, and swap the bottle as you need. Ultimately it will cost just a few dollars each time.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey guys, it’s been a minute, I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving, this might be a dumb question but I’m wondering if I can use well water to mix with my salt for my tank…to give you guys a little context, I have a 10 gallon mixed reef with 3 clown fish. I have been using RODI water but the filter I have only filters half a gallon at a time, and it ends up taking 2+ hours to change 20% of the water in a 10 gallon tank. And, with my current work schedule of 4 jobs I’m having a difficult time finding a free 2 hours to change the water. I live in the country, and the well water is consumable.

Not suggested but I have for a few years But also ran my water through a whole house filter - to a 5 stage RODI unit and water was good

 

[NC AL]

I used well water for a while, and still supplement every now and then in a jam. My water is very clean naturally (very low tds). However I know for long term tank health I had to get a rodi filter system. I have a basic BRS system. I bought it 2 years ago when I bought a bigger tank. Wish I would have done it sooner.

I make 15 gallon of water water on Saturdays and seal in off in 5 gallon jugs. I have had no problems using it throughout the week (Thursdays are my maintenance days.)

 

[NCsalt]

I am on a well in Mountains with relatively clean water. TDS are still btw 60-65. Also have old pipes. It goes through my RODI.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

You may be able to use your well water safely. Unfortunately, one of the ways to find out that you can't is to kill livestock. Other less interesting ways to figure out that you can't is to have mysterious long term issues with Ca/alk levels, or algae growth, or general coral "off-ness", that may or may not be attributable to the water.

 

[2Sunny]

Lots of advice, but I will second the recommendation above. Use distilled water. Do not use well water unless it's filtered.

 

[painter1982]

If you want success then you’d want to use ro/di water or equivalent. Anything else is a gamble.

 

[coralSLover]

Hey guys, it’s been a minute, I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving, this might be a dumb question but I’m wondering if I can use well water to mix with my salt for my tank…to give you guys a little context, I have a 10 gallon mixed reef with 3 clown fish. I have been using RODI water but the filter I have only filters half a gallon at a time, and it ends up taking 2+ hours to change 20% of the water in a 10 gallon tank. And, with my current work schedule of 4 jobs I’m having a difficult time finding a free 2 hours to change the water. I live in the country, and the well water is consumable.

Yes! If you’re using well water and have a reef tank (or plan to upgrade), a combined sprefilterle-house prefilter RO/DI - storage) is worth it and probably the smartest long-term solution. It’s more upfront work and cost than using jugs or occasional purchased RO, but it pays off with consistent water quality, convenience, and less stress on you — especially if you're busy.

If you’re on a budget or just starting out, a compact RO/DI + storage barrel is totally valid, too. Once you get comfortable, upgrading to a larger RO/DI or adding a whole-house prefilter makes sense.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

One primary concern with any tap water is copper from your own pipes. For a great number of people, that is too high, even with very good water coming into the home.