I do live in Canada btw. I have used it in a tropical tank and I do not remember this happening before. I have read though that the properties of well water can change drastically over time or even in a matter of hours in extreme cases and the last tank was 2-3 years ago.
WOuld it be possible to just wait until the bacteria starve? Or could this take forever?
Also the stench is so bad I cant sleep in my room tonight lol just to let you know.
If I start it with bottle water then get it cycled and up a and running then ,and do future water changes with my well water would the established bacteria, fish, plants etc make it impossible for this cloud to return?
Yes, well water can change very quickly. Well water is not ideal in most cases for aquariums. If you let the water sit , then many bacteria will die, however they are very resiliant and a few can survive for a long time, then the few can become many in a matter of 24-30 hrs.... However,
I dont think bacteria in your well water is the cause, I suspect that the organic matter in the well water provided a good nutrient source for bacteria; and pseudomonas could be from any food you ate, human lungs, etc; so there are many sources.
If you add allot of salt to the tank now, it should kill them off quicly so the smell does not get too bad...I would do this as you dont want a biofilm develping as it can be very dificcult to completly clean off....
"If I start it with bottle water then get it cycled and up a and running then ,and do future water changes with my well water would the established bacteria, fish, plants etc make it impossible for this cloud to return" I think in an established tank it would be unlikely for the pseudomonas to take hold however, NOT impossible.
I would start the tank with bottled water. I would get test drops (the strips suck) and test all your well waters parameters. If your non-cheleated iron is zero you SHOULD be ok if you tank is established. Perhaps test harness (KH & GH). If you let me know your well water parameters, I can tell you what I think...
Note: do NOT use distilled water, use mineral water.
Note: If you live in Canada, my father is a well water expert with alberta environment; he could generally tell me what is in your well water if you can tell me your general location...
