Lowering Ph Naturally

[gale]

We can drink it but we choose not to. We don't like the taste. For years though, we did drink and cook with it. I just decided at some point that I liked bottled water better so we bought a dispenser and refill the bottles in town. 
 
eta: my husband drinks it on a regular basis when he's outside. It doesn't go through the softener outside. I think the inside water is not as good because of the softener but even when we had unsoftened water in the cold tap we drank bottled water. 

 

[Byron]

We can drink it but we choose not to. We don't like the taste. For years though, we did drink and cook with it. I just decided at some point that I liked bottled water better so we bought a dispenser and refill the bottles in town. 
 
eta: my husband drinks it on a regular basis when he's outside. It doesn't go through the softener outside. I think the inside water is not as good because of the softener but even when we had unsoftened water in the cold tap we drank bottled water. 

 
I would want to have a test done of your well water to ascertain what is in it.  This orange could be iron (copper is usually blue), but that is only a guess.  It might be dangerous to fish, as their levels of tolerable minerals are lower than ours in many cases.

 

[gale]

I sent a message to the culligan dealer where we get our bottled water to find out how their water is filtered/treated. No reply yet but I wouldn't have a problem using it for the fish tanks. It's only 25 cents a gallon if we bring our own jugs. 
 
Our water does have what we think is copper in it. When we filled our pool the water was green for a few days and our swimsuits turned orange after being in the pool. Once we had the filter running for a few days the green cleared up. It wasn't algae. 

My test kit doesn't have much in it. Where would I get the well water tested? 

 

[gale]

Also, doesn't the water conditioner neutralize the metals in the water? This is becoming way more complicated than it should be. 

 

[gale]

I called culligan's and he said it goes through RO, UV and a carbon filter. He said that it's safe for fish tanks and that he has actually done the research to make sure (he apparently gets asked that often). The self serve is only 25 cents per gallon so I think we'll just go with that. Then we can use water we have on hand if we fail to get jugs filled during the week for water changes. I'll have to buy the first 10 gallons (for both tanks) in jugs and then we can just refill. 
 
I can use amquel and novaqa in it right? Just to be safe? 

 

[Byron]

I sent a message to the culligan dealer where we get our bottled water to find out how their water is filtered/treated. No reply yet but I wouldn't have a problem using it for the fish tanks. It's only 25 cents a gallon if we bring our own jugs. 
 
Our water does have what we think is copper in it. When we filled our pool the water was green for a few days and our swimsuits turned orange after being in the pool. Once we had the filter running for a few days the green cleared up. It wasn't algae. 
 
My test kit doesn't have much in it. Where would I get the well water tested?
 

 
I would take a water sample (direct from the well) to a lab for analysis.  I've no idea what labs might be in your area.  But I would want to know the water data solely for my own personal use but also for my fish.
 

Also, doesn't the water conditioner neutralize the metals in the water? This is becoming way more complicated than it should be.
 

 
Many (most but not all) water conditioners will detoxify heavy metals.  However, this has its limits.  I went into this in detail with Seachem a while back, and they explained that Prime [and other conditioners with heavy metal detoxification are much the same] was intended to deal with minimal increased levels of heavy metals that might be encountered in municipal water.  Water authorities in the US and Canada must follow specific guidelines when it comes to contaminates in the water, like heavy metals.  So these minerals must be no higher than the set allowable level.  
 
The minerals in water vary according to where it comes from.  Here in the SW of BC where I live, and the same holds for NW USA (coastal anyway), our water is very soft, with scarcely any metals.  But there are other areas in NA with much harder water.  Water is a terrific solvent, meaning it will easily take up substances it comes into contact with, and this obviously includes minerals in the ground rock it passes over or through.  So your well water will have dissolved in it any minerals occurring in the rocks through which the water passes.  It may also include organics and nitrates, common in agricultural areas.
 
So water conditioners intended for aquaria will detoxify any heavy metals (these include iron, copper, zinc, manganese, lead, mercury, maybe a few others) in the water, but only if these are not too high to begin with.  The conditioners are not strong enough to deal with high levels.  Municipal water provided by a water board/authority will not have very high levels of these metals because it is illegal, so the aquarium water conditioner will deal with any metals present.
 

I called culligan's and he said it goes through RO, UV and a carbon filter. He said that it's safe for fish tanks and that he has actually done the research to make sure (he apparently gets asked that often). The self serve is only 25 cents per gallon so I think we'll just go with that. Then we can use water we have on hand if we fail to get jugs filled during the week for water changes. I'll have to buy the first 10 gallons (for both tanks) in jugs and then we can just refill. 
 
I can use amquel and novaqa in it right? Just to be safe? 
 

 
RO (reverse osmosis), UV (ultraviolet sterilization) and carbon will remove everything and anything in the water.  The result is "pure" water.  So there is no need to waste money on water conditioners, they will do nothing, but they do add chemicals to the water and these are not beneficial so no point adding them.
 
However, now you are into another aspect.  Some aquarists use a RO (and/or UV) to deal with water issues, but afterwards with RO they will add back some of the minerals no longer present.  This rather depends upon the fish.  Livebearers and other fish naturally occurring in moderately hard or harder water would not live long in water this pure.  Soft water fish are a bit different, as they occur in water often devoid of any minerals.  You have a Betta which is a soft water fish, and it will certainly be happier with no minerals than it will with your well water, by the sound of things.  As to what if any minerals you need to re-introduce--remembering that these occur in fish foods too--for a Betta, I will leave it for Betta keepers to advise.
 
I will just say that in my case, with my near-zero GH source water, I add no minerals except what occurs in the fish foods and plant additives.  My wild caught soft water fish are thriving.
 
Byron.

 

[StevenF]

I use RO water in my tank.  While RO is safe for fiish, plants will not survive in it due to the low mineral content.  Therefore if you want plants you need to fertilize the water.  I use Seachem Fluorish Comprehensive.  It contains everything plants need.  I would also put one or two decorative snail or sea shells in the tank.   This will slowly disolve over time and in the process keep GH and KH at safe minimum values.  
 

 
 
Our outside (unsoft) water turns orange after a few hours

Orange water is typically due to high iron.  Iron can desolve in water that has no oxygen in it.  However once exposed to air the iron precipitates  out leaving an iron oxide dust that settles to the bottom of the container.  Iron by itself is typically not harmfull.

 
 
Our water does have what we think is copper in it. When we filled our pool the water was green for a few days and our swimsuits turned orange after being in the pool. Once we had the filter running for a few days the green cleared up. It wasn't algae. 

The pool filter only removes particles.  Now excess coppler like iron may precipitate out but I would think the copper would turn the filter green.  However if you have iron and copper it is likely that your well water is full of minerals.  And that green water could actually be a type of algae.  Again the pool filter will take that out.  However you really need  to have your well water tested.  If it has High iron and copper it could also have high levels of lead and Arsenic and may not be safe to drink.  The water softener may remove some  of that. but  you really need a lab test to confirm the water is safe for consumption from the indoor water softener tap or the outside well tap.  
 
Instead of buying bottled  RO water at the store I would install a small under sink RO unit.  The RO would easily remove the Salt the water softener leaves behind  at a lower cost than buying bottled water at the store.

 

[gale]

We've had the water tested for drinking so it's safe for that, but it's been a while and I don't know the results. Only that it's okay for drinking. We got it done when we got our water softener replaced. 
 
There's no chance we'll be getting an RO unit for the sink. Bottled water will only be $1.25 to fill and about .25 for water changes and since the fish are all my responsibility, my husband won't want to spend the $$ to put in an RO unit. He's already not too happy about all the stuff I've bought for the tanks as it is. And I don't have the funds to spend on an RO unit. I can manage the weekly water purchase but not a big outlay of cash that the RO unit would require.