Moving my fish to well water.

[luvthebadge]

Hello all,

I am new to this forum so thanks for having me here.
I have a 45 gal tank with 5 angelfish in it and I Live in Los Angeles Ca area and will be moving about an hour and a half away to Tehachapi Ca. My tank is using tap water and of course I treat it with Prime when doing water changes. I will be moving shortly and my new house is on a well. Is it safe to use the well water when setting the tank back up ? Do i need to test the well water and if yes then what exactly for? Do I need to treat the water before adding it to my tank during setup and future water changes? Is there anything I need to watch out for when using well water? Any info will be so helpful in this matter. I sure don't want my fish to die. And any advice on the moving of the tank and fish would be great to.
Dawn

 

[Fish4dawin]

Hi and welcome to TFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May I just kindly say 45 gallons is too small for 1 angel let alone 5. For one angel the minimum is a 55 gallon and for a community of 5-6 it is a 100 gallon minimum. You might want to look at upgrading your tank size if you want your angels too be happy. At some point a pair might break off and will start trying to kill the other angels. Whilst you can keep a pair of angels in a 45 gallon as a breeder tank, it won't work with the amount you have in there sadly.

As for the water I sadly have no experience with well water unfortunately. Other more experienced people will be able to help.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Do you plan on drinking the well water?
There's nothing at all wrong with well water and although the chemistry might be ever so slightly different from your tap (reservoir) water, it will be fine. IF the well water system is not treated with chlorine, you will not need to treat with Prime...although keep the Prime on hand in the event of an unforeseen ammonia spike.
Note: you will want to test the well water for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. It is fairly common, especially in agricultural areas, to have high nitrates in well water. (I have elevated nitrates in my well water due to a 95 acre farmers field across the road - My Nitrate Fight).
------
As mentioned, Angels are territorial and if two pair off and lay eggs, there could be unwanted aggression and injury. If there are signs of this, you may want to get another tank or re-home some of the fish.

 

[Colin_T]

Before you move, do a day trip and get a sample of well water and have it tested by a lab, and get it tested for everything. It might cost a bit but it's worth every cent because you will find out exactly what is in it and whether or not it is safe for you and for the fish.

When it comes to moving, I would try to take enough of the current water to the new house so the fish can get set up in their original type of water. You can use 20 litre plastic jerry cans for this. Then over the next few weeks (assuming the well water is safe), do small (10-20%) water changes using the well water. This will allow the fish to get use to the well water over a period of time and it will be less of a shock to their system. After a few water changes you can increase the amount you change.

If the well water has the same pH, GH and KH as your current water supply, then you can do bigger water changes with the well water from day one.

---------------------
The following link has information about moving house with a fish tank. Post #2 has info and a couple of links with similar info. Have a read when you get spare time.

Moving with fish?

Hi. I honestly didn’t know where to post this so I’m sorry if this isn’t the right place. Currently I have (approximate sizes) a 5 inch long, 8 inch long and 11 inch long comet goldfish, a 4 inch long black Moore, 6 African cichlids, and a male betta. In January, I’m going to be moving from...

www.fishforums.net

 

[AbbeysDad]

Before you move, do a day trip and get a sample of well water and have it tested by a lab, and get it tested for everything. It might cost a bit but it's worth every cent because you will find out exactly what is in it and whether or not it is safe for you and for the fish

I dunno @Colin_T, a complete water test will cost several hundred dollars and I'm betting there are other homes in that area tapping the same aquafir.
I suppose if the OP has money to burn, why not...otherwise, not so sure it's necessary. However, a test for coliform bacteria and nitrates might be well worth the cost. (Often home system lines need to be 'sweetened' (shocked) to eliminate bacteria.)

 

[luvthebadge]

Hi and welcome to TFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May I just kindly say 45 gallons is too small for 1 angel let alone 5. For one angel the minimum is a 55 gallon and for a community of 5-6 it is a 100 gallon minimum. You might want to look at upgrading your tank size if you want your angels too be happy. At some point a pair might break off and will start trying to kill the other angels. Whilst you can keep a pair of angels in a 45 gallon as a breeder tank, it won't work with the amount you have in there sadly.

As for the water I sadly have no experience with well water unfortunately. Other more experienced people will be able to help.

Thank you, had a feeling someone would tell me that from this thread. Lol Yes time for an upgrade on a tank. I do like my animals to be happy for sure. Thanks for the info.

 

[luvthebadge]

Before you move, do a day trip and get a sample of well water and have it tested by a lab, and get it tested for everything. It might cost a bit but it's worth every cent because you will find out exactly what is in it and whether or not it is safe for you and for the fish.

When it comes to moving, I would try to take enough of the current water to the new house so the fish can get set up in their original type of water. You can use 20 litre plastic jerry cans for this. Then over the next few weeks (assuming the well water is safe), do small (10-20%) water changes using the well water. This will allow the fish to get use to the well water over a period of time and it will be less of a shock to their system. After a few water changes you can increase the amount you change.

If the well water has the same pH, GH and KH as your current water supply, then you can do bigger water changes with the well water from day one.

---------------------
The following link has information about moving house with a fish tank. Post #2 has info and a couple of links with similar info. Have a read when you get spare time.

Moving with fish?

Hi. I honestly didn’t know where to post this so I’m sorry if this isn’t the right place. Currently I have (approximate sizes) a 5 inch long, 8 inch long and 11 inch long comet goldfish, a 4 inch long black Moore, 6 African cichlids, and a male betta. In January, I’m going to be moving from...

www.fishforums.net

Thank you for the info. Would me testing the water be ok with the master test kit i have here at home? It covers it all and I have a test kit for KH and the GH s well. I will read the links you sent as well see what its all about.Thanks again

 

[luvthebadge]

I dunno @Colin_T, a complete water test will cost several hundred dollars and I'm betting there are other homes in that area tapping the same aquafir.
I suppose if the OP has money to burn, why not...otherwise, not so sure it's necessary. However, a test for coliform bacteria and nitrates might be well worth the cost. (Often home system lines need to be 'sweetened' (shocked) to eliminate bacteria.)

Thanks for the reply and info. Yes its a shared well and Does a UV kill those kind of bacteria? I can try to get more info from the person who runs the well. Maybe she can tell me more about the water.

 

[luvthebadge]

Do you plan on drinking the well water?
There's nothing at all wrong with well water and although the chemistry might be ever so slightly different from your tap (reservoir) water, it will be fine. IF the well water system is not treated with chlorine, you will not need to treat with Prime...although keep the Prime on hand in the event of an unforeseen ammonia spike.
Note: you will want to test the well water for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. It is fairly common, especially in agricultural areas, to have high nitrates in well water. (I have elevated nitrates in my well water due to a 95 acre farmers field across the road - My Nitrate Fight).
------
As mentioned, Angels are territorial and if two pair off and lay eggs, there could be unwanted aggression and injury. If there are signs of this, you may want to get another tank or re-home some of the fish.

Thanks for your reply. yes i plan on drinking the water and there is some sort of filter under the kitchen sink so i should look into exactly what that does. I will read your Nitrate fight[i think thats a link to it. Good to know about the angel fish and the size tank their in. Like i said to the OP i want happy fish. Thanks again.

 

[luvthebadge]

Before you move, do a day trip and get a sample of well water and have it tested by a lab, and get it tested for everything. It might cost a bit but it's worth every cent because you will find out exactly what is in it and whether or not it is safe for you and for the fish.

When it comes to moving, I would try to take enough of the current water to the new house so the fish can get set up in their original type of water. You can use 20 litre plastic jerry cans for this. Then over the next few weeks (assuming the well water is safe), do small (10-20%) water changes using the well water. This will allow the fish to get use to the well water over a period of time and it will be less of a shock to their system. After a few water changes you can increase the amount you change.

If the well water has the same pH, GH and KH as your current water supply, then you can do bigger water changes with the well water from day one.

---------------------
The following link has information about moving house with a fish tank. Post #2 has info and a couple of links with similar info. Have a read when you get spare time.

Moving with fish?

Hi. I honestly didn’t know where to post this so I’m sorry if this isn’t the right place. Currently I have (approximate sizes) a 5 inch long, 8 inch long and 11 inch long comet goldfish, a 4 inch long black Moore, 6 African cichlids, and a male betta. In January, I’m going to be moving from...

www.fishforums.net

Thank you for the info and reply. I will test the water with my test kit and see where i stand on the PH,GH, KH and the rest. Sounds like i should do what you say. Ill bring as much water with me as i can as well. Hopefully it will all work out. Ill let everyone know what the test says when i get it done

 

[Fish4dawin]

Thank you, had a feeling someone would tell me that from this thread. Lol Yes time for an upgrade on a tank. I do like my animals to be happy for sure. Thanks for the info.

It’s not a problem. The forum is here to help people and give advice about their fish’s care and how to help them if they are sick.