Help!....is My Tap Water Ok?

[Guest Marigold's Mom]

Ok. I have been using only spring water since I set up my new tank 2 months ago. My tank is not yet cycled. 10 gal- 1 1.5" lionhead- ammonia 0- Still showing Nitrites and showing Nitrates. The girl at our LFS said the water in our town was chocked full of chemicals and not good for fish. (I am not so sure this girl actually knows her stuff) anyway, since being told this, I have been using nothing but bottled spring water. With the constant water changes, this is beginning to get expensive! I visited City Hall today and received a copy of our Water Quality Report. I have purchased my first bottle of Prime and want to see if anyone here can help me with these numbers....I have no clue what all this means and if I can even use my tap water or continue with the spring water....I'll do whatever I have to ensure Lilly is safe. Here is the report.......

First of all, there is nothing on here regarding Chlorine or Chloramine. The lady said this should give me all the info I need. I didn't notice this until I got home.

It states our water source is ground water that comes from 2 wells that are tapped into Browns Mountain Anticline. (?)

Total Coliform Bacteria 100% absent

Turbidity 0.1ppm

Chromium 0.018ppm

Copper 0.108ppm

Fluoride 0.88ppm

Alpha emittes 0.8pCi/l

Combined Radium 1.2pCi/l

Calcium 26ppm

Chloride 3.6ppm

Magnesium 15ppm

Sodium 86ppm

Strontium 1.52ppm

Sulfate 1.3ppm

Will Prime take care of all of this or does anyone know?

Thanks in advance!

[viscosity2004 0]

Heh, I suck at reading those water quality reports. It doesn't come with a little chart that says whether or not it's considered "safe" for humans?

[Guest Marigold's Mom]

Yes, it says it is safe for human consumption.

[merlinsmom 0]

I would guess that if there are no numbers for Chlorine & Chloramine,then there probably isn't any added as it is well/spring fed water supply it probably doesn't need chlorine.I checked your numbers against my local water report but it is hard to compare because we use milligrams per litre(ml/litre).We have chlorine because our water reservoir is a lake,so needs to be treated.

Edited March 6, 2007 by merlinsmom

[merlinsmom 0]

Oops...I forgot to say......you should use your Prime anyway,it lessens stress of water changes and can't hurt.

[Katalyst 0]

Do you have a testing kit yourself? Personally I'd test it myself before making a decision.

[viscosity2004 0]

Do you have a testing kit yourself? Personally I'd test it myself before making a decision.

Good point, testing water BEFORE and after a water change can tell a lot about a tank.

I say, do it slowly if you're truly worried but still wish to convert.

Next water change, maybe do 1/4 tap + 3/4 spring, then next 1/2 tap 1/2 spring, and then 3/4 tap 1/4 spring, and finally all tap.

Tap water in general is recommended for fish b/c it supplies a lot of minerals that would not be present in most commercial foods and supplements.

[Guest Marigold's Mom]

UPDATE: Yesterday I did a 50% water change using tap water conditioned with PRIME as well as setting overnight so it would be room temp. Within a couple hours, I noticed Lilly yawn a few times. The she would sort of hide behind one of the plants. After about 4 hours, I freaked and did another 50% water change with regular spring water and today she's swimming happily. I guess our water isn't good for her after all. At least it will be less expensive once the tank cycles. My husband jokes around with me calling her the million dollar fish. It's funny how he's the one asking "Do you need me to buy more water while I am out?" He enjoys her just as much as me and our son. Thanks everyone for all your help!

[viscosity2004 0]

Were you sure to match temperatures and pH's? There's going to be a HUGE difference between spring water from a bottle that's been sitting out and tap water straight out of the faucet.

[Guest Marigold's Mom]

Yes...I let the tap sit out in a bucket all night and part of the next day in the same place I keep the spring water. I also tested the ph before adding and it was perfect.

[cheekylemur 0]

In the long run you might want to investigate getting a reverse osmosis unit to help clear up the well water, and see if that would work out and save you some money over time. I haven't had to use one myself, and I understand you need to do certain kinds of water conditioning to make up for it getting your water too clean, but it might make life easier than always needing to run to the store for a water change and give you peace of mind about having enough water for emergency changes always on hand.

If the spring water's working out right now though, I wouldn't mess around with it for a while.

[viscosity2004 0]

Hm, quite a tight spot money wise. RO's can be a little expensive to use all the time, I think, but I'm not sure how different the expense will be compared to getting spring water.

Are you buying new bottles of water everytime you need more? Or are you refilling?

Refilling only costs 30-cents per gallon where I live, so if you're not doing that, you should consider it.