Well water vs rodi

[brendan.oates97]

I cant find rodi water at my lfs so my only source would be the distilled water from the grocery store. Would my huse well water be fine to use or is a rodi system really necessary? Our water test only showed high calcium. I dont have physical numbers though since my parents keep the results. We do have a water softener.

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[tjnorthdakota]

you would have to find a way to get your water before it went through the water softener, the salts used it it will mess with your reef chemistry. That being said if you can do that I have used my well water without a problem before I got my RODI, you will most like have perpetual diatom issues though and possible other algaes. all wells are different and they dont test for everything, some wells are also high in co2 gas which could pose a problem for your ph and other wells can have nitrate and floride depending on the land use and where you are in the country, also a lot of iron

 

[brendan.oates97]

you would have to find a way to get your water before it went through the water softener, the salts used it it will mess with your reef chemistry. That being said if you can do that I have used my well water without a problem before I got my RODI, you will most like have perpetual diatom issues though and possible other algaes. all wells are different and they dont test for everything, some wells are also high in co2 gas which could pose a problem for your ph and other wells can have nitrate and floride depending on the land use and where you are in the country, also a lot of iron

I am in norther valley of California. Our well has very high calcium like twice a year i have to remove hard water marks from everything.

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[CrayolaViolence]

I used to buy water from the LFS, but never had much success with their RODI. I started using my well water instead and have had much better success. My corals and wallet are much happier for it as well.
It really depends on where you are and what you have in the ground. Wells that are drilled through rock can produce some of the cleanest water possible. And some areas, while the water maybe clean it may have undesirable minerals in it. Do you research and have the local well people test your water.

 

[Fdnavy]

You can buy a cheap tds meter and see what readings you get from your well water before it enters the softener. It shouldn't be too hard to add a "t" to your water line before it enters the softener.

 

[EMeyer]

Regardless of the water source, tapwater comes through copper pipes. The WHO finds that copper is universally present in tapwater. Copper is toxic at levels that cant be detected by hobbyist grade kits.

I'm on a well. I only use DI water. Copper is nasty stuff.

 

[Green Chromis]

I cant find rodi water at my lfs so my only source would be the distilled water from the grocery store. Would my huse well water be fine to use or is a rodi system really necessary? Our water test only showed high calcium. I dont have physical numbers though since my parents keep the results. We do have a water softener.

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:fish1: If I were you, I would just but an RO/DI unit and be done with it, they are not that expensive, look on the sponsor forum at the top of the page. Make sure you install it before the water softener. You will save a lot of money over time, with a lot less frustration by purchasing an RO/DI unit. :fish1:

 

[gone fishin]

I placed my RO/DI unit after the water softener unit. My reasoning is I did not want hard water scale to build up on my RO membrane.

I would suggest getting a RO/DI unit. You mentioned your parents had the test results so I will assume you are a younger person. You can mention to them that they can also use the RO water for drinking water. Good luck just my 2 cents.

 

[fishchef]

Always place your RO/DI after the softener, just easier on your system and the canisters will last longer.

 

[tjnorthdakota]

Regardless of the water source, tapwater comes through copper pipes. The WHO finds that copper is universally present in tapwater. Copper is toxic at levels that cant be detected by hobbyist grade kits.

I'm on a well. I only use DI water. Copper is nasty stuff.

That is not always true, none of my lines have copper in it, it is 100% pex and pvc fittings, even running from my well to my house is a poly line, most public water systems have copper but not well systems do

 

[EMeyer]

Fair enough, since wells are individual construction there is room for variation. All the wells I've been on went through copper plumbing in the house, without exception.

But your exception is a good point. If I was confident I had no copper in the line I might seriously consider using well water.

 

[thegrun]

Unless you have a high quality lab test performed on the well water, using is likely to cause you issues down the road, even the best well water often contains trace amounts of minerals that will build up in your tank leading to serious problems in the future. The cost of a full high level water test approaches the cost of a good RO/DI unit so I would skip the test and simply be safe with a RO/DI filter.

 

[cincyjim]

My well water test results came back noting a low level of manganese was found. Would that be an issue? Culligan didn't offer to sell a house filter system or anything. I suspect the water is pretty good because it comes from 800 feet down. Thoughts?

 

[mcgyvr]

My well water test results came back noting a low level of manganese was found. Would that be an issue?

Best I could find for marine toxicity to manganese was to stay below .1mg/L.. But I couldn't find any concrete numbers really..

 

[cincyjim]

Thanks. They didn't state the level, just said it was a low level. Probably not worth taking the risk.

 

[tjm9331]

I considered using my well water at one point, I used my test kits to test for phosphates, nitrates and copper (I know its not lab quality tests) all of them tested untraceable. I thought I was good to go. I then took some water from the tap and put my TDS meter in it and it read 125... well that was enough for me to get an RO/DI filter going. I don't know what was in the water but whatever it is it can't be good for the tank.

If I were you I'd test the tap water with a TDS meter (they are cheap on Amazon) and see what you get, could be another selling point for your parents to let you get an RO/DI unit once they see how many dissolved solids they are consuming from the tap water.

 

[Tooboot]

I used our well water on our freshwater tank when I first got it, didn't take long for the first round of fish to die. I then tried switching to distilled water, couldn't find RO/DI around like the OP, and we don't have enough water to run an RO/DI unit (would need a reservoir i the house....). I buy the distilled water from a local shop that produces it (I have also worked there in the past). it made the world of a difference to the freshwater tank.
When it came to filling the salt water tank (total of 60 gallons), it was a no brainer to use the same type of water, and things look good (knock on wood). Yes there is a regular cost to the distilled water, and a pain in the... to pick up and carry the jugs in regularly, but the end result for my situation is worth it.