GH and well water

[Chickadee27 48]

As mentioned in my intro, I took down my tanks 10+ years ago. A big reason why I did this is because I had recently moved and my mystery snails weren't thriving anymore. I could see an obvious change in their shells that didn't look as colorful and was clearly unhealthy. Gradually they died off. I got some shrimp around this time and they didn't live long either. I knew it had to be the change in the water. My first thought was copper, but the reading showed no trace. I didn't test for anything else. Since I had other stuff going on, I just decided to quit the hobby.

Now that I plan to get back into it, I have to figure out what happened. I only moved 5 miles from my other house and have well water in both places. Clearly something is different now. The water tastes good, but it could be harder. I don't use a softener.

A GH test kit is on my shopping list. What else do I need to consider? If I do have high GH, what can I do to keep it in control? I had lots of Petoskey stones in my tanks, which are composed of calcite. Could this have contributed? What rocks should I use instead?

My plan is to have planted tanks with mystery snails and shrimp in one, and a betta in another.

 

[gwand46 163]

I’m on a well. The GH of my water varies with the season, 178 ppm-250 ppm. My well water also has a nitrate level that varies from 5 ppm-20 ppm. Betta need soft water.

 

[Magnum Man48 162]

I’m in southern Minnesota, and rock hard well water here, and high nitrates from crop farming all around me… I grow terrestrial plants out of my tanks to suck up a little of of the ag carryover, and I have a drinking water / ice cube RO dispenser, as well as a commercial RO unit for my soft water tanks… many sensitive hard water fish haven’t tolerate my well water, even with the plants

 

[GaryE8 6]

I have 2 friends with wells, 10 km apart. But the aquifers are different, and while one has hard water, the other has soft. Go figure. The name "well water" doesn't tell you a lot.

I would get it tested, as you should do with wells anyway, or look up past results. Until you do, plans don't matter.

Snails do poorly in my tap water, from a blackwater lake. It's quite soft - not good for Mexican livebearers but fantastic for rainforest fish from South America or Africa. I always suggest rolling with the punches. Find out what your water is, and don't fight it. Adapt to it. I used to have more than half my tanks with livebearrs in an old house. Now it's tetras, killies and corys... the water told me to do that and nature obligingly has fantastic species for most conditions.

 

[Chickadee27 48]

Thoughts on using a water softener pillow? I could also add distilled water. I really have my heart set on snails and shrimp. I could do this just for one tank and then get hard water fish for another.
My pH is around 7.6. I know it was higher at my other house, around 8.0.

 

[Magnum Man48 162]

I’m not sure on the softener pillow… not really any of my fish liked the house softener water, prior to the RO unit…

 

[Essjay47 162]

Water softeners of any type (pillows, water softening units etc) often replace the hardness minerals calcium and magnesium with sodium. This is not good for fish. The only way to 'soften' water for fishkeeping is to use pure water of some sort - distilled, reverse osmosis etc. Either use all pure water and add some remineralisation salts back or mix pure water and tap water to get the required hardness.

 

[Chickadee27 48]

Thanks, good to know on the softeners. Before I get ahead of myself, I will order the GH/KH test kit. Could be the problem was something else. I did get the water tested but I think it only screened for bacteria like E. coli, and that was all good. I can't remember for sure. I just know the snails thrived at my old house, and after I moved their shells' growth line revealed a definite change.

I may have pics of their shells stashed on CDs, if my touchy computer will allow me to access them.