thoughts on clearing tank water with rock hard well water

[Magnum Man]

I'm noticing as I dive deeper into the shrimp and fish that require hard water, that my tanks are cloudy ( as is my well water ) ... these tanks all have only sponge filters, with the exception of the 2 bigger tanks, that also run a hang on back, and after a day or two seem to clear more... I'm not wanting to run a mechanical filter on my shrimp tanks or smaller live bearers, and I am concerned even the bigger tanks will look "rusty" over time, as the back and side glass, that don't get scraped , accumulate the mineral sediment... curious if anyone else that uses very hard water in their tanks has a fix???

 

[gwand]

My well water GH ranges from 190-250 ppm depending upon the season. My faucets and shower heads get mineralized but my tanks are mineral free.

 

[Magnum Man]

I notice the cloudy, when I fill the bigger, mechanically filtered tanks, and that clears after a while, but my 10 gallon shrimp tanks stay cloudy for a longer period of time, just beginning to clear, by the time for the next water change

 

[gwand]

What do you think is making the water cloudy?

 

[Magnum Man]

calcium and iron mostly it's a 100 + year old house... got a mail yesterday, from someone redoing house water, that estimated our well and lines to be 105 years old... I know it's a plastic line coming to the house, so that is unlikely, but the actual hole in the ground could be that old... it's typical southern MN well water... lots of limestone, in our aquifer...

shrimp, and small live bearers have been breeding like crazy...

 

[Magnum Man]

looked up Aquarium Water Clarifiers... there are several... all seem to work by clumping particles together into bigger ones filters will trap... not sure if that would work on dissolved minerals, or if that would really be good for the fish...

 

[Magnum Man]

10 gallon with fresh well water, it's not fouled...

 

[GaryE]

Is it a seasonal problem, or is the sediment building up over time? If you pour a glass of water, once the wintertime/cold temperature gasses dissipate, is it cloudy for long?

I wonder if you would have to periodically flush the tanks out as evaporation causes a mineral buildup? What would massive water changes do?

I can't think of any technical/ device based solution that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg.

I once again thank Geology and ancestors who didn't move inland for my soft tapwater.

 

[Magnum Man]

that is a good thought, as it's not always cloudy... may have something to do with how cold it is , is more seasonal from precipitation??? it's always super hard, and maybe I'll need to blend RO in, which I have done in the past, with the smaller shrimp tanks, they had gotten topped off from evaporation, with RO... maybe 1/2 strength well water would be better for the aquariums??? it's not convenient for the bigger live bearer tanks, but not impossible, if needed

 

[GaryE]

I know that when things get below -10 celsius here, I get greyish water from oxygen saturation, and at -20, I have to be cautious as the micro-bubbles are very thick. They can hang on for a couple of hours, but not for more than that.

 

[Ophy]

I'm noticing as I dive deeper into the shrimp and fish that require hard water, that my tanks are cloudy ( as is my well water ) ... these tanks all have only sponge filters, with the exception of the 2 bigger tanks, that also run a hang on back, and after a day or two seem to clear more... I'm not wanting to run a mechanical filter on my shrimp tanks or smaller live bearers, and I am concerned even the bigger tanks will look "rusty" over time, as the back and side glass, that don't get scraped , accumulate the mineral sediment... curious if anyone else that uses very hard water in their tanks has a fix???

Our tap water is fairly hard as well- maybe not quite as much as yours but not exactly soft.. what I've done is for water changes just run the water through our Brita and that removes so much of the minerals!