Well Water And Other Newbie Questions

[sunflwgal]

I have spent the last 2 days surfing the net, but can't find a defined answer.

Here's the scene:
Tank 1 is 1 gallon and has a beta fish
Tank 2 is 2 gallons and has 7 Neons and 4 Albino Cordydoras
Both are filled with Well Water (that has a house conditioner system-meaning my water is soft)

It of course dawned on me after I had set both tanks up and running, that I don't have tap water and had already put a water conditioner into the tanks and added the fish 48 hours later (like the directions on the aquarium kit states).

As of right now, my fish are all "happy" - meaning they are eating, swimming and being playful. I notice the following though in the tanks: foamy bubbles on top and cloudy water (again, it's only been less than 48 hours)

From what I have gathered on the web, Well Water is bad for betas and isn't much better for tropical fish. So, is there a way around this or other suggestions of what I need to do to the water before I put it in the tank. And what do I do right now? I mean I have fish I do have an extra tank for cleaning.

Also, should I turn off the lamp/lite on the tanks at night to let the fish "rest"?

Any and all information would be gladly helpful and appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Tolak]

You do need a water conditioner with well water, even if it has no chlorine or chloramine. Well water often contains traces of heavy metals, you would want a conditioner that deals with that. If the conditioner also removes chlorine, chloramine and ammonia it won't hurt the fish, even if none of those are present.

Plenty of people with well water raise & breed fish, as long as the fish are acclimated to that water it won't hurt them.

The cloudiness is a sign of the tank not being cycled. Read http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10099

You should turn off the light at night, I try for 12 or 14 hours of light, the rest of the time it's off.

My biggest concern is tank #2. The amount of fish in there would be suitable for a 10 gallon, slightly overstocked for a 5 gallon. It's way overstocked for a 2 gallon, you need to get a bigger tank, or rehome some fish.

 

[@ombomb]

You should take ALL the fish in tank 2 back to the shop IMMEDIATELY.

The Betta might make it but the others have no chance.

Once you have done that spend some time researching the fish fish you want to keep.

Neither of those tanks are suitable for fish IMO (some people will say they're ok for a Betta but I disagree) and while you could keep a shrimp or two in them, they're pretty much useless for anything else.

 

[sunflwgal]

My biggest concern is tank #2. The amount of fish in there would be suitable for a 10 gallon, slightly overstocked for a 5 gallon. It's way overstocked for a 2 gallon, you need to get a bigger tank, or rehome some fish.

Thanks for the info. Do you think I could put a few of the neons with the betta?

I guess I'll go back and get a 5 gal tank and start it off right and cycle it.

What would you suggest for a 2 galloon tank? I really am clueless and overwhelmed with too much information. The web is wonderful, but ya have to read through everything to find just one answer

You should take ALL the fish in tank 2 back to the shop IMMEDIATELY.

The Betta might make it but the others have no chance.

Once you have done that spend some time researching the fish fish you want to keep.

Neither of those tanks are suitable for fish IMO (some people will say they're ok for a Betta but I disagree) and while you could keep a shrimp or two in them, they're pretty much useless for anything else.

Thanks for your guidance. le sigh, I figured it would be easier for me to learn and take care of fish if I started off with these small venues. I feel so badly for starting off this way.

 

[@ombomb]

I'd recommend a couple of shrimps in there and nothing else, personally I think a 2G is just too small for pretty much anything with fins.

The web is wonderful, but ya have to read through everything to find just one answer

True... the key is ro read it BEFORE making the decisions though