# Stupid iron water!



## Punki (Apr 30, 2011)

I really would LOVE to stop buying gallon after gallon of spring water but my tap is horrible! If you fill a glass with tap the water is a foggy orange color, if you let it sit for a few days the iron sticks to the sides of the glass. We cant afford a water softener but my dad lives a few blocks away and they got one. All of us use well water and its all got the iron issue. If i filled my tank with this water no doubts itd be orangy tinted and stick to the glass. If a fish is in there i imagine it would stick to the fish also! I dont know of any privately owned pet shops and petsmart doesnt seem to check iron levels, just ammonia ect... I asked my dad about his softener and he said he couldn't remember much, just that they said it was extreme and there was only so much they could do with such irony water, and apparently theres still iron in his water dispite paying tons for the softener, just 75% less iron then before, but still enough to gradually stain whites in the wash. For years ive not bought any white clothes and always had to use clarifying shampoo to keep the iron out of my hair. Nobodys ever drank the water here, we all buy bottled. I wish i knew exactly how high the levels were but i have no idea and cant really afford the test kit atm. Im so badly wanting to get a 10 gallon but buying all that water for it to cycle and then for weekly changes UGH i couldnt do that. Ive gotten desperate, ive tried letting the water sit in a bucket for a few days, though alot of iron attaches to the sides of the bucket, if i scoop a glass into it its still a little orange. It comes out of the tap as a tint, like ial whould give off, but then it sttaches to the sides -.-
Ive also been silly desperate, taking coffee filters and pouring my water through them into a clean container. Still orange  My latest try was to do a coffee filter and then put a bubbling stone in to maybe speed up the process, but so far no luck, still orangey! I was advised to try reverse osmosis but when i looked at the prices i had to give up the idea. $100+ was too expensive. Ive read on here its best to just let your betta adjust to your tap but i wont drink my tap, id feel horrible to put him in it, ive also read to use prime to get rid of heavy metals, but this heavy? Gah! Just some frustrated rambles, but id just really love to have a way to filter out the iron in my water without much money, i dont mind time and energy obviously just money, its way to tight =/ Though the water slowly adds up in price we can handle the weekly small price, just not a big lump price of some system. My house is filled with empty jugs and failed experiments and a frustrated me XD


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## Punki (Apr 30, 2011)

After letting it sit in a big clean garbage bin outside for a few days the iron seems to have sunk and the water is relatively clear, only a slight tint. I wonder if i could let water sit like that then jug it and conditioner it with prime and it work. I dont dare test it but has anyone ever done this?


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## ilovebunnies (Oct 11, 2010)

I know what you mean with well water and iron. We had that problem too so we got a water softener. I had used our house water for my fish but was losing fish. I think the problem was our water softener :/ Our water softener uses sodium chloride to soften the water. I don't think it's good for bettas. Some people on the forums say they don't have problems with water softeners and their fish but I'm 99% sure it was the water softener causing casualities and plants dying 

I heard reverse osmosis is good to use with fish. I don't have one at my house and I heard they are costly.

Now I buy spring water from the store for my two bettas. They have been living happily for 6 months now and I have been able to sucessfully keep aquatic plants. I hate buying bottled water too but I keep my fish tanks small. 

I don't know, maybe someone else would know about it but did you ever think of getting a rain water barrel? Maybe you could get something like that and do the water changes? I don't know of anyone who uses them for fish but maybe try asking about it.


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## Punki (Apr 30, 2011)

All ive heard of rain wateris that its usually highly acidic. But where i am in Florida, its been a month and weve had no rain ) Thanks for the response. Im gonig to pick up an iron test kit hopefully and see how bad it is after a dose of prime, if its stil too high ill try to let it sit and settle in a big bucket for a few days then jug it up, prime it and test again, hopefully one of these options will work. Im just a bit obsessive about my water changes, its a three gallon filtered and im changing 50% every other day out of habit from before his upgrade ) Id like to buy a little girl as well, and as mentioned, a 10 gallon divided would be great, especially come winter when it cools down and the heater is needed, id only have to buy one ) Really hopeful! I would have never gotten small tanks if it wasnt for my water, i thought id be fine buying gallons but after 4 months i just feel bleh about it because i dont drive so im always having to ask others to pick it up.


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## callmeconfused (May 4, 2011)

Ooo, I know this one! lol. I have the same problem. For now I'm stuck using RO water. I know that Jungle labs product Clear Water states that it removes iron from tap water, but it is toxic to snails. BUT, dechlorinators neutralize the Clear Water, could use it after letting the water set for a bit....worth a try. I'm just too lazy at the moment. lol


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## Punki (Apr 30, 2011)

Yeah, ill have to talk the husband into it, if i mention no more buying gallons he will be more perceptive im sure =x


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## Punki (Apr 30, 2011)

Just an update. Im waiting on a kit to test iron levels but i bought prime and also clear water. I filled up a gallon jug, im unsure of prime dosage for a gallon jug so i put two drops in and let it sit a day, the water remained cloudy orange so the today i put in one drop of clear water, Now about 5 hours later the top half of the jug is clearish fuzzy and the bottom half is irony orange. What im hoping is that i can fill a big bucket with water, add prime, then 24 hours later add clear water, then let that sit a couple of days, then scoop off the top water for my tank. Ill have to wait for my kit to see the levels of this, but does it sound okay, is using prime, followed by clear water safe or too many chemicals?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Wow, that's some problem you have there, Punki. Eeewyuck. 

It's too bad RO units are so blinking expensive. But here's something on the Foster and Smith Aquatics website. Does anyone know if this sort of product will work?

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4395+4418+4484&pcatid=4484

There is also this RO unit that's not quite so expensive.
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4395+4418+12093&pcatid=12093

I confess I don't know much about RO and deionization except that RO water is recommended if you have a high PH problem.


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## Punki (Apr 30, 2011)

Thanks for the links, yes its true, so expensive >.< oldfishlady suggested prime and a test kit, but prime alone may make it safe but it still looks gross, so i liked how clearwater would then clump up the nasty iron and clear the water, but then i have to worry about chemicals ugh. I think i was told my ph is on the lower end, with high iron levels, i cant wait to start testing lol, i wish i could just walk into a place with a cup of tap, and walk out with a 15$ solution ) I can dream i guess


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Is it just your wellwater or does your whole town have water like this? If it's just your wellwater, grab a couple of jugs and fill them up at the local gas station for free. ;-) Otherwise, keep dreaming. Maybe that $15 solution is out there still.


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## Punki (Apr 30, 2011)

I live on a manmade island with a canal around it, everyone on it has this iron water. My mom lives about 15 minutes away and she has well water, but her water is high in sulfur, I could get jugs from her i just haven't really considered it because i felt like i was trading high iron for high sulfur and just grabbed a bottle of spring and forgot about it again till now  I wonder if prime would work for her water and be all thats needed. Hmm..


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Good question. Hmm. I bet OFL will know.


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## Punki (Apr 30, 2011)

lol Yeah If only i could walk to her house with my cup of water, shed have me sorted out quickly! We all need an ofl in our towns XD


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## kody stclair (Jan 7, 2013)

hi i have well water and i live in TN there is a lot of iron can i use it for my betta fish or no.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Hi kody and welcome to the forum. You can use the water for your betta fish but I would recommend getting a water conditioner that detoxifies heavy metals, like Seachem Prime.


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## LeoTheLakerBetta (Oct 12, 2012)

Yeah, Prime works great because it is also very concentrated so you won't have to use very much and it will last a good while.


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## kody stclair (Jan 7, 2013)

Thx im thinking of breeding and ive read up on it and its going to take a lot of water


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