Using filtered/treated well water to fill my pond

[MoonShadows]

I will be setting up my first pond next month...a 425 gallon raised pond. My water source is from my well. While I can safely (and enjoyably) drink my water without any treatment, I have it passing through a treatment system to correct the low pH balance and hardness as follows:

-Acid Neutralizer Unit using food grade calcium carbonate (limestone) to prevent blue/green stains on fixtures and protect/preserve copper piping, fixtures and appliances.

-Fine Mesh Resin Filter Unit for filtering out mainly iron which is a problem after a long period of rain (stains fixtures and clothes). This unit uses a water softener salt and resin regenerator liquid to ensure efficiency.

My question: When I fill my pond, should I bypass one or both these units or filter my pond water through them?

 

[addy1]

I fill via our well, but we only filter for silt. Our water is a very low ph, we have replaced all copper piping with pvc due to that.

I don't know about the water softener, our well water is very soft and acidic.

 

[Lisak1]

I know nothing of the subject, but the water softener sounds like a bad idea. Do you drink the softened water?

 

[sissy]

water softeners use salt so maybe check the salt in your water .I put in my own filter in my house and no problems with the water .You can buy water test kit at most hardware stores or you can get them from your county in some cases .I test my water once a year from my well .My area is known to have iron in the water and my plumbing is all that new flexable plumbing .Since your house is older did you have a house inspection and does your county demand at the sale of the house a water sample be taken .Did your home inspector do one .Before I closed on my house and got my certificate of occupancy my new well water had to be tested .Do you also know if your house has lead pipes in it.Also nothing really removes iron from water

 

[MoonShadows]

I ask because I was reading an article that pond fish do best in an Alkaline pH between 7.0 and 8.6 and most often perish at a level below 6.0. Since our water is acidic to begin with, I am thinking it is better to start with water that is neutral or slightly alkaline than to fill the pond bypassing the acid neutralizer and then having to put something in it to raise the pH. As far as the Fine Mesh Resin Filter, the sodium level is barely raised using this, but why would I want to take out the minerals? (We never had an iron problem until we lived here for 17 years; then, one day we did. With all the building in this area of the Poconos, who know what was disturbed or re-routed underground causing this. The iron problem would come and go, but never as bad as the first time it occurred. I probably could do without this filter, but have it out of convenience.)

@Lisak1 Yes, we drink and cook with the softened water.

@sissy Yes, we had the water tested by a lab before we bought the house 22 years ago. The county didn't require it; the bank that was issuing the mortgage did. No lead pipes; all plumbing was replaced with copper pipes 3 years before we bought the house. I don't know about "nothing really removes iron", since that is what this Fine Mesh Resin filter is designed to do, and we haven't had a bout of iron water since it was installed 3 years ago.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

What is the present numeric value of the well water hardness (before filtering)? Soft water can cause myriad problems in a pond that houses fish.

 

[MoonShadows]

What is the present numeric value of the well water hardness (before filtering)? Soft water can cause myriad problems in a pond that houses fish.

It hasn't been tested in over a year. I will get a test kit. I was looking at test kits this morning. Can you suggest a good one for a newbie? I don't know if all test kits are created equal or some are better for someone just starting off. I was going to buy the API Pondcare Master Liquid Test Kit, but it doesn't come with a salt level test.

 

[sissy]

I test my water straight from the well and also after the filter .the pressure tank I installed 2 years ago is a 44 gallon one ad replaced a tiny 20 gallon one so my pump would not come on as much .I wanted to put in a bigger one but they were out of stock and since bladder on other one was going bad I had no choice .My well is 400 ft in the ground and really heavy rains can effect the water .My filter I have is set to back flush every morning at 5 am .I put in a hydrant also and can take water straight from the well, maybe it would be good to do that .Plus if it rains hard after you put liner in it could help .You could get tanks to collect rainwater also .I have underground tanks to collect water from my roof but only use it to water the gardens .Grit from the roof has to be flushed from them at least once a year so it does not build up .I test straight from the hydrant.Sometimes the county offers free ones here check it out where you live

 

[TAHOE]

The salt from a water softener is not use to soften the water, so many people are under the false impression that they will get too much salt in their diet from drinking softened water. You get more salt in a slice of bread than from a gallon of water going through a softener. Water is softened by statically charged resin beads in side a chamber that attracts the minerals that makes the water hard. The salt is then use to "regenerated" or clean the minerals from the resin particles.
With that said, I have been using softened water for years in my fish tanks and ponds, I've never had any issues with any of them. My water also kicks out at about 7.6-8.0 pH which my fish have adapted to. Thankfully my iron level was minuscule, the softener grabs what little is in it.

My new house, on the other hand is an old farmhouse, the water is so hard we get calcium salt deposits on all our fixtures and water tastes like ocean water along with slight rust deposits. So far, every softener company we've talked or tested our water said this is the worst water they've encountered and we can't afford all the necessary equipment, probably cheaper to drill a new deeper well to get away from the limestone deposit we are in. For now, I'm hauling water from my old house (rental) or collecting rain water.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

With that said, I have been using softened water for years in my fish tanks and ponds, I've never had any issues with any of them.

Softened water and Soft water can be very different in Hardness. Water Hardness should be greater than 60 ppm or issues may develop with regard to Alkalinity (KH) and even pH stability. Only testing will provide the needed level rating.

 

[EricV]

I was going to buy the API Pondcare Master Liquid Test Kit, but it doesn't come with a salt level test.

That's a good kit to have when you have fish. Only the pH will be of use now. You'll want GH and KH tests (also from API) for figuring out your water suitability for fish. Considering that the water softener may not be bad, but isn't going to improve things for the fish, why not just plan on bypassing that and saving the expense of treating the pond water?

 

[MoonShadows]

Softened water and Soft water can be very different in Hardness. Water Hardness should be greater than 60 ppm or issues may develop with regard to Alkalinity (KH) and even pH stability. Only testing will provide the needed level rating.

@Meyer Jordan Thank you for that clarification. So, as I asked you after your last post, can you suggest a test kit...and based on what you just wrote...one that will measure hardness in ppm? Thanks!

 

[MoonShadows]

That's a good kit to have when you have fish. Only the pH will be of use now. You'll want GH and KH tests (also from API) for figuring out your water suitability for fish. Considering that the water softener may not be bad, but isn't going to improve things for the fish, why not just plan on bypassing that and saving the expense of treating the pond water?

Bypassing all home filtration/treatment is the consideration (savings will not be much since it is only 425 gallons), but so far I seem to be getting mixed signals from the responses. I am open to the best way to do this.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

@Meyer Jordan Thank you for that clarification. So, as I asked you after your last post, can you suggest a test kit...and based on what you just wrote...one that will measure hardness in ppm? Thanks!

As @EricV indicated in his comment, the API GH test kit will serve your needs for testing Hardness.

 

[MoonShadows]

@Meyer Jordan Thanks. I will order it tonight.