Rain water to do water change?

[TGOATW]

I've had a problem with my tap water being high in calcium and having lots of calcium deposits on my fish tank building up over time.
One of the ways i thought of to counter this was to use rain water. But i'm not sure if doing this is correct or if it has any bad effects on the fish.
Are there any other ways, without needing to buy equipments or chemicals, to remove calcium in my tap water?

 

[GaryE]

First, what fish? What they need varies by where they come from.

I used rainwater for years, but it is a problem when it doesn't rain. Then, the conditions vary, and fish generally want stability in their water chemistry.

 

[TGOATW]

First, what fish? What they need varies by where they come from.

I used rainwater for years, but it is a problem when it doesn't rain. Then, the conditions vary, and fish generally want stability in their water chemistry.

well i have my cherry barbs, golden barbs and corydoras

 

[jaylach]

I've never used rain water but would be concerned if I lived in an area with high air pollution as the rain could pick up some of the pollutants.

 

[Colin_T]

well i have my cherry barbs, golden barbs and corydoras

They like soft water and you could use a mixture of rain and tap water to make an ideal water for them. You would need to find out the General Hardness (GH) and Carbonate Hardness (KH) of the tap water, then mix 50/50 or whatever ratio you need to get the GH to around 100ppm.

Try and collect rainwater in plastic or fibreglass containers. Don't use rainwater that has been collected in new galvanised steel tanks. The galvanised metal can leach zinc and other metals into the water. If the rainwater tank is galvanised but it's been used to hold water for several years, it is probably safe to use.

 

[GaryE]

I followed a basic hobby rule when I used a lot of rainwater. I would collect in a container. The eaves from the roof had a flexible extension I would only put into the rain barrel about 15 minutes after the rain started. This would allow any bird droppings, etc, to wash away. I lived in an an urban area within easy view of highrise office towers downtown, but the water consistently tested clean, and I was able to breed some extremely delicate species with it.
In Canada, it was seasonal use as the shape of snowflakes tend to catch and hold many pollutants. I confess, I used snow with some tanks. Nothing ever went wrong with that, but it was hard work.
My goal was breeding, which is different from yours. But fish only breed when the conditions are right, so the rainwater was good.
I'm only about 150 metres from the sea where I live now, and I notice a tiny bit of salt spray on the front windows. I assume it's also on the roof, so I don't collect here. It's a shame, because this is a rainy place, and I don't think we've gone more than a week without rain since we've been here.
You have to look at the environment you're in, and adjust to it.

 

[Colin_T]

I'm only about 150 metres from the sea where I live now, and I notice a tiny bit of salt spray on the front windows. I assume it's also on the roof, so I don't collect here. It's a shame, because this is a rainy place, and I don't think we've gone more than a week without rain since we've been here.

If there is salt on the roof, it will wash off pretty quickly when it rains. Just let it rain for 15-30 minutes like you used to do and it should be free of salt and other minerals that might have got onto the roof from the seawater.

I wouldn't mind some rain here in the southern half of WA. The native plants in the bush are dying from lack of water and that's never good.

 

[Mikeyboy123]

I have used a mixture of rainwater and tap water for a few years now. I live in the northeast edge of London (England). The rain runs off a neighbour’s garden building that has terracotta roof tiles and is collected in a food safe plastic barrell. I filter the rain/tap water mixture over Polyfilter for 8 hours or so before using it for the water change. Never had a problem other than running low on rain water once when we had a very hot and dry spell one summer. The water is used in two tanks, one has cherry shrimp and chili rasboras, the other has shrimp and Sundadanio axelrodi. It works for me.