Rain Water

[alex1]

On looking up what they do to tap water, plus we need to add chemicles just to counteract what is in the water to make it suitable for the tank.Is rainwater such a big problem as some places suggest? Surely it has less in it than the rubbish that comes out of some mains water systems.

 

[Die_Grinder]

no recognised ornimental fish care company recommends rain water.

 

[BOD]

mayb someone should like do an experiment or something to see if the rain water actually affects the fish........rain falls in ponds and you dont see the fish dying because of this i know theres a difference between using all rainwater and tap water, but fish get 'rained' on so to speak in there natural enviroment so arnt they just living in rainwater?

 

[CFC]

Many top breeders of fish like killies, Appistogramma and Corydoras use rainwater to condition their fish into breeding because it is soft, acidic, usually has fewer contaminents than tapwater, is natural and best of all is free as opposed to the next best thing which is R/O water which can be expensive to make.
To ensure your rainwater is safe firstly only collect during heavy downpours which last a few hours, start collecting after the first hour has passed. If you live in an industrial area then stick to R/O water.
Only collect your water from an inert source such as a plastic clad roof, even better set up a rain trap using plastic sheeting spread out on poles with a funnel going into a bucket.
Run the rainwater through a carbon filter for 24 hours before use to remove any trace pollutants that might still be present.

 

[FBF]

cant be bothered to read about the other replies. so forgive me if i repeat whats already been said. dont worry about the pollutants too much its not like we fill up wild areas via the tap. posters above are guessing on effects wthout having tried it. i have ran tanks for 2-3 years on rain water changes without any issues. what i would warn you about is concrete roof tiles (if thats where your water is coming from?) they will leach in to the water supply and make it unsafe.