Rainwater

[Luke & Penny]

A friend of mine said they used to keep a bucket outside to catch rainwater and then he would cut the end off a 2 litre bottle of pop stretch some tights material over the bottle cap end and fasten with a strong elastic band then he would filter the rainwater collected through this and then use this for water changes, he said he did this as its natural and better than any tap water cycled,
Is this true?

Thanks
Luke

 

[Tolak]

Thanks to air pollution from industry & cars, this is not a good idea. Even the amazon has acid rain.

Tolak

 

[Luke & Penny]

cool ta v much, glad i asked.

 

[JackDemp528]

That's the first thing I thought. Most fish that are captive bred are used to the water we have from the tap, I guess. Rain water can have pollution in it that can really harm your fish.

 

[BigC]

I collect & filter rainwater to breed killifish. It is very soft and has a very low pH I mix this with a little bit of tapwater to get the right readings then I add Blackwater extract and Stresscoat. As said it all depends on the locality and the amount of heavy industry/traffic.
My fish seem to thrive on it. But it's not to be taken lightly. Do a bit of research in your area and take readings.
Regards
BigC

 

[Luke & Penny]

Thanks, Im classed as semi-rural where i live, saying that ive seen the crap that comes out of our rainwater thats left behind on our gazebo

 

[Teelie]

Don't forget that wind can blow things literally all around the world (sand from the African Sahara is often found as far as the midwest of the United States). So even if your in the middle of nowhere it doesn't mean your air or water are pollution free. Plus, there are all kinds of fertilizers and chemicals used on farmlands which I assume are within your vicinity. Most rural places are farms of some sort though their chemicals are generally less dangerous than most pollutants, they can still mess with water parameters.

 

[Weaver]

A few weeks ago my lfs owner added rainwater to his fry tanks and next morning practically everything had died.Theres no way I would chance it. I live in rural N ireland where there is no heavy industry within 40 miles.I know bigC is from here as well but hes a lot more experienced than I am.So I would say a definete no unless you really really know what you are doing

 

[Ethos]

Thanks to air pollution from industry & cars, this is not a good idea. Even the amazon has acid rain.

Tolak

I second that.
Natural water is just to dangerous to be used staraight in the aquarium these days.

 

[Griz]

I'm glad that I read this thread. I have been thinking about using rainwater to lower my pH. Sadly, I don't think I want to chance it.

 

[B2k2]

I was also thinking about using rain water to lower my hardness. I live in a city that has the souths only oil refinery about 10 miles down the road so I thought chances of pollution are pretty high.

I've decided to use good old safe RO water which I have bought from my LFS. I bought 2x 5 gallon drums for £6.95 ea and it costs £1.50 to fill each one up. I've worked out that I need a 50/50 mix of tap and RO to bring my hardness down to about 8 dGH, so 75p a week for a water change isnt too bad.

 

[ClaireN]

I've decided to use good old safe RO water which I have bought from my LFS. I bought 2x 5 gallon drums for £6.95 ea and it costs £1.50 to fill each one up. I've worked out that I need a 50/50 mix of tap and RO to bring my hardness down to about 8 dGH, so 75p a week for a water change isnt too bad.

Hi B2k2

Which LFS do you use? im from southampton as well and the one i use charges £3.50 per 5g drum.

Claire

 

[B2k2]

I've decided to use good old safe RO water which I have bought from my LFS. I bought 2x 5 gallon drums for £6.95 ea and it costs £1.50 to fill each one up. I've worked out that I need a 50/50 mix of tap and RO to bring my hardness down to about 8 dGH, so 75p a week for a water change isnt too bad.

Hi B2k2

Which LFS do you use? im from southampton as well and the one i use charges £3.50 per 5g drum.

Claire

Hi Clare,

I use Porton Pet and Aquatics which is north of salisbury off the A338, this is the best shop I have found for everything. The fish are excellent quality and food, chemicals, hardware is really cheap. Check the place out its definatly worth the 40min drive. I went there for some more RO today but found they had ran out so I went to Creature Comforts in Totton, they charge 50p per Gallon so £1 more than Porton for 5 Gallons. Who do you use?