Water From The Sky

[Brainjuice]

I was just wondering,

Seeing as how wet this here drought is just lately Is there any benefit to collecting rain water?
As I see it that how the fish would get it in the wild so how bad could it be?

Thanks for any words of wisdom.

 

[jkarlson]

I would think that it's not a good idea for your tank, but I'm not completely sure.

There could be many different factors that could kill your tank. If there's a farm or something close to your then they could spray pesticides that get into the air, and when it rains it could carry some pesticides. You could collect it and test it first, add some water conditioners, maybe run it through a filtration system, and see how it turns out. That'd probably be your best bet.

Good luck!

 

[pablothebetta]

Technically it would be fine, though you've got to remember that there'll no doubt be a load of chemicals and nasties in it from powerstations and what not, which dechlorinator may or may not remove (I'm not sure if it removes 100% everthing). Personally I'd just go for the easier and safer tap option

 

[Aqua Tom]

If you live in the countryside miles away from anywhere then rain water is fine. I live in a town next to a main road so would not even consider rainwater in my tank.

Tom

 

[Brainjuice]

Umm, yes I think maybe its best left alone then, it was only a thought!!

Thanks anyway.

 

[drobbyb]

It depends. As said above, if you live in a rural area, it may be safe. But also, rain water is devoid of any trace minerals. You would need to add trace minerals to it to make it suitable for fish (kind of like using straight distilled water.) You could mix it 50/50 with tap water and check your KH/GH and pH. You may find that it is very different from your tap and might be unsuitable for use with your stock.