Rain Water

[mario chainsaw]

if you use rain water instead of tap water is it ok to collect rain water from the gutter on my garden shed ?

 

[Fisharecool:)]

if you use rain water instead of tap water is it ok to collect rain water from the gutter on my garden shed ?

NEVER EVER USE RAIN WATER. that water is contaminated and it has been EVERYWHeRe. for freshwater id use distilled water. it is working for my fish. if its easier, if you are going to use tap water, make sure you treat it first.

 

[Soaup]

Never use rain water is a definate you never know whats in the rain. Same with the river water post. What is the problem with your tap water that your curious about finding alternatives?

 

[fishyfreak]

My grandfather was interested in using rain water for his aquarium. In this case, you need to consider the condition of the air and the condition that leaves the rain water in. Tap water has been filtered through soil and then processed to insure that it is potable. Rainwater can carry pollutants which it has washed out of the air, as well as possible contaminants from tubing, gutters, piping, roofs, and other surfaces it has flowed through or over before getting to your collection point - as well as risks of contamination in the collection apparatus. Rainwater is also almost always lacking in necessary trace elements to keep the fish healthy, as well as those necessary to help the water maintain chemical balance.

 

[BigC]

I have used rainwater quite extensively over the years. Collected from a plastic corrugated roof into guttering then filtered through ladies tights filled with carbon before entering a rainwater butt.
I found it excellent mixed with a bit of tap water to give the correct stats for breeding problematic killifish
Regards
BigC

 

[tenohfive]

I'm sure rainwater can be used, but Mario - honestly - tap water is fine. Its what everyone else uses (other than those trying to create very specific conditions for sensitive fish) and by collecting rainwater you need to add minerals - it is more agro than its worth.

Use tap water with dechlor and you'll be fine.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

if you use rain water instead of tap water is it ok to collect rain water from the gutter on my garden shed ?

NEVER EVER USE RAIN WATER. that water is contaminated and it has been EVERYWHeRe. for freshwater id use distilled water. it is working for my fish. if its easier, if you are going to use tap water, make sure you treat it first.

Ummm how has rainwater been everywhere? Rain water is pure water. Only water can evaporate, contaminants cannot, thus the water falling from clouds is pure. Rain water can't be contaminated unless the air you live in is HIGHLY polluted...


As I said before, if you do use rain water you will need to add a product that will add minerals back into the water.

 

[Axleuk]

In all fairness rain water has been the natural source of water for fish since fish were invented. Rivers, lakes etc...

 

[Mauricia]

Unless you live in an area with a lot of pollution, (and you can check a weather website to get a smog rating on your area) the rainwater is clean. It just lacks the minerals and elements that the fish also need, so you need to add them. There may be products for this, I'm not sure.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Unless you live in an area with a lot of pollution, (and you can check a weather website to get a smog rating on your area) the rainwater is clean. It just lacks the minerals and elements that the fish also need, so you need to add them. There may be products for this, I'm not sure.

Yep. Plenty of products on the market.


http/www.petmeister.com/item2532.htm

 

[OldMan47]

Discuslova you are very right and very wrong. The rain in an area like the one you live in is quite clean until it gets to the ground. When it lands on the rooftop and runs over your shingles, it picks up all the dirt and dust that has settled on the roof since the last rain. It then goes through your gutters, the ones you clean all that stuff out of every year. Finally it comes down the downspout into who knows what container. When I tried to collect some from roof runoff, it was visibly contaminated by hitting and running off the roof. We get what is nicely called acid rain. What it really is can only be described after extensive chemical testing. If I lived in the right part of the world I might be tempted to try to clean the dirt out of the rainwater that I collected, but not here.

 

[Athena]

Also, don't forget that rain clouds move with the wind!! Remember the Chernobyl nuclear explosion in the 80s? Well nuclear fallout travelled across Europe and over to the UK by means of rain clouds! That's how parts of the UK have ended up with contaminated soil and how there has been an increase in thyroid cancer patients (myself included) in recent years (due to the 15 yr incubation period).

So it doesn't matter how clean the area is that you live - it all depends on what those rain clouds have picked up along the way as to how clean the rainwater will be when it falls.

Athena

 

[rabbut]

You saw my latter responce, but to sum it up again;

Only use rain water if you have filtered in well first. I'd use floss to remove dust, carbon to remove any chemicals and then UV to remove any pathogens or microbes that are undisireable from the water. After that, do a "consumability test" I.E., would you be happy to drink it? If yes, add your mineral retopic and use. If no, discard the water and don't use it.

Like I said in your other thread, rain water is a lot of hasle for no real benefits unless you are keeping/breeding very problematice fish.

Don't use neat distilled water, as it would be the same as using neat RO or rain water. There aren't any (or enough in the case of rain) minerals in there to support your fish. If you use it neat for more than a few weeks, it isn't rain, RO or distilled water. Mineral water usually has the opposit issue, i.e. too many minerals, and thus this cannot safely be used, unless you pass it through an RO unit or DI unit first, which kind of defetes the object of using it don't you think?

All the best
Rabbut

 

[tenohfive]

And going back to the OP, there is no point in doing this for a normal fishkeeper. Stop worrying and use tap water plus dechlor.

 

[Mauricia]

Also, don't forget that rain clouds move with the wind!! Remember the Chernobyl nuclear explosion in the 80s? Well nuclear fallout travelled across Europe and over to the UK by means of rain clouds! That's how parts of the UK have ended up with contaminated soil and how there has been an increase in thyroid cancer patients (myself included) in recent years (due to the 15 yr incubation period).

So it doesn't matter how clean the area is that you live - it all depends on what those rain clouds have picked up along the way as to how clean the rainwater will be when it falls.

Athena

True, but if the rainwater is contaminated with something like nuclear waste, it's going to be in the tap water too, after all it's just rainwater that is filling up the reservoirs, and the treatment facilities aren't designed to remove nuclear byproduct.

But yes, there's certainly the issue of the dirty roof and gutters. If you're in an area that get a lot of rain you could always set up those barrels that are designed to collect rainwater for humans to drink, but if not it's probably not worth it. (Well even if you were it's probably not worth it)