RubixCube
Aquarium Advice Activist
Is it possible to use rain water for tanks? Rain is filtered, and in most places free of poulition and chemicals. Pros/Cons or just opinions?
What about rain water for fish?
- Thread starter RubixCube
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Smonkey15
Aquarium Advice Freak
i have heard that rain water has tons of unwanted minerals and things that you wouldn't want in your tank.
steve
steve
riptide
Aquarium Advice Regular
I would not suggest using rain water for your aquarium..... Water vapor travels many many miles in the form of clouds before it is re-deposited on earth in the form of rain.... During these travels clouds develop a static charge that collects all types of chemicals and unwanted elements from the surrounding air.... Its mother nature's mechanical atmospheric filter...
Barney
Aquarium Advice Activist
that is a very intresting subject here....
Rain water is known to do best for potted plants while tap water isn't. (anyone notice that?) Also you may heard of people adding shallow wells for irrigation purpose instead of using the tap water.
I haven't had any effect on my fishes outside. they get rain water. So if it is harmful then I should be losing fishes outside.
I am not here to start a storm, but would it be great to educate and learn something we never thought of?
Rain water is known to do best for potted plants while tap water isn't. (anyone notice that?) Also you may heard of people adding shallow wells for irrigation purpose instead of using the tap water.
I haven't had any effect on my fishes outside. they get rain water. So if it is harmful then I should be losing fishes outside.
I am not here to start a storm, but would it be great to educate and learn something we never thought of?
RubixCube
Aquarium Advice Activist
Yes, that’s what I was thinking too. Rain is mostly what is in my pond. It raining here now and just did a few of the basic tests on it such as Ammonia and Ph and Nitrate and I all checks out perfectly. As for chemicals, I have no way of testing. I would defiantly think its worth wild to check into. Yes, I can see, rainwater in the middle of summer in the Middle of a big city (New York, Toronto) can have some chemicals (acid rain) but for the most part, it should be fairly clean.
RogerMcAllen
Aquarium Advice Addict
I think pond fish might not count becuase they are in general a lot hardier than say discus. I think it would all depend on what was in the tank.
Rain will definatly be very acidic and you might end up having to buffer it to use it or mix it with tap water. My mom hangs tshirts with stains outside and after a rain the stain is gone. Hmmmm?
As was mentioned it will probably depend on your fish type. Tetras will probably do well in rain water as they are mostly from the amazon. Not good for African Cichlids though.
As was mentioned it will probably depend on your fish type. Tetras will probably do well in rain water as they are mostly from the amazon. Not good for African Cichlids though.
RubixCube
Aquarium Advice Activist
The rainwater i tested was actually quite neutral 7
riptide
Aquarium Advice Regular
It appears, after some furthur research on the subjec,t that the quality of the rainwater in a given locale varies depending on enumerous factors. Jet-Stream /Originating Altitude / Originating or evaporative locale, etc... The quote below is from science daily and I have included a link to their site/page with similar topics... Apparently California is being pollutted by Mercury from ASIA....
"— Industrial emissions in Asia are a major source of mercury in rainwater that falls along the California coast, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz"
http://www.sciencedaily.com/related.php?filename=991208055758
My opinion would be to steer cleer of rainwater for aquariums, we dont culture the specific bacterial strains indoors that naturally develop with slow introduction of various chemical compounds in our outdoor ponds... Just an opinion..
"— Industrial emissions in Asia are a major source of mercury in rainwater that falls along the California coast, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz"
http://www.sciencedaily.com/related.php?filename=991208055758
My opinion would be to steer cleer of rainwater for aquariums, we dont culture the specific bacterial strains indoors that naturally develop with slow introduction of various chemical compounds in our outdoor ponds... Just an opinion..
Since this was posted in the SW forum I have to guess you want to use it in the SW tank. Since salt mix has various minterals and trace elements within it already adding rainwater that could include other various minerals including maybe some that the salt mix has could cause a chemical inbalance in your tank. This inbalance could lead to excess algae growth or quite possibly unknown wilting of inverts or invert dealths.
While the local enviorment will play a big role in whats in the water just like it plays a big role in the quality of well water. If your in a fairly rural area then your rainwater will probably less contaminated than if your in an industeral area or if your down wind of an industural area. (acid rain)
The best water for SW tanks because of the potental for chemical inbalance is RO or RO/DI water. Since this water is for all intensive purposes pure its free of extra minerals and thus is easier to acheve the chemical balance that the salt mixs are designed to give us.
Rain water is probably desirable for plants for the same reason that RO/DI water would be undesirable for plants. Im not a plant person so I dont know if this is indeed the case but I can see problems comming from giving house plants pure water vs tap or rain water.
While the local enviorment will play a big role in whats in the water just like it plays a big role in the quality of well water. If your in a fairly rural area then your rainwater will probably less contaminated than if your in an industeral area or if your down wind of an industural area. (acid rain)
The best water for SW tanks because of the potental for chemical inbalance is RO or RO/DI water. Since this water is for all intensive purposes pure its free of extra minerals and thus is easier to acheve the chemical balance that the salt mixs are designed to give us.
Rain water is probably desirable for plants for the same reason that RO/DI water would be undesirable for plants. Im not a plant person so I dont know if this is indeed the case but I can see problems comming from giving house plants pure water vs tap or rain water.
Well I wouldn't say that where you live helps that much, weather patterns do. Nova Scotia gets tons of pollution from down south (no finger pointing), a lot more than we produce. So I would play it safe and not use rainwater.
I would guess that the atmosphere in the area you live plays a huge part, if you live in New York, rain will probably be filled with impurities, and if you live in the middle of the South Americian rain forest the rain water is probably of great quality.
Also I would guess that the plants and soil around a certin area acts like a filter of some sorts that conditions the water making it somewhat purified.
I really don't know I am just guessing here, intresting non the less.
Also I would guess that the plants and soil around a certin area acts like a filter of some sorts that conditions the water making it somewhat purified.
I really don't know I am just guessing here, intresting non the less.
Barney
Aquarium Advice Activist
Just an intresting article I found on the net.
A new National Wildlife Federation report entitled Clean the Rain, Clean the Lakes: Mercury in Rain Is Polluting The Great Lakes, reveals that the rain falling from the skies over the Midwestern U.S. is not as clean as we think. Our rain contains levels of mercury that far exceed what the Environmental Protection Agency considers "safe" for water in the Great Lakes and other waterways. Mercury is a potent toxin that, even in tiny amounts, can have devastating effects on those who consume fish that come from contaminated waterways. In wildlife, mercury is a reproductive hazard, causing harmful effects on a range of species including many frogs, rainbow trout, zebra fish, mallard and American black ducks, loons and terns. With so much at stake for both people and wildlife, decisive action is needed now to clean up our rain, because it is human action that is polluting it in the first place.
http://www.nwf.org/cleantherain/CTRexec.html
A new National Wildlife Federation report entitled Clean the Rain, Clean the Lakes: Mercury in Rain Is Polluting The Great Lakes, reveals that the rain falling from the skies over the Midwestern U.S. is not as clean as we think. Our rain contains levels of mercury that far exceed what the Environmental Protection Agency considers "safe" for water in the Great Lakes and other waterways. Mercury is a potent toxin that, even in tiny amounts, can have devastating effects on those who consume fish that come from contaminated waterways. In wildlife, mercury is a reproductive hazard, causing harmful effects on a range of species including many frogs, rainbow trout, zebra fish, mallard and American black ducks, loons and terns. With so much at stake for both people and wildlife, decisive action is needed now to clean up our rain, because it is human action that is polluting it in the first place.
http://www.nwf.org/cleantherain/CTRexec.html
Barney
Aquarium Advice Activist
Yeah it is happening almost everywhere I believe. The point of this is that fishes are surving...So I assume setting fishes up outdoors using tap water or well water then exposed to rain water will eventually cause some of the outdoor fishes to be infilterated with this so called "acid rain" or "mercury".
I may be wrong, but this is something I am looking at and putting the puzzle together.
So rain water in general is bad and good depending on where you live.
I may be wrong, but this is something I am looking at and putting the puzzle together.
So rain water in general is bad and good depending on where you live.
