Rain water

[tedrogers]

I use rain water for partial changes with my mollie tank. It's slightly green in colour. I live in the UK so we get lots of rain, and I'm near farm land so it shouldn't be too polluted. I haven't had the rain water tested in the butt, but the PH is spot on 7. The mollies seem to like it. What are your thoughts on this practice? Thanks.

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[Brookster123]

Collection methods??

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[tedrogers]

It's a water butt, off a tiled roof and plastic gutters that are clean of debris. The water butt is quite new and doesn't have much of any sediment.

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[IanEHeCook]

Normally I would say that rain water is a bit too soft and acidic for mollies to truly be comfortable in it unless your buffering it somehow.

 

[tedrogers]

I stopped doing it...had a tendency to go green quick...algae blooms I expect. Oh well, high water bills it is!

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[Swampman]

Thanks for asking

Great question. I have 2 50 gal rain collectors and wondered about using them for my tanks. Reading the replies I won't use the water.

 

[tedrogers]

No...to make matters worse it's ruined my bio filter. Nitrite is off the scale, despite 2 x 30% water changes. Now my mollies have septicemia, and I've had to treat the tank. Going for a nitrite removal treatment over the weekend.

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[enrgizerbunny]

It'd probably be okay if you treated it. A few drops of bleach in the barrel would solve algae and outside pest bacteria, but you would have to treat for the chlorine which isn't a big deal. Rain water isn't pure, and typically falls with a pH closer to 5 than 7. Every drop of rain is formed by condensing on dust in the clouds until the droplet becomes heavy enough to fall.

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[Swampman]

I'm just going to water the in and out door plants with it.

 

[enrgizerbunny]

No...to make matters worse it's ruined my bio filter. Nitrite is off the scale, despite 2 x 30% water changes. Now my mollies have septicemia, and I've had to treat the tank. Going for a nitrite removal treatment over the weekend.

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This makes zero sense whatsoever. To damage your bio filter there would have to be an antibacterial agent, like chlorine or drugs present. You mentioned being "near farmland" which I fail to understand how this 1. Would affect the rain water 2. Would be less polluted. Even with modern techniques, agriculture still contributes it's fair share of nitrogen and phosphorus run off. And during the summer, ammonia can be released to the atmosphere if it's hot enough.

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[tedrogers]

Well I'm no expert (as you've noticed)...I'm clutching at straws...all I know is the rain water made my tank water green, and now no matter what I try I can't get my bio filter to function as it should. Tank is just cycling. I've treated it, and I test it daily.... nitrites are off the scale.