Rainwater?

[Britty]

I have read on various sites that some people use rainwater as an alternative to RO water to part condition their water changes from the tap. To date I've only ever used tap water.

We have been receiving some rain over recent weeks so I managed to collect some to test. Had a decent dump of rain overnight.

Our rain is indeed acidic, so much so it tests as 6.0 (lowest it can read) on the API PH test. I would reason the actual PH is less than this, but don't have the means to determine how much lower. API test is all I have.

What surprised me is that I also performed an ammonia test and it's definitely not zero. It looks to be closer to 0.5ppm. I've attached a pic. (Always hard for me to interpret the colours on the test kit)

Our tap water here tests what looks to be just under or on 0.25ppm. So the rainwater has a higher concentration of ammonium at much lower PH

Has anyone else tested their local rainwater and can share some results? Do you use it in your tank?

 

[Caliban07]

Here is a good site on this.

http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/unit/text.php?unit=11&secNum=7

My question would be why are you cutting the water?

Cutting with acidic water will alter tap water ph and the chemistry of the newly mixed water will be different. Rainwater ph is unstable as there is no buffering capacity.

But more so, it not always readily available. If you use it then you mustn't just use 100% tap water if rainwater isn't available as this will dramatically change the ph and mineral content of the water that the fish have acclimatised to. You would still have to cut with RO when rainwater wasn't available. As for the ammonia 0.25ppm is nothing. Especially with a lower ph as the majority of that 0.25ppm will be ammonium not free ammonia and ammonium is much less harmful.

 

[jlk]

I have read on various sites that some people use rainwater as an alternative to RO water to part condition their water changes from the tap. To date I've only ever used tap water.

We have been receiving some rain over recent weeks so I managed to collect some to test. Had a decent dump of rain overnight.

Our rain is indeed acidic, so much so it tests as 6.0 (lowest it can read) on the API PH test. I would reason the actual PH is less than this, but don't have the means to determine how much lower. API test is all I have.

What surprised me is that I also performed an ammonia test and it's definitely not zero. It looks to be closer to 0.5ppm. I've attached a pic. (Always hard for me to interpret the colours on the test kit)

Our tap water here tests what looks to be just under or on 0.25ppm. So the rainwater has a higher concentration of ammonium at much lower PH

Has anyone else tested their local rainwater and can share some results? Do you use it in your tank?

I do not use rainwater in my tanks but it's a concern with my pond. As I live in a suburban area outside a major city, our rainwater is very acidic (running in the 3-4 range) with almost zero Gh and Kh. Typically, rainwater anywhere does run acidic in the 3-5.5 range (depending on the locale where one may reside) and may have an under or over abundance of various other chemicals. I do have to buffer my pond with limestone to maintain steady ph and kh levels. Occasionally, gh has to be addressed but things generally stay fairly well balanced unless there's an excess of rain.

If you do want to consider cutting your tap with rainwater, I would suggest some additional means for testing (ph probe, kh and gh tests, TDS meter) so you are able to accurately cut your tap without drastically altering your fish's environment. Rainwater can vary drastically day to day, so testing will be the key to maintaining tank stability during wcs.

 

[Britty]

Was curious more than anything. At this stage I have no real need to cut my tap water but tap water can be highly variable as well dependant on weather conditions and season.

As many houses now, at least in Australia, now have rainwater tanks was wondering if it was worthwhile using this free resource compared to RO for aquariums that house fish that prefer naturally acidic and soft water.

 

[Caliban07]

Was curious more than anything. At this stage I have no real need to cut my tap water but tap water can be highly variable as well dependant on weather conditions and season.

As many houses now, at least in Australia, now have rainwater tanks was wondering if it was worthwhile using this free resource compared to RO for aquariums that house fish that prefer naturally acidic and soft water.

I don't see why not. If you could find the perfect balance in terms of ph kh and gh. If your tap water is already naturally soft then you might need to add crushed coral. Especially if you want to keep plants.

I'm just wondering whether or not it would be worth boiling the rainwater just to kill any nasties and further remove impurities.

 

[jetajockey]

I use rainwater for the misting system in my greenhouse and for my carnivorous plants. I don't know of any bad stuff that would require you to treat rainwater apart from the obvious buffering that you'll have to do.

 

[Caliban07]

I'm just not sure how the water runs in to the but and what it might collect on the way.

 

[pip walters]

All rain water is acidic, usually with a pH of 5 or less.

Rain can pick up pollutants from the atmosphere as well as from roofs, drainpipes etc on its way to the collection vessel. I would always filter through activated carbon before use.

 

[Caliban07]

All rain water is acidic, usually with a pH of 5 or less.

Rain can pick up pollutants from the atmosphere as well as from roofs, drainpipes etc on its way to the collection vessel. I would always filter through activated carbon before use.

+1 boiling will kill any pathogens that may be lurking then filter it. So not exactly a money saver after all. Lol

 

[jetajockey]

Just trying to figure out what supposed pathogens are present to be absorbed...

If you are concerned with some kind of junk that might be on a roof, then don't collect from your roof. Its easy enough to set up a rain catch with a plastic rain saucer. Lots of people do this for their drinking water.

What happens to those poor fish in ponds with all of these pathogens and pollutants raining down upon them?

Sent from Peabody's rabbit hole.

 

[Caliban07]

Just trying to figure out what supposed pathogens are present to be absorbed...

If you are concerned with some kind of junk that might be on a roof, then don't collect from your roof. Its easy enough to set up a rain catch with a plastic rain saucer. Lots of people do this for their drinking water.

What happens to those poor fish in ponds with all of these pathogens and pollutants raining down upon them?

Sent from Peabody's rabbit hole.

If you're unsure then it would probably be best to boil and filter. I definitely wouldn't drink it without doing this so I certainly wouldn't put it in my fish tank. I

I've never seen any water harvesters in all honestly but I would imagine that some part of them would have to be exposed to the elements in order to do their job properly.

 

[jetajockey]

If you're unsure then it would probably be best to boil and filter. I definitely wouldn't drink it without doing this so I certainly wouldn't put it in my fish tank. I

I've never seen any water harvesters in all honestly but I would imagine that some part of them would have to be exposed to the elements in order to do their job properly.

If a person was really that concerned they could always just maintain a low level of chlorine in the collection container. It's really not that hard to do. And aquariums already have a filtration system on them, so just make sure the carbon bag is up to date.

This practice is by far more sustainable and economical than running a r/o system where there is a greater initial cost, operating cost, and around a 4:1 waste/usable water ratio.

As was mentioned, over 80% of houses in southern australia rely on rainwater harvesting, so why not make use of an essentially free water resource.

 

[pip walters]

If a person was really that concerned they could always just maintain a low level of chlorine in the collection container. It's really not that hard to do. And aquariums already have a filtration system on them, so just make sure the carbon bag is up to date.

This practice is by far more sustainable and economical than running a r/o system where there is a greater initial cost, operating cost, and around a 4:1 waste/usable water ratio.

As was mentioned, over 80% of houses in southern australia rely on rainwater harvesting, so why not make use of an essentially free water resource.

+1

Would be interesting to do some testing on rain water... might give it a go!
All water at my workplace comes from a local spring fed reservoir.... I dare say some rain hits it occasionally here in England too!!

 

[Britty]

Yes. This is why I was curious to know if it would be an alternative to RO water. If I was in a hypothetical situation and needed to cut my water with soft rain water would it be viable? Sounds like it could be if you controlled how its collected (like not off a dirty rusty roof or runoff drainage), stored and heated or filtered it.

After all, various rivers, lakes and ponds receive some kind of rainfall through the seasons and probably not an insignificant amount. Tap water is rain water in catchments and treated

 

[Caliban07]

If a person was really that concerned they could always just maintain a low level of chlorine in the collection container. It's really not that hard to do. And aquariums already have a filtration system on them, so just make sure the carbon bag is up to date.



This practice is by far more sustainable and economical than running a r/o system where there is a greater initial cost, operating cost, and around a 4:1 waste/usable water ratio.



As was mentioned, over 80% of houses in southern australia rely on rainwater harvesting, so why not make use of an essentially free water resource.

I agree this is great alternative to using RO and I would like to have a go at something like this myself.

I agree that many people use them, rely on the might be a bit much. What percentage of the 80 would pour a nice glass of drinking water straight out of the butt? I would say none.

I would drink it if it had been collected and treated properly. Just to put my mind at ease. Otherwise like yourself I would use it for water draining tasks like watering the plants or washing the car.

By the time you have treated it, buffered it, cut it, added nutrients it would probably be easier to just use a source water of known quantity. where known quality is easily accessible and is always readily available.

If someone were to chose to use rainwater then my only advice would be to treat it first that is all.

There are tons of articles which express the dangers of collecting and harvesting rainwater, too many for me to ignore.

 

[Caliban07]

Yes. This is why I was curious to know if it would be an alternative to RO water. If I was in a hypothetical situation and needed to cut my water with soft rain water would it be viable? Sounds like it could be if you controlled how its collected (like not off a dirty rusty roof or runoff drainage), stored and heated or filtered it.

After all, various rivers, lakes and ponds receive some kind of rainfall through the seasons and probably not an insignificant amount. Tap water is rain water in catchments and treated

Sounds like a good idea and definitely viable. Go for it.

 

[jetajockey]

I agree this is great alternative to using RO and I would like to have a go at something like this myself.

I agree that many people use them, rely on the might be a bit much. What percentage of the 80 would pour a nice glass of drinking water straight out of the butt? I would say none.

I would drink it if it had been collected and treated properly. Just to put my mind at ease. Otherwise like yourself I would use it for water draining tasks like watering the plants or washing the car.

By the time you have treated it, buffered it, cut it, added nutrients it would probably be easier to just use a source water of known quantity. where known quality is easily accessible and is always readily available.

If someone were to chose to use rainwater then my only advice would be to treat it first that is all.

There are tons of articles which express the dangers of collecting and harvesting rainwater, too many for me to ignore.

No one here is planning to drink it, just using it for aquariums. There are plenty of people who won't drink their tap water either, but they have no problem putting it in a fish tank.

 

[Caliban07]

No one here is planning to drink it, just using it for aquariums. There are plenty of people who won't drink their tap water either, but they have no problem putting it in a fish tank.

Yep and I've said there is nothing wrong with using it in my opinion. I just don't understand why you would not treat it just to eradicate any unknowns. Maybe it's because I work in a hospital I have to be a little more thorough.

Here in Manchester UK we are surrounded by mills factories and industrial estates that are forever pumping out hazardous chemicals in to the sky. My next door neighbour has a ridiculous amount of cats that I would be worried about them drinking, urinating or worse in to my water. Contamination through dust and dirt blown by wind, insects. The list goes on.

In many countries, fish stocks and ponds have been completely wiped out by acid rain. Maybe I'm going over the top. Maybe there is nothing to worry about. Just to feel a little bit more secure about the water I was collecting from my polluted atmosphere I would just rather treat it and boil it to kill anything that may or may not be in it before I give it to my fish who couldn't be
Any further from being wild.

 

[Delapool]

I guess it depends on the rain water tanks as well. On the hobby farm we had a 20 tonne tank but that was way too small. From memory 50 or 70 tonne tanks is suggested (70 kilolitres). The water is sourced from the bottom of the tank so quite still but we filtered anyways. That would be quite stable but the tanks tend to get low at the end of the dry season and the first rains are pretty mucky (usually gets diverted away and just cleans roof).

A small tank of a tonne or so, I would suspect being more variable in water quality thinking of here. As kids our rain water tank tasted terrible, it was thought because the ash from the fire settled on the roof. Enough rain would flush that away but we went through a lot of cordial.

 

[Caliban07]

I guess it depends on the rain water tanks as well. On the hobby farm we had a 20 tonne tank but that was way too small. From memory 50 or 70 tonne tanks is suggested (70 kilolitres). The water is sourced from the bottom of the tank so quite still but we filtered anyways. That would be quite stable but the tanks tend to get low at the end of the dry season and the first rains are pretty mucky (usually gets diverted away and just cleans roof).

A small tank of a tonne or so, I would suspect being more variable in water quality thinking of here. As kids our rain water tank tasted terrible, it was thought because the ash from the fire settled on the roof. Enough rain would flush that away but we went through a lot of cordial.

Would you put it in your fish tanks?