# Rain water



## emma008 (Jan 28, 2012)

I read that its possible to use rain water in tanks and there is no need to dechlorinate it. If so, what about snow? Has anyone done this? What are your thoughts?


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## Anoobias (Feb 16, 2012)

I have heard of it. There would be some dust and stuff in I expect. Snow would work, but remember that ten gallons of snow melts into one gallon of water.


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## rubadub (Sep 12, 2010)

with all the pollutants in our rain water 
would u honestly recommend it?

besides tap water is buffered so it has nutrients that plants like


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## Anoobias (Feb 16, 2012)

I agree. Rain isn't really the pure wonderful water we all think it is. Plus it would be a major PITA IMHO 

Oh, and the "dust" I mentioned previously, well in urban areas that generally consists of soot from vehicles, micro particles from tires, goop that erodes from buildings, bacteria etc etc 

Mmmm soot


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## tropical_fish (Jan 19, 2012)

Rain water makes your fish glow! LOL just kidding! If you want pure water, try looking for a natural Spring water centre.....Up North alot of people use this water....no chemicals in it! Toronto water....surprised my fish are living!


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## splur (May 11, 2011)

I wouldn't, everything that's in the air is taken out and absorbed into the rain. So depending on where you are, the rain water could contain some pretty bad stuff.


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## Symplicity (Oct 14, 2011)

Frank recommends rain water. He uses it for all his tanks at his store.


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## splur (May 11, 2011)

Symplicity said:


> Frank recommends rain water. He uses it for all his tanks at his store.


He may be able to recommend it because he's up north away from downtown, but even then you really risk introducing pollutants into your tank. I mean if there are people suggesting not using leaves from inner city, rain won't be much better.

Might explain his sulewasi deaths lol.


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## arinsi (Mar 14, 2010)

i wouldnt take the risk even if you lived somewhere rural
clouds move


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## Lee_D (Jun 11, 2010)

Did they ever fix Acid Rain?

Might want to check the pH.

Lee


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

I wouldn't drink rain water.....I'm not giving it to my fish.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

I recently had a discussion with Jim Robinson on this. He was of the opinion, that he had better luck with rainwater than with RO water, in getting fish to breed. He used it without any filtration. Gary Elston used Montreal rainwater and snow for years to get soft water for his Apistos. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to try rainwater if I needed a source of soft water. I would perhaps filter it first, but I would still use it. I think that if you were to hold off collecting during the first while of a rain, the water would be reasonably clean.


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

Depends on your collection point I guess. I wouldn't use the stuff coming off my roof and down the drain pipes, but if you had a separate collection system...


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## Octavian (Sep 30, 2009)

I started using rainwater last summer for my freshwater tank mainly for replenishing water that has evaporated. I have two rain barrels connected to each other and only use the water coming from the second rain barrel. If any debris goes down the down sprout, it will settle in the first rain barrel leaving clear water to overflow into the second barrel. Also these two rain barrels collect water from a yawning I built last spring so the water does not come from the roof shingles. Fish seem healthy will no ill effects. Don't have to deal with chlorine or the cold water temperature from the tap.


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## Kooka (Feb 8, 2011)

Hmm, I've thought about using rainwater as a cheap alternative to RO water in aquariums. Has anyone ever tested this? What kinds of pollutants would be present in rainwater and at what concentrations? I assume people that live near major highways or roads should avoid using it due to dust and airborne particles kicked up by travelling cars?


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## splur (May 11, 2011)

Kooka said:


> Hmm, I've thought about using rainwater as a cheap alternative to RO water in aquariums. Has anyone ever tested this? What kinds of pollutants would be present in rainwater and at what concentrations? I assume people that live near major highways or roads should avoid using it due to dust and airborne particles kicked up by travelling cars?


To be honest, you breath that air. Fish are pretty much just as resilient as you are, so nothing you're going to take from rain water will kill the fish if you're not collecting it through something dirty, but it won't be clean water... far from it.

I could take rain water from downtown Toronto and put it in a tank and the fish will be fine. Again, it won't be clean water. So really, it's a matter of preference. Ignorance is bliss, I'm an environmental chemist and I wouldn't drink rain water or eat snow from the inner city, so I'm not going to make my fish do it.


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## emma008 (Jan 28, 2012)

I agree using rain water is not ideal especially in cities of high pollution. I do, however, wonder what kind of pollutants they are in rain water


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## Anoobias (Feb 16, 2012)

The most likely contaminants in the GTA would likely be

PAH's - polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, these can come from soot (car exhaust), and from coal fired power plants (love the smog we get blowing over from our southern neighbors) and tire wear on road surfaces. Examples are Benzo (a) pyrene, Chrysene, Anthracene etc etc....

Next most likely would be metals associated with coal again, primarily mercury (low low levels but not insignificant), there are more but not as consistently 

There are more, but those are the primary groups that I have seen through laboratory analysis of air and rainwater sediments. 

True, all at at very very low concentrations, however all of the above are bioaccumulate to some degree. 

Source: 16 years as an Environmental Consultant.


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

My fish were kept in rain water/melted snow for 8 years when I lived in Barrie (the water there is very hard, and my fish prefer softer water). It was fine. Melting snow is a pain, though.

Oh yeah, and those 2 fish are almost 20 years old now, so it probably wasn't harmful!

(They will be 20 in the spring).

That said, I wouldn't use roof runoff here for my tank. (Raccoons crap on the roof where I live). It's fine for watering plants, though. . .


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