the wife asked why I couldn't use rain water for my aquariums. my first thought is not to use water run off off my roof, so collecting a couple of hundred gallons would be problematic at first. I live in Oregon and get plenty of rain so its got me thinking.... any ideas, pros or cons etc????
rain water ???
- Thread starter BichirKing
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didn't even think of the mineral aspect! whats the point of letting it sit with a pump? I thought that was to off gas chlorine.
Helps to get the ph up. Rainwater is usually acidic.
I used rain water for the soft water fish I kept, using 2 rain barrels, the first caught the junk off the roof which settled, and had an overflow pipe near the upper end so the previously settled stuff would be left behind, and only surface water used in tanks.
Hello; First the disappointing portion of my post. I do not recall the name or source of a rainwater collection solution.
Some time ago I saw a device designed to deal with one of the issues of collecting rainwater. That being the junk that accumulates on a surface such as a roof. Over time dust, bird droppings, and other stuff wind up on a roof (or any other surface big enough to become a watershed).
The trick is to wait for a while after it starts to rain before collecting the water so the junk gets washed away. Not a big deal if you happen to be around every time. One problem can be a short or light rain when even if it rains hard enough it does not last past washing away the junk.
The device I saw was pretty much automatic. Had a portion that allowed the first volume of rain to run off and away. Then after some conditions were met it would pivot and direct the water into where your catch basin is.. It was a bowl that had to fill up with enough of the first rain. When it was heavy enough it would pivot and redirect the flow.
The trick was a small hole in the bowl. That hole allowed the setup to reset. Too light of a rain and the bowl never filled enough to pivot. A heavy short rain might fill the bowl but stop before enough rain was diverted. The hole allowed the bowl to empty in either case and be ready for the type of hard enough and long enough lasting rain to allow for collection.
I tried some plastic sheeting one time back a few decades ago. That worked but there were several problems.
Of course Duanes set up is an elegant solution.
Some time ago I saw a device designed to deal with one of the issues of collecting rainwater. That being the junk that accumulates on a surface such as a roof. Over time dust, bird droppings, and other stuff wind up on a roof (or any other surface big enough to become a watershed).
The trick is to wait for a while after it starts to rain before collecting the water so the junk gets washed away. Not a big deal if you happen to be around every time. One problem can be a short or light rain when even if it rains hard enough it does not last past washing away the junk.
The device I saw was pretty much automatic. Had a portion that allowed the first volume of rain to run off and away. Then after some conditions were met it would pivot and direct the water into where your catch basin is.. It was a bowl that had to fill up with enough of the first rain. When it was heavy enough it would pivot and redirect the flow.
The trick was a small hole in the bowl. That hole allowed the setup to reset. Too light of a rain and the bowl never filled enough to pivot. A heavy short rain might fill the bowl but stop before enough rain was diverted. The hole allowed the bowl to empty in either case and be ready for the type of hard enough and long enough lasting rain to allow for collection.
I tried some plastic sheeting one time back a few decades ago. That worked but there were several problems.
Of course Duanes set up is an elegant solution.
You could use a big tarp with poles on the corners then funneled down to your barrel(s)
excellent replies as always! i'm going to keep mulling it over. last year we had 28 days and 33 days of straight rain. duanes set up looks like the easiest way to go. I wonder if crushing up one of these https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-general-purpose-mineral-block-40-lb and building a "reactor" to run the water through would replenish the trace minerals????
This doesn’t really help you sorry.
We have a pool so in the winter while the cover is on it collects leaves and rain. So after a few day I get free pre tannin soft water for a few different tanks. I just start a siphon and collect it.
Funny though cause I only need a few gallons and this is literally 100’s of gallons.
We have a pool so in the winter while the cover is on it collects leaves and rain. So after a few day I get free pre tannin soft water for a few different tanks. I just start a siphon and collect it.
Funny though cause I only need a few gallons and this is literally 100’s of gallons.
def use rain water in my opinion, especially if you keep SA fish. i would suggest let it rain for a day or 2 and then collect the water. that way the rain u collect is clean and not polluted. i believe when it first rain the water can be dirty from pollution at first. especially if u live in the city.so best to wait a day to collect the water. just my opinion.