Rainwater tank water changes in Australia
- Thread starter SNRMADE
- Start date
I dont know of anyone who does but I would think that stagnant water will have a low pH which will need a good buffer.
Mystix is right. You can use rainwater but make sure your area is not polluted. Air with too many pollutants can contaminate the water killing the fish. Was there a reason for using rainwater? Check hardness levels and pH and think well before using because any extreme changes in water conditions can eventually kill your fish.
Yes I have several rainwater tanks. If your worried about air pollution you can buy/make a device which avoids the first part of rain automatically. It is very easy to harden soft water but much harder to soften hard water so I collect rain for soft water species. I simply keep some coral rubble in the trickle filters of the hard water tank systems and replace as it dissolves away.
In recent years, the rainwater tanks have been a blessing. (we are very dry in Australia).
In recent years, the rainwater tanks have been a blessing. (we are very dry in Australia).
I was going to use rainwater collected from my down spouts for a pond. After reading quite a bit I decided it against it. The main reason being the possible contaminants from the roof.
Years ago our only house water supply was a rainwater tank.
I didn't know and better and kept / bred a lot of fish in those days.
As long as it's clean water - ( you dont live in a polluted area ) it's fine, but be aware thats it's very soft, slightly acid and with almost no buffering capacity. If you are worried about that you can mix in some tap water just to add some hardness, or a pinch of baking soda.
Cheers
Ian
I didn't know and better and kept / bred a lot of fish in those days.
As long as it's clean water - ( you dont live in a polluted area ) it's fine, but be aware thats it's very soft, slightly acid and with almost no buffering capacity. If you are worried about that you can mix in some tap water just to add some hardness, or a pinch of baking soda.
Cheers
Ian
All the city slickers will likely have a higher CO2 level in the air and other pollutents. If you live in the sticks or in a suburban area, the air should be just fine. I also think that unless your roof is completely new, previous rain would 'polish' your roof of any nasties. A good thing to watch out for in tiled roof homes is any insulation that may be trapped between the tiles such as fat batts/cool or cosy.
For the first rain washing down, yes. But as the heavy downpour continues, there should be less traces of contaminants. You can try running a carbon to remove any traces. This is assuming you don't live near industrial areas.RBE17;1320497; said:
thanx 4 the advice everyone.the only reason i was thinkin of using my rainwater tank is because i lost one of my fav fish last week to a water change and just dont trust the waterboard on what theyre putting in the water.ive heard to many stories from lfs about losing half their shop to a water change.il try the raintank but only on a 10% to 15% waterchange at first and see how it goes.cheers.
If you have poor water then you should consider a 24/7 water drip. Although the new water quality is poor it comes in slow enough that your tanks bio filter can handle it.
PM me diret if you need some clarification. I had similar problems and the answer was not to avoid the bad water but to solve the problem.
PM me diret if you need some clarification. I had similar problems and the answer was not to avoid the bad water but to solve the problem.