Rainwater

[Jayba]

Well, tonight was storm night, which means Pleco water change night. I used rainwater, filtered through some floss. Not real scientific, but effective.

My L-066 go nuts, everyone gets on the move and in go crazy for the maggots these water changes bring.

My question is, anyone else use rainwater? If so, do you treat it at all? My tanks are down to 60 TDS, PH is unknown as my meter crapped out.

[jeremoose]

Do you just collect directly from your spouts?

[Jayba]

Do you just collect directly from your spouts?

I have a 150 gallon resivoir that it collects into. Then hook up a hose, through the laundry room window, through the floss container into the tanks.

[syno321]

I bring mine in from rainwater collectors and use a magnum w/ activated charcoal to polish it. I've been doing this for 2 years now, usually cutting it 50/50 with tap water. I use mostly bare tanks, so, if I don't cut it, pH crashes are far more likely. I do use it pure for fish that require extremely soft water, I just have to stay on top of the pH monitoring.

[Bandi]

I just started using rainwater for my tetras and rasboras and now my new plecos. I having walking water from my leaky evestrough on the main level. I have to "walk" my water down to the basement in buckets. But then I put it in a large container with a 110 aquaclear filter loaded with active carbon and a bag of peat moss floating all the time. Then I just bucket the water into the tanks as needed.

Tell me more about ph spikes? I didn't know this was a concern (with barebottom tanks?).

[syno321]

In simple terms, pH crashes when the organic load of the tank is so much as to overcome the buffering capacity ( or the capacity of the water to neutralize the acids produced from fish waste, plant decomposition, etc. ) of the water. Typically most gravel sold for aquarium is not inert and so it releases trace amounts of minerals into the water over time. This helps keep up buffering levels of the water. Bare-bottom tanks don't have the safety net of the gravel and so are typically more prone to pH crashes. I hope this helps.

[cainechow]

Additionally, our tap water is relatively hard and also buffers because of those minerals. Rain water on the other hand is very soft with practically no buffering minerals in it. Any you find in there will probably be from your collection containers and what ever else is sitting in there. Using only RO water will have a similar effect... not that I've tried that at all... and killed a bunch of shrimp

[Bandi]

Thanks guys, so when using rain water, is it important to always have gravel (as buffering) on the bottom of the thank. Will that avoid any ph issues?

[syno321]

It will help, but it's no guarantee, unless you use crushed coral or something like it as your substrate.

[Jayba]

So from what you said Paul, if I am anal about tank cleanliness I am ok. But if there is too much bioload the system can crash? And when it crashes the ph goes down correct?

Edited September 16, 2012 by Jayba

[syno321]

Yes. Bioload can be also be large fish population, which I am guilty of in many of my tanks. If you change water faithfully, at least 25% per week, you shouldn't have any problems. Another consideration is if you have fish that thrive in hard water and use any part rainwater to do your changes, you should add elements to compensate for the soft water and bring it up to higher hardness and pH, like salt, epsom salt, sodium carbonate, and sodium bicarbonate.

[Znaika]

I hope you guys did not do any roof repairs recently. I don't think asphalt shingles are good for water treatment.

Edited November 8, 2012 by Znaika