timi hendrix
New member
i was wondering if i can collect some rain water and use it for top off and water change.i could use large containers and collect .what do u all think,is it crazy or what.
is rain water good
- Thread starter timi hendrix
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Well, that's what the natural reef tops off with. And I bet a bunch of people will chime in to say that it is OK. Expect mixed reviews. I'm sure it also depends on where you live.
Personally, I wouldn't. A tank differs from the ocean by being limited in both size and biodiversity. So pollutants that may be in the rain water either from the air or from whatever surface it ran off of into the cistern can cause bigger problems in a tank as they are concentrated over time. Think acid rain. All that being said, I might be more likely to put rainwater in my reef than tapwater depending on where I was.
Rainwater can carry a lot of disolved gasses (CO2, NOx, SOx) and particulate matter. When they have big dust storms in texas, it rains mud in Arkansas. I've seen it. So if I was going to use rainwater, I would be sure to let it settle really well. Both to let the particulates settle out, and to let any dissolved gasses disperse.
Personally, I wouldn't. A tank differs from the ocean by being limited in both size and biodiversity. So pollutants that may be in the rain water either from the air or from whatever surface it ran off of into the cistern can cause bigger problems in a tank as they are concentrated over time. Think acid rain. All that being said, I might be more likely to put rainwater in my reef than tapwater depending on where I was.
Rainwater can carry a lot of disolved gasses (CO2, NOx, SOx) and particulate matter. When they have big dust storms in texas, it rains mud in Arkansas. I've seen it. So if I was going to use rainwater, I would be sure to let it settle really well. Both to let the particulates settle out, and to let any dissolved gasses disperse.
thebkramer
New member
Can't chime in about the rain.. I personally would be scared to..
BUT!! Can I just tell you!!! I SO LOVE YOUR AVATAR!!! :lol2:
Rain water has a pH in the 5.6 range.
Rain water is just not water either.
Rain water is just not water either.
coralnut99
New member
+1 Very well written.
timi hendrix
New member
i live in ontario.the next time it rains in gonna check out the tds of it and the ph and see where that leads me.
redfishblewfish
Member
Rain is a means of our atmosphere taking a bath. All the crap we put up into the atmosphere, as well as the other stuff nature throws up there (dust storms, volcanoes, etc), ends up getting washed down when it rains. Wouldn’t use it!
Also, +1 on the pH issue. Having a pool, I buy pH Plus in the largest container I could buy, and use it like crazy. For the life of me, I have no idea why they even consider making pH Minus….who would ever use that?
Also, +1 on the pH issue. Having a pool, I buy pH Plus in the largest container I could buy, and use it like crazy. For the life of me, I have no idea why they even consider making pH Minus….who would ever use that?
+1 ...top off water is cheap...why risk it?
noahm
Active member
As above, it really depends on where you live, and even then can vary greatly with the macro-scale weather fluctuations. It is probably comparable to the risks of well water, but different undesirables. It would probably be a good starting point for RO/DI though compared to some other sources, but wouldn't be worth bothering with unless you used roof collection anyway like in Hawaii.
coralnut99
New member
Easy enough to do and certainly an interesting bit of info. But I would think the chemical composition would be a good deal more complex. Just thinking out loud, I would think there's pretty extensive info available from local environmental agencies or university studies? Certainly even all of that scientific data would be very regionally (think acid rain east of the Ohio) and seasonally influenced.
