robert0862
Member
Any one else?
Can rain water be used for making saltwater? Pic of my tank.
- Thread starter robert0862
- Start date
hagfish
Active Member
Let me put it this way. I've got about 225 total gallons of water in all my aquariums. My water bill is about $30-35 a month. So for a year I'm probably never going over $400 for water. I have thousands of dollars worth of livestock. It would take at least 4 years of collecting rainwater to add up to the minimum guestimate of my cost in livestock. And that is assuming that my water bill is just for aquariums (which it isn't obviously). Is it really worth the risk? Water is one of the cheapest parts of this hobby.
lexluethar
Active Member
I would say it is worth a try - i wouldn't try it on an expensive tank, but if you feel that your water is that bad in your area that your spending tons of money on filters maybe you should try it.
Please don't put much weight into the "quality" of air around you, just because you don't have a factory down the street doesn't mean that your rain quality will be prestine. THere is acid rain in South America not because there are tons of factories there, but because of what is done in central America / North America. Rain clouds are formed thousands of miles away and can sometimes take even longer to condense into large enough particles to fall.
I don't see why you couldn't setup a system of filters and test to see the quality.
GOod luck!
Please don't put much weight into the "quality" of air around you, just because you don't have a factory down the street doesn't mean that your rain quality will be prestine. THere is acid rain in South America not because there are tons of factories there, but because of what is done in central America / North America. Rain clouds are formed thousands of miles away and can sometimes take even longer to condense into large enough particles to fall.
I don't see why you couldn't setup a system of filters and test to see the quality.
GOod luck!
oceansidefish
Active Member
While using rainwater sounds like a great idea I would caution you. It MAY work if it is extensively filtered. If you are in KY you are fairly close from anywhere to a mine, which kicks up all sorts of nasty things your fish may not like. I would stick with using RO/DI water since the only way to really find out whats in the water is to have it tested. Since its rainwater it would have to be tested everytime its collected, which would cost more than a years worth of water. The problem is the trace polutants that would slowly build up in your tank over time.
team2jndd
Active Member
Originally Posted by garnet13aj
I definitely see what people are saying about pollutants, but the rain is going to be different in different areas. So I would think if you let a bucket sit out there and collect some water, you could test it and see what's in it, if it seems to come out clear, that would be a good sign if nothing else.
no. Anything in the air that is smaller and light enough to be held in a droplet of water will not be seen by the human eye. Plenty of trace chemicals and materials can be found in rain water. The water will deffinately be different in some places. However, keep in mind how far a cloud can travel before it actually releases percipitation. And whoever said something about the rain cleaning pollutants from the atmosphere...
robert0862
Member
when i mix a new batch of saltwater. the pH is around 7.8 or 7.9. this water is from my RO. i have problems with pH and nitrates. i don't know what to do. i have thought about lake water too. every tang i buy has died. i pulled the latest one from the tank today. you can see it in my tank pic. its the blur in the center.
i"m lost. i don't know what to do..maybe go back freshwater.
rebelprettyboy
Active Member
Did u try the rain water?
robert0862
Member
bad idea. i can't get 15 gal per week. not enough rain. i tried. Oh well, what about spring water? i can get plenty of this..
misfit
Active Member
I would think if it was filtered beyond belief it could work.
I googled rain water purity and here what i got
Studies of the chemical composition of rainfall have been carried on for many years starting in late 1880s in the United States and in Europe. Rainwater collected in various parts of the USA contains (in milligrams per liter): Fe (0.015) , Ca (0.075-1.41), Mg (0.027-1.2), Na (0.22-9.4), Ca (0.075-1.41), K (0.072-0.11), HCO3 (4-7), SO4 0.7-7.6), Cl (0.22-17), NO2 (0.02), NO3 (0.02-0.62), and Total Dissolved Solids 8.2-38), and pH of 4.9 to 6.4. Although most of these concentrations fall within the safe limit prescribed by the US Environmental Protection Agency, some exceed safe drinking water limit.
from this site
http://www.eb2000.org/short_note_4.htm
I googled rain water purity and here what i got
Studies of the chemical composition of rainfall have been carried on for many years starting in late 1880s in the United States and in Europe. Rainwater collected in various parts of the USA contains (in milligrams per liter): Fe (0.015) , Ca (0.075-1.41), Mg (0.027-1.2), Na (0.22-9.4), Ca (0.075-1.41), K (0.072-0.11), HCO3 (4-7), SO4 0.7-7.6), Cl (0.22-17), NO2 (0.02), NO3 (0.02-0.62), and Total Dissolved Solids 8.2-38), and pH of 4.9 to 6.4. Although most of these concentrations fall within the safe limit prescribed by the US Environmental Protection Agency, some exceed safe drinking water limit.
from this site
http://www.eb2000.org/short_note_4.htm
anamilasti
Member
seroulsy, why wold you want to use rain water?
ur better off with tap water, and u said u have an ro unit??? im kina confused on ur thinking
and im not a pro but if u wnat my opinion get rid or ur hob filter, a refugium is the way to go with a reef, fish only it would be ok.
and just use ro water. no worries with that
ur better off with tap water, and u said u have an ro unit??? im kina confused on ur thinking
and im not a pro but if u wnat my opinion get rid or ur hob filter, a refugium is the way to go with a reef, fish only it would be ok.
and just use ro water. no worries with that
hobbes
Member
Originally Posted by anamilasti
seroulsy, why wold you want to use rain water?
ur better off with tap water, and u said u have an ro unit??? im kina confused on ur thinking
and im not a pro but if u wnat my opinion get rid or ur hob filter, a refugium is the way to go with a reef, fish only it would be ok.
and just use ro water. no worries with that
As he said when he started this thread, he goes through filters very quickly because his water is so bad in his area. I have the same problem.
Frankly I think it would be pretty cool to know how well it would work to use rain water.
seroulsy, why wold you want to use rain water?
ur better off with tap water, and u said u have an ro unit??? im kina confused on ur thinking
and im not a pro but if u wnat my opinion get rid or ur hob filter, a refugium is the way to go with a reef, fish only it would be ok.
and just use ro water. no worries with that
As he said when he started this thread, he goes through filters very quickly because his water is so bad in his area. I have the same problem.
Frankly I think it would be pretty cool to know how well it would work to use rain water.
spy231
Member
I looked into getting a system for my house that uses rain water for drinking water. Everything I found said that it needs to rain 10-15 min. before you start collecting water. That gives it time to get the pollutants out of the air and then you will start getting clean water. Then, even after that we would need to filter the water to make it safe for drinking. Sooo, my point is that if you are going to use rain water make sure you wait until most of the pollutants are out of the air and filter it.
robert0862
Member
My original thought was collecting rain water and forcing it thru my RO. I wish I could get a couple days of rain so I could try it. Not on the DT though. A friend of mine works at the water plant. They add alot of chemicals to treated water. How can rain water not be better. Its what mother nature uses. I know I can't use rain water for every water change. It don't rain that much.