Rain Water

[apistoguitarra]

I have heard that rain water can be used to lower PH as it tends to be slightly acidic. Is this safe? I was hoping that a drop in PH would promote fin growth in my cacs as well as provide favorable conditions for breeding. I know they are pretty lenient when it comes to water chemistry, but I've heard that lowering PH will sometimes spark the fire that they need to breed.

Thanks,
David

 

[alias]

hello,

yes its correct about rain water that its acidic. I use always a mix or just full rain water so. I don't no about the fin growth but I've got good result.
There are peolple who use demi-water to lower the ph or gh (or kh) but I use rainwater only. The mix depends of how acidic you're rain water is but I use fifty-fifty or less of one of the two.

Before you use rain water you beter go to a lab and test the water first. You never know if there are damaging components in the water.

good luck, alias

 

[cootwarm]

My gut feeling is that the quality of rain water is unpredictable and likely to be effected by air pollution. I use peat water to lower my pH and hardness. A day or two after making a water change, there is only a very slight yellow tint to the water.

My peat water is 4.5 pH, GH=2 and KH=1
My tap water is 7.4 pH, GH=8 and KH=4
I mix the 2 together to arrive at the values I desire.

Michael

 

[alias]

yes cootwarm rain water can be effected by air pollution thatswhy you must test it. I live in a non-industrie zone and it A oke. You said you use peat water but that is too unpredictable. It also can be effected with components who are in the ground. On the other side is very easy and good to use but there is not so much of a difference between peat and rain water. (Here at home I mean) You said that youre ph is 4.5°. Well thats because youre peat is polluted with leaves of threes and stuff. A peat must be cleaned on 2 or 3 years or even soner it depend of the pollution that comes in the peat with the water.

Grtz alias

 

[cootwarm]

Hi alias,

I'm not saying one way is better than another way. I just have more confidence that the peat moss is clean, than trusting the atmosphere to be clean. Testing for pollutants sounds expensive, not to mention, a pain in the neck!

I'm no expert, but I would have to disagree with you that the low pH in the peat water is caused by a few leaves and twigs that are present in the peat moss. The low pH is caused by the nature of the Sphagnum Peat Moss plant material. Much like pine needles will cause the soil beneath it to become acidy.

I mix my peat water using a 5 gallon bucket full of Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss to 25 or so gallons of my tap water. I let it soak and aeriate for a couple days and then skim off the floating peat and allow the suspended peat to settle for an hour or 2 before siphoning off the peat water.

True there is no garantee that the peat moss is 100% contaminant free. Even the great white north of Canada isn't immune from airborne pollution that is carried everywhere the wind blows, but I don't think I need to worry too much about it.

On the other hand, "acid rain" is mostly caused by industrial contaminants in the atmosphere. When rain first falls after a dry spell, often you can smell the pollution in the air as it's being forced to the ground by the falling rain. It's also noticable after a good rain that the air smells much fresher afterwards. But then, this could also be an effect of negative ions that were created by the falling rain. Negative ions are one reason the air smells much fresher near a waterfall.

I suppose the purity of rain water would depend on the collection method. If it was collected AFTER it was raining good and steady for at least 10 minutes allowing the air to be somewhat "scrubbed" before collecting. However if every drop was collected, there would probably be additional contaminants that were pulled from the air. Especially if the rainwater was collected from a roof in a rainbarrel, this water would contain additional contaminants that settled on the roof since the previous rain.

I guess the safest way to collect rain water would probably be after it had rained for awhile and collect it in a container or plastic sheet placed out in an open area.

Michael

 

[alias]

youre theorie could be correct cootwarm but here were I live there isn't any industrie in a radius of more then 10km. Its been tested in a laboratorium and its oke. I have a friend who uses peat water and when the peat is cleaned his ph is about 6°0. After a yeat its already becoming 5° so on the 2 years he gets into the peat and cleans it with a high pressure. My explenation was for me here in belgium. I think there is some comparison of peat and rain water values here and in other countrys but not all can be the same.
So I think you have to look different cases one at the time.

thank foor the good explenation and grtz alias

 

[Carcharodon]

Where I live in NY state there's no huge industry in the area, but that doesn't stop the pollution from Chicago from soaking straight into our atmosphere. And the acidity of the rain in the Adirondacks is bad enough that we have lakes that are too acidic to hold any fish.

 

[alias]

Could be but I think that were I live you could not compare that with youres. I live at seas and airpolution is almost nothing. We don't know so much industrie as NY and stuff. We have not so many cars, industrie, enz. just a nice breeze from the sea and ya off course there is polution but you live in a big city and giant here is mini were you live.

grtz alias

 

[Carcharodon]

I said in NY state. I don't live in the city of NY.

I wasn't trying to advocate any particular view- I was just pointing out that it doesn't matter if your local area is industrious or not because most of your pollution will be from places very far away. It gets shot up into the atmosphere there and then comes down on you.

However, if your entire country is industry-free or something of that sort, I imagine you wouldn't have to worry quite as much..

 

[alias]

agreed :lol:

grtz alias