Rain Water

As tap water has so many added elements and chemicals these days , what are some peoples views on using water to set up tanks and refill them from a source such as the collection from run off of a greenhouse?
Never really read anything about this online or in books , any thoughts on why this could be detrimental to an axolotl or any hazards to consider even if it is collected in a clean container ?
Obviously cycling and filtering would continue to play a part.

Will be interesting to see comments on this !

There will be an abundance of near-microscopic dust, soil, seed and other debris (just check your guttering for proof!) so some form of superfine filtering before adding to your axy tank might be useful. Also, worth bearing in mind that rain water will be soft. On balance, if you have such a supply then I think it's worth trying.

[I've never done it though so my opinion is nothing more than that...]

The one thing I would be worried about with water condensed in a green house would be traces of fertilizers and pesticides that may buildup in the tank water.

Another thing to consider about rain water and other waters formed through condensation is they have virtually zero minerals. This means no benefits from trace minerals in the water, possible osmotic stress on newts/axolotls and acidic, poorly buffered water that may have large, frequent pH shifts. This water is excellent for replacing evaporated water and it can also be buffered pretty easily which keeps pH stable.

I would say as long as the tap water in your area is fit for human consumption it should be fine for animals. The water from your tap may also be more consistent than rain water, especially if you buffer it yourself. The only chemical added at water treatment plants is either chlorine or chloramine which can be easily removed with a third safe chemical. Water plants have to test for the amounts of volatile organics (the nasty compounds) in their water so these levels should be very close to near zero.

As our water contains high nitrates I have taken to doing alternate water changes with dechlorinated tap water and water butt water ( runs off the shed roof) This is as said earlier is soft but I got a bag of bird grit that now sits in the bottom ( I do check ph from time to time) . Since I have used this I do tend to get more interesting beasties in the tank, but having checked each new one these cause little problem. The axolotl tank readings are far better since I started doing this . The biggest problem I had however was when my hubby had the overwhelming urge to creosote the shed and was a little to zealous and some spattered into the gutter, which I then replaced just in case any residue remained.

The answer to this depends heavily on one's particular sources of drinking water and rain water. Rain water is not always so "pure", something I learned from analyzing it for stuff like plutonium -- even in the remote north woods of Canada, there are detectable traces. Not that particular example is something to worry about. I would think the greatest concerns with rainwater are those stated above: lack of minerals, abundance of microdust and perhaps microbes, and possibly low pH.

Drinking water, however, does have its own potential hazards. One new one for those drawing drinking water from a river, lake, or other source that is downstream of other users, is endocrine disruptors. All the medications we take (e.g. estrogen) end up in the sewage, and thence usually someone else's drinking water. In the words of Tom Lehrer, "The breakfast garbage that you throw into the Bay the drink at lunch in San Jose). Still, I doubt if these are building up in your tank. Nitrates are probably a more serious issue, and are a real drinking water quality problem in the midwest US and other agricultural areas.

I'm lucky, as our little mountain town in northern New Mexico gets is drinking water from old groundwater. It's too old to have any human influence (no plutonium, no endocrine disruptors, no nitrates). All the treatment it gets is a bit of chlorine to keep it clean in the system. A water source like this is rare, however, and will not be the norm.

In the end, it's all about water quality. Check for pH, alkalinity, nitrates, and just keep changing it out.

Abrahm said:

The one thing I would be worried about with water condensed in a green house would be traces of fertilizers and pesticides that may buildup in the tank water.

Another thing to consider about rain water and other waters formed through condensation is they have virtually zero minerals. This means no benefits from trace minerals in the water, possible osmotic stress on newts/axolotls and acidic, poorly buffered water that may have large, frequent pH shifts. This water is excellent for replacing evaporated water and it can also be buffered pretty easily which keeps pH stable.

I would say as long as the tap water in your area is fit for human consumption it should be fine for animals. The water from your tap may also be more consistent than rain water, especially if you buffer it yourself. The only chemical added at water treatment plants is either chlorine or chloramine which can be easily removed with a third safe chemical. Water plants have to test for the amounts of volatile organics (the nasty compounds) in their water so these levels should be very close to near zero.

Click to expand...

Well it isn't the condensed water it would be the water that runs off from the drains on the roof of the green house after rain and besides our greenhouse is organic so contains no pesticides!
But i do agree with you comment on the consistant quality of the rain water not really being that of the tap water necessarily.

I use bore water (aquafer under the ground) for my tank, scheme water here is nasty.. and if we are running aplenty we use rainwater..... our bore is purer than any springwater on sale, no chemicals watsoever, and our rainwater is the same. we have had it all tested... It gets done once every two weeks to ensure the integrity of the water...

Quetzalcoatl pretty much made it clear - it depends on where you live. Foxy, in your case the water's going to be pretty good unless you're downwind of a coal-burning power station (and you wouldn't have to be close). Rain water that falls on Ireland the the Western side of Britain is some of the purest in the world. The further east you go in Europe the further downhill it goes. I would say in your case go for it.

In Casaloxl's case, if you live where I think you live then from what I've heard there are great concerns that that huge aquifer is not going to last forever at the current rate of consumption.

we are on a separate one, We are the only ones to access this particular supply.....we are way too far out for it to be of economic use to plunder! plus we have about 2 or 3 seperate ones under us at different levels,

I know this is quite an old post, but I am keen to hear from any of you in this thread if still about.
We are looking to possibly purchase a house where the only supply of water is from a rainwater tank. I am concerned about how this will affect my axie. Has anyone had experience with this? Is there a way for the water to be suitable? Would buying bottled water for water changes be more appropriate?

If it's risky I won't consider it and will try to purchase somewhere with town water.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated....

Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans uses rainwater for many of their amphibians. One of the keepers there told me the tap water isn't fit for amphibians. I think using rain water for axolotls would be fine at most locations. I would add minerals like noniodized salt, ro right, or Hoftretters solution for axolotls.

i use some big plastic bins to collect rain water, which i put in my ambystoma tigrinum's water dish, and i also use the water to spray his cage.

Rain water is very soft, and aquariums with soft water tend to become acidic over time. Be sure to check the pH every couple of weeks. Adding a mineral supplement like "RO right", as Michael suggested, would be a good idea.

I use rainwater for my soft water critters, however it depends on the time of year. As stated before, it depends on how the wind is blowing. I still run a filter system in my rain reservoirs and test them often. It is shocking how much time of year and location can affect the water.