go here Gary... as you will have noticed you won't get much of a reply here anymore

Not that anyone didn't want to reply. But this site has fallen in to dis-repair that I have to login four or five times to get it to work. That kind of kill off all the need to post.
Also, it's extremely tire some to spend 5 minutes typing up the quick reply and when you punch the submit button, it deletes everything and ask you to login. Then, there is the anoying left side bars that makes you have to scroll to the right to read the entire post ....

Why is this site so dead? Is it the new user interface or a lack of interesting post? Some say black ninja scared many from posting but we all know he is banned so what is the reason for this? What are the moderators doing to generate some excitement? BTW rainwater is good for fish but you don't get it year round.

Actually, I did type up a reply to your question. But like I said, after I push the submit button, everything got deleted.
Typing it again, I used to have a pond up and rainwater is great. I didn't have to top up from the tap and they fish are fine. Endlers are breeding like crazy.
However, I would be reluctant to collect water from the eavestrout as they are run off from the tar shingles. I don't know what kinds of containants are in there.
Also, leaving a bucket of water out door will grow moskitoes. That is a problem as you neighbor can complain on you. We are not supposed to leave a pool of water unfiltered.

Both rainwater and mosquito lava are good for fish. Use a straining filter to keep out the debris and the water is good to go. If you are using Canadian shingles they will not contaminate the water.

quote by justintime: Both rainwater and mosquito lava are good for fish. Use a straining filter to keep out the debris and the water is good to go. If you are using Canadian shingles they will not contaminate the water.

Why is that?  It's just more tar.  Most of them are oil base, I am pretty sure something is leeching from them.  I think there is another type that's a bit more expensive that is not oil base.  But from the sales guy who did my roof 2 summers ago.  The most commonly used one is still the oil base shingles.

It takes high temperatures to separate the oil from the tar compound in shingles. Rain tends to lower the temperature and causes a reverse effect. Oil is bad for plants too but the down sprouts all direct the rain water to the lawns etc and don't effect the plants. As for the toxic elements in those compounds an extra bit of precaution would be to keep those carbon filters active.

quote by psyfish: go here Gary... as you will have noticed you won't get much of a reply here anymore

Thanks for the pointer psyfish. I checked the site and it was live and active. Wonder how many PN members know of the site? It is called GTA Aquaria Forum.

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Yes collect rain water in gta is safe enough I use clean garbage container ,reverse top, drill some holes for water to go through...you don't need a drill a nail and hammer on plastic container will do the trick...after rain is collected disgard any floating leaves or twigs( if you make many smaller holes as opposed to a few big ones you'll have less debris to worry about...I usually do 30 gal batches so I pour the rainwater into the tank and filter it with a regular carbon filter for about 24 hrs...test the water and you will see the results are virtually no toxins or salts with a bout 6.5-7.0 ph and for people who breed discus it's the difference of the salts missing and the lower ph that helps the eggs be permeated...give it a try it works well with all Amazonian cichlids,characins,anatabids and brackish titrating species. It is also a great way to conserve water and do your part for the eco systems that sustain our favorite fishes.It is a lot less hassle than an r/o unit.