Rain Water as Good as Bottled?

[Brie]

I use bottled spring water for my water changes, its cheap but not as cheap as the puddles and snow drifts outside. Can I use em?

 

[petlover516]

I would recommend not. if its acid rain, it could stress out your salamander!

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Extreme caution in the use of rainwater is necessary. In the case of keeping caudates the real issue is water hardness. Rain and snow is very soft water and lacks the dissolved minerals most caudates need to remain healthy. (There ARE exceptions, but they are species specific and rarely kept by the hobbyist!)

The risk of contamination in rainwater is very very high in most areas, especially in The Central Plains of North America and in any urban area. Additionally, in many locales it is against the law to collect rainwater.

Snow is inherently dangerous to melt and use in the home as a snowflake forms around a minute piece of particulate matter. The risk of concentrating pollutants is very high.

 

[michael]

I think it is important to learn more about your tap water. Often dechlorinated tap water is just as good as any other readily available water. In certain areas tap water is not acceptable (e.g. New Orleans). Learn the acceptability of your tap water and go from there. My dechlorinated tap water works fine for my salamanders and is all I use.

 

[himynameiszck]

I would recommend buying a Brita or PUR tap water filter. It might end up being cheaper than bottled water, and is just as safe. It's better for the environment too. :happy:

 

[Abrahm]

I would recommend buying a Brita or PUR tap water filter. It might end up being cheaper than bottled water, and is just as safe. It's better for the environment too. :happy:

I don't think you need to even go to this extreme. As Michael said above the majority of the tap water available in first world countries is perfectly safe for amphibian use if it has been dechlorinated.

As others have mentioned straight rain water can be hard to use because of its low dissolved mineral/salt content and snow is dangerous because of the material that the snow flake forms around.

 

[himynameiszck]

I don't think you need to even go to this extreme. As Michael said above the majority of the tap water available in first world countries is perfectly safe for amphibian use if it has been dechlorinated.

You're probably right, but if the tap water does turn out to be dirty then it's another option to consider.