# Why every fish keeper should have.......



## mort (7 May 2020)

.................a water butt. Not only are they a great source of water change water but you can get a decent amount of live food without any effort at all.

This is a couple of dunked watering cans full decanted into a little tub. Should keep the fish happy for a day or two.


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## jaypeecee (7 May 2020)

Hi @mort 

Looks good! Is that Bloodworm and Daphnia? And what are the two creatures at the upper meniscus on the second photo? They look like tiny tadpoles.

JPC


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## Sammy Islam (7 May 2020)

I've been thinking about using rainwater to cut with my tap water to reduce the ph a little.
1) Do you collect the rain water from guttering into a butt?
2) did you add something to the butt the culture them inside or did you use a different container? Or just naturally occuring?
3) probably a stupid question but how do you use the water for water changes if its full of organisms? 

Thanks


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## castle (7 May 2020)

Sammy Islam said:


> I've been thinking about using rainwater to cut with my tap water to reduce the ph a little.
> 1) Do you collect the rain water from guttering into a butt?
> 2) did you add something to the butt the culture them inside or did you use a different container? Or just naturally occuring?
> 3) probably a stupid question but how do you use the water for water changes if its full of organisms?
> ...



Water isn't full of organisms, they're strained out  Additionally, most of the year the water doesn't have such a high density, but spring/summer is their peak. They'll find their own way in there very quickly  but you can add bags from the aquarium store and Daphnia will multiply. 

Guttering water > butt. Simple system, works wonders.


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## mort (8 May 2020)

jaypeecee said:


> Hi @mort
> 
> Looks good! Is that Bloodworm and Daphnia? And what are the two creatures at the upper meniscus on the second photo? They look like tiny tadpoles.
> 
> JPC



There's pretty much just bloodworm and Daphnia in there. I think the other bits and bobs are just floating debris.


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## mort (8 May 2020)

Sammy Islam said:


> I've been thinking about using rainwater to cut with my tap water to reduce the ph a little.
> 1) Do you collect the rain water from guttering into a butt?
> 2) did you add something to the butt the culture them inside or did you use a different container? Or just naturally occuring?
> 3) probably a stupid question but how do you use the water for water changes if its full of organisms?
> ...



Castle has pretty much summed it up. This is just a water butt we have down the allotment fed via a shed roof. It's been setup for years and nothing was ever added to it apart from a few leaves that naturally blew in, life just finds a way as they say. We have other butts that are overrun by seed shrimp but the fish aren't so keep on them but they will be full of mosquito larvae soon and the fish do like those.

I have a set of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hobby-Artemia-Sieve-Combination-Set/dp/B001B8RW38 and just run the water through them. The fish won't care if you add free food during a water change however. The good thing about the sieves is they can separate large daphnia and food items for small one so I can give the smaller ones to the smaller fish.


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## EA James (8 May 2020)

I don't have a water butt, would a bucket work or will it be too small and stagnate? 
I'd like to try and harvest my own live food
Cheers


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## dw1305 (8 May 2020)

Hi all, 





Sammy Islam said:


> rainwater to cut with my tap water to reduce the ph a little.


It won't have <"much effect on the pH">, but it will reduce conductivity and hardness. 





castle said:


> Guttering water > butt. Simple system, works wonders.


That one. 





mort said:


> The fish won't care if you add free food during a water change however.


Definitely a "perk" and Daphnia also give you an <"indication of water quality">. 





mort said:


> just bloodworm and Daphnia in there


Blood-worm, Glass-worm and Mosquito larvae are all Mosquito larvae, so the female can fly to find new "ponds". 

Daphnia and Seed Shrimp (Ostracods) can form <"persistent resting cysts">, which blow around in the dust etc, and colonise new ponds that way.

cheers Darrel


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## mort (8 May 2020)

There are some larvae that look like smaller, thinner, blacker bloodworm, I'm not really sure what they are. They look like the black mossy larvae but completely straight but crawl and don't have the bobbing action. Not sure if they are just part of the life cycle of something I do know or if they are a individual species in themselves. Any ideas?


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## hypnogogia (8 May 2020)

Do you filter the water over carbon or does it go straight into the tank?  I’ve started using rain water recently and it’s slightly brown.  The tank clears up overnight as I have purigen in the filter, but I do worry that it will depe,to the purigen sooner than necessary.


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## dw1305 (8 May 2020)

Hi all,





mort said:


> There are some larvae that look like smaller, thinner, blacker bloodworm, I'm not really sure what they are. They look like the black mossy larvae but completely straight but crawl and don't have the bobbing action. Not sure if they are just part of the life cycle of something I do know or if they are a individual species in themselves. Any ideas?


They are another type of midge larvae. 

cheers Darrel


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## mort (8 May 2020)

hypnogogia said:


> Do you filter the water over carbon or does it go straight into the tank?  I’ve started using rain water recently and it’s slightly brown.  The tank clears up overnight as I have purigen in the filter, but I do worry that it will depe,to the purigen sooner than necessary.



I don't but I don't really do very large water changes and my tanks run with slightly tannin stained water. If you are running purigen and like the crystal clear water then I'd probably use some carbon. I probably should do more preparation to be on the safe side but I haven't seen any problems but in norwich (often described as the a#se end of knowhere) so don't have as much city pollution to worry about.


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## castle (8 May 2020)

mort said:


> (often described as the a#se end of knowhere)


I'm from Norwich, it truly is in the a*** end of nowhere, but it's nice. Water is a bit 'ard though. I've never known much in the way of pollutants in the rain water.


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## sparkyweasel (8 May 2020)

EA James said:


> I don't have a water butt, would a bucket work or will it be too small and stagnate?
> I'd like to try and harvest my own live food
> Cheers


A bucket would get you some, but a giant bucket like this;
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rutland-...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
would be better, and you could put a few plants in it too if you like. A few marginal plants would make it a water feature instead of just a plastic tub in the garden..


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## EA James (8 May 2020)

sparkyweasel said:


> A few marginal plants would make it a water feature instead of just a plastic tub in the garden.


Great idea! Thank you


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