@"bédé" - as a former keen aquarist I do know a little about this. Tapwater is fine for reasonably hardy fish like goldfish or guppies, but the chlorine in tapwater can interfere with bacterial filtration (nitrogen cycling) and even if you let it sit for 1-2 days to dechlorinate by itself then metals and other dissolved chemicals can still accumulate over time.. definitely a no-no for more sensitive fish. And phosphates in tapwater can promote excessive algae growth.
As for a wildlife pond like mine, I confess I have no idea whether tapwater topping-up is detrimental, so I prefer to err on the side of caution - £20 for a bottle of product which treats 9,000 litres of water and will last for a few years is small price to pay if it turns out to be unnecessary.
I had to top up my pond on Wednesday. It had dropped by a good six inches.
I just used the hose on the rainwater setting and pointed it up so it fell down. I’m guessing it may have aerated the water but I’m no scientist. I often just make stuff up haha
@jennyj I have been thinking about a water syphon but truthfully, are they difficult to set up? Limited D.I.Y and technical skills here! Is there a particularly simple system for people like me?!
Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus
I give my newly planted annuals and perennials water, but don’t water established plants. Last year, it worked well to give the garden once a month a longer shower.
Our rain is currently in Spain coming down. No fear of drought down there. There will be a change in the pattern at the end of next week when a Low in the height of the Spanish/French line will come into our direction. It will not reach us, but it’s a sign that the Height to the west of Scotland moves towards north above Scotland. Hopefully we get soon our weather from the south rather than Greenland where the rain comes down as snow. But this might take a while.
@MikeOxgreen - I learned my lesson last year on rationing how I use stored winter water (last year my 2 water butts were empty by May). I doubled-up and installed another 2 water butts this winter, ditched the rainwater-hungry carnivorous plants, and now I only use rainwater on lime-hating plants like rhododendron, magnolias, succulents, lemons and my potted acer.
Everything else has to make do with tapwater. And for topping up my pond I bought a product that makes tapwater safe for aquariums, instead of depleting my water butts.
It's early days for us here, we're only on our second full Summer in this harsh climate with some plants so still a lot of building up to do and learning. I'll probably fight it some more, before giving up and doing the sensible thing by adapting - like you!
@borgadr Have you checked your local tap water quality report? I think all water companies have to publish a detailed analysis of their water quality. Our's provides analysis for 85 different chemical contaminents, both natural and manmade.
Looking at the weather forecasts it looks like we won’t be seeing any rain for the next 10 days which will mean nearly 40 days without a proper downpour!!!
I’m aware we’re in the rain shadow of the North Pennines here but this seems really abnormal.
I think I’ll have a look at the Water Situation Report…..
Would have hoped we're a long way off a hosepipe ban. The drought started much earlier last year (March, aside 2 wet days in early April) and this winter was much wetter than the last one.
Easy peasy @clematisdorset . The only DIY was putting a couple of big hooks into the wall below the bathroom window to hang the hose on so I can reach out and pull the end into the bathroom. I'll try to remember to take an action photo tonight.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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When I had an aquatrium, I also topped up with tapwater.
Beware companies making money from you with un-needed products.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
As for a wildlife pond like mine, I confess I have no idea whether tapwater topping-up is detrimental, so I prefer to err on the side of caution - £20 for a bottle of product which treats 9,000 litres of water and will last for a few years is small price to pay if it turns out to be unnecessary.
I ♥ my garden.