FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Looks like a rain barrel is the best option for me. Anyone have a suggestion on a preferred rain barrel? Easy to to clean and etc.


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Not a specific brand, but dark to block the light so algae won't grow. One with a spigot to easily drain it. And make sure there is some sort of screen to keep debris and mosquitoes out.

One note about the color of the rain barrel. A dark color discourages algae growth, but if the barrel sits in the sun, the water will heat up during the summer. I have two 60-gallon / 227-liter barrels in dark green, and sunlight hits them from dawn until 1 PM. Two weeks ago, after I finished mowing the lawn, I put my hand on top of one and found that it was uncomfortably hot. My infrared thermometer said the lid was 150°F / 65°C. That heat gets transferred inside: in July and August, the water at the top will heat up to 110°F / 43°C. That isn't a water temperature that I want to put on my plants. I have to mix the water from bottom to top to cool it down to something less ridiculous. I'm planning to make a couple sunshades that I can put around and over the barrels to keep the water cooler during warm weather.

^^^^ Very good point.
I've heard the blue ones are good all around, but difficult to come by. I've seen tan ones at Sam's Club that also look like they'd fit the bill, but they're smaller.

Mine was translucent white, so I spray painted it over with a sandy/khaki color. Haven't had any issues with either heat or algae growth that way, though you can't see the water level without looking in the top now. Still worth it to me though since it only takes ~1" of rain to fill it from empty, so I almost never get it below half full anyway.

I have the side of a building in the back lined with tubs. I pick them up at yard sales for almost nothing. The plants keep the water clean.

It has not rain in some time.

optique wrote: ↑Sun May 08, 2022 5:53 pm I have the side of a building in the back lined with tubs. I pick them up at yard sales for almost nothing. The plants keep the water clean.

What about mosquitoes? Those tubs are prime breeding grounds.

1/4th of a dunk every month, I tried Betta fish but they got washed out in the hard rains =(


I was planning on trying Variatus platties this year, they might not try to stay at the top in a storm.

It will sit in the shade till about 3pm in the afternoon. I will go with a dark one. Any preferred model?


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optique wrote: ↑Sun May 08, 2022 6:08 pm I was planning on trying Variatus platties this year, they might not try to stay at the top in a storm.

If you want something that's cold-hardy and don't care about bland colors, take a look at the Eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki):

You can get them at a local pond or lake.

Variatus are happy in the 60's and should be fine.