Old Aquarium Water To Water Your Garden?

[poconoboss]

While doing a water change yesterday and vacumming up the debris off the substrate I thought about this.

If the "dirty" water contains fecal and organic waste, wouldn't it be sort of like fertilizer?

Rather than wasting the water, could it be used to water my garden? Any thoughts?

 

[cheesy feet]

Goes on the garden anyway, but I can't say the plants grow any faster.

 

[ryanp15]

its a good idea to save water for watering plants but I have no idea about the fertiliser thing

 

[Rooster]

Mine always goes over the garden... not noticed any mutant plants yet ! (nothings died either... so I say it IS eco friendly)

 

[sykogngsta]

I use my fish water after water changes to water my garden also. It doesnt seem to hurt the plants at all sine they are growing fine. Im not sure if it makes them grow faster or anything. I would think taht it would sort of work as a fertilizer since it has all the waste in it...

 

[Cory_Dad]

Be careful.

I'd think it would be fine for grass, trees and flowers but I certainly would NOT use it for a vegetable garden or anything that will be eaten.

That's just my opinion until proven otherwise.

 

[waterdrop]

Be careful.

I'd think it would be fine for grass, trees and flowers but I certainly would NOT use it for a vegetable garden or anything that will be eaten.

That's just my opinion until proven otherwise.

I think its great to use the water outdoors.

Probably Cory_Dad's caution wouldn't hurt, there being probably plenty of flowers, trees and grass to be watered. Of course we are probably underestimating the power of sun, fresh air and soil to take care of any problems, but who wants to put the time into checking into worries like these..

 

[Rooster]

Be careful.

I'd think it would be fine for grass, trees and flowers but I certainly would NOT use it for a vegetable garden or anything that will be eaten.

That's just my opinion until proven otherwise.

Interested to know why ? Folk are happy enough to eat food with god knows what chemicals on them/in them, not to mention horse manure etc... !!!

 

[Cory_Dad]

It isn't just the chemicals.

Is it safe to drink swamp water? Since the aquarium water isn't chlorinated there may be all kinds of bacteria/protozoa/fungus/etc. in the water. How that affects a vegetable garden and it's transfer to humans I don't know, but I don't want to be the one that finds out.

Unless there is documented scientific evidence to the contrary, I'm sticking to my story.

Just call me a chicken $&!^

 

[Lateral Line]

"Organic" produce is fertilised with pig and chicken "manure". I think you'll find that such material is full of bacteria, protozoans and fungii. Since pigs are mammals, it is far more likely that produce from organic farms is contaminated with pathogens suitable for other mammalian hosts, like humans. Yet I don't see health warnings on organic produce.

My tank syphonings have been used in the garden for decades.

 

[kj23502]

I've thought about this, but I hesitate. What about high PH and hard water? I have cichlids in my tank and I keep the water that way. Will that harm the garden plants? I'd rather ask than try it, I guess! I could try it on a couple and see how it seems to affect them, if at all!

 

[Cory_Dad]

"Organic" produce is fertilised with pig and chicken "manure". I think you'll find that such material is full of bacteria, protozoans and fungii. Since pigs are mammals, it is far more likely that produce from organic farms is contaminated with pathogens suitable for other mammalian hosts, like humans. Yet I don't see health warnings on organic produce.

My tank syphonings have been used in the garden for decades.

I see what you mean. And I suppose it also depends on the timing, that is, early in the growing season or just before harvest. I found this comment at [URL="http/www.practical-pet-care.com/article_view.php?ver=33"]http/www.practical-pet-care.com/article_view.php?ver=33[/URL]

Can you catch an Illness from your fish?

The good news is, probably not. Some sources indicate that there are no diseases that humans can contract from fish, others claim that some forms of Tuberculosis may be communicable. Just to be on the safe side, avoid drinking tank water and don't expose an open wound to tank water.

It 's the 'probably not' that catches my attention.

 

[Egmel]

I have been using it on my pot plants ever since I got my tank 18 months ago. I only don't use it if I've had to medicate the tank.

If you have high nitrates then this will help the plants produce more leaves, however I would avoid using it on fruit and veg as they're better off with a more mixed fertiliser which encourages all round growth.

If you have hard tank water then avoid using it on acid loving plants, e.g. azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, blueberry and cranberry bushes, but if the alternative is your hard tap water then it's probably just as good.

As for the getting random illnesses bit, I'm inclined to say that I'm more likely to catch something new from all the students coming back onto campus after the holidays than from tank water that I've been putting my arms into for the last 18 months... but then again I've always held the opinion that a well trained immune system is a healthy one so let's not molly coddle it too much!

 

[connorsbala]

I use all my FW tank water for theplants...obviously not my saltwater!

 

[kewskills]

Well i put all my water from my tanks on my garden even from the brakish tanks, and the grass looks fine to me.