freshwater aquarium water for your garden?

[product85]

I was doing some routine maint on the aquarium this afternoon and as i was dumping out the water i was wondering if the nitrogen and other fish waste would be beneficial to the soil and the plant life in my garden? Any thoughts?

My instinct says yes but so long as there are no treatment chemicals in the water as well.

[LICountryBoy]

Being a long time fish keeper and gardener I can say, I do it all the time.

It does seem to work pretty well.
As you said, just make sure there are no harmful chemicals in the water, you really shouldn't be putting harmful
chemicals in your aquarium anyway as they would most likely be harmful to the fish.

The exception might be medications, In that case I would be safe and wait a couple of
water changes before using it on plants you intend to eat.

I have also used aquarium water in my compost tumbler to moisten the compost.
The extra collects in the bottom as compost tea.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[“Mark”]

Fish also make excellent fertilizer themselves if you can stand the smell

[Mr. Bill]

I did manage to kill some houseplants once by putting aquarium water on them.  I'd say it depends on exactly what is in your water, and what sorts of plants you put it on.  It would probably be best to experiment on a few plants you can afford to lose, just in case.

Fish also make excellent fertilizer themselves if you can stand the smell

I buried a favorite angelfish in the bottom of a big pot that currently has tomatoes and pole beans growing in it.  So I'll be eating him (indirectly) later this year.

[Hare of Caerbannog]

HAMLET
A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a
king, and catch of the fish that hath fed of that worm .

KING CLAUDIUS
What dost thou mean by this?

HAMLET
Nothing but to show how a king may go a
progress through the guts of a beggar.


Its the REAL circle of life minuse the happy Disney part.

[creuzerm]

I'd be happy using un-medicated aquarium water on a garden. I'd be concerned about using it for houseplants because you can concentrate the minerals in the water over time.

The water evaporates of the tank, and you top it up, and thus, you concentrate the water minerals. This is a long term concern, potted citrus, ect. You do this on pots that are only going to using that soil for a few years, no worries.

[nocturnal]

The reason for changing aquarium water is to remove the high concentration of ammonia, which will burn fish fins. If you have not changed the water in more than a couple of months the concentration may burn roots if not diluted 50/50 with fresh water. That's why I would not use it for indoor houseplants. Though that's a good natural fertilizer for a garden.