Using fish tank water for your grow?

[JohnnyDavidson420]

What are your views on using fish tank water for your cannabis plants? I have a mature fish tank (about 9 years old). The water that I take out of my tank on a weekly basis sits at a steady Ph, as well as being completely free from chlorine, chloramine, and heavy metal particles. The only present variable is the level of plant food in the water- produced by the biological filter (I've heard this gives the plants a good kick, as well as being a much more natural approach). Do any of you guys have experience with this? Any feedback would be much appreciated

 

[Vegan4life]

It is called "Aquaponics" . A buddy of mine has a Aquaponic garden, with bass in his fish pond. It works well.

 

[Emilya Green]

I run saltwater, and that is a definite no.

Freshwater is ok for veg, the nastier the better, but bloom stage will not like it. I also dont want to smoke that chemical that dechlorinates, so I would not use it during bloom for that reason too.

 

[Phytoplankton]

I used to have numerous aquariums and I would occasionally “vacuum” the gravel with a siphon/tube, the waste water was collected in a bucket and I used it to water plants. It certainly never caused any issues, and it may have added a little fertilizer for the microbes. I would think it would be mostly beneficial in a organic or at least a soil grow. Keep a close eye on the ph, mine used to drop into the mid 5’s, but I had lots of natural plants in the tank (I mostly raised angelfish and discus).

 

[JohnnyDavidson420]

I used to have numerous aquariums and I would occasionally “vacuum” the gravel with a siphon/tube, the waste water was collected in a bucket and I used it to water plants. It certainly never caused any issues, and it may have added a little fertilizer for the microbes. I would think it would be mostly beneficial in a organic or at least a soil grow. Keep a close eye on the ph, mine used to drop into the mid 5’s, but I had lots of natural plants in the tank (I mostly raised angelfish and discus).

I used to have the same issue- I put crushed coral in the tank. The Ph has sat steady ever since. I should do the next grow purely on tank water and see how it turns out.
It's organic soil so it seems like the best approach.

 

[JohnnyDavidson420]

I run saltwater, and that is a definite no.

Freshwater is ok for veg, the nastier the better, but bloom stage will not like it. I also dont want to smoke that chemical that dechlorinates, so I would not use it during bloom for that reason too.

Thanks man. It's tropical fresh water. I'll keep it to the veg phase and see how I get on.

 

[SmokingWings]

It just so happens that I looked through the website for SeaChem, the makers of a Chlorine and Chloramine remover called Prime (liquid) or Safe (powder) that is very popular for use in aquariums.

The active ingredients of either product removes the chlorine and chloramine by bonding with them and then the filtration system traps the bonded compound in the filter material. Same with heavy metals. The Safe or Prime will bond with the metals and the filters trap it. The most important filter material being the charcoal.

If I remember right, any of the unused compounds breakdown in approximately 3 days after being put in the water and are also trapped by the filtering material.

The end result is that the water will not have the chlorine, chloramine or heavy metals after a few days and as long as the filter material is properly rinsed before re-use or thrown out in the trash there should be no problem with using the aquarium water after any water changes.

Most likely there are more traces of heavy metals and other 'possibly' undesirable materials that are added back into the root zone by the very fertilizers and nutrient mixes being used to feed the plants whether they are grown organically or non-organic. Plus, the aquarium water will have fewer or lower levels of heavy metals than water that is not treated.

After all that I want to say that I do not know how or what is involved with other brands or types of materials used for removing chlorine & chloramine and/or heavy metals from water whether they are for aquariums or backyard Koi ponds nor have I looked them up or otherwise researched them.

 

[JohnnyDavidson420]

Thanks for the feedback man. Yeah- Seachem Prime. This is an excellent product and I've used it for year's. The only other product I put in the water is Seachem(stability) I only use this after cleaning out the filter. I'm looking forward to experimenting and comparing the outcome. I've grown a beautiful glookies plant. Planning on growing cuttings from the same plant with aquarium water instead then comparing the difference.

 

[SmokingWings]

What are your views on using fish tank water for your cannabis plants?

As to your question, my view is that the choline & chloramine remover is OK in the water removed during a change of freshwater aquariums.

As for anything in the water helping a Cannabis plant I do not think that there is enough unless there are more nutrients are being added to the tank. "Enough" as in there are more in the tank water than any of the water plants can use. Plus they are mostly nitrates and nitrites as far as I know and should not be relied on as a source of nutrients for our land grown plants.

What might help our plants are micro-organisms that will be able to break down organic matter in the soils we use and make those nutrients available to the root systems.

 

[JohnnyDavidson420]

As to your question, my view is that the choline & chloramine remover is OK in the water removed during a change of freshwater aquariums.

As for anything in the water helping a Cannabis plant I do not think that there is enough unless there are more nutrients are being added to the tank. "Enough" as in there are more in the tank water than any of the water plants can use. Plus they are mostly nitrates and nitrites as far as I know and should not be relied on as a source of nutrients for our land grown plants.

What might help our plants are micro-organisms that will be able to break down organic matter in the soils we use and make those nutrients available to the root systems.

My tank water never has nitrites present (that's too toxic for fish/plants). The nitrate levels are pretty high (probably a lot of plant food in there) my house plants seem to thrive more with fish tank water, hence my curiosity to try it with cannabis plants. I think you're probably right though- there's unlikely enough nutrients in the water. I don't want to add too many nutrients and overdo it either though.

 

[Virgin Ground]

It just so happens that I looked through the website for SeaChem, the makers of a Chlorine and Chloramine remover called Prime (liquid) or Safe (powder) that is very popular for use in aquariums.

The active ingredients of either product removes the chlorine and chloramine by bonding with them and then the filtration system traps the bonded compound in the filter material. Same with heavy metals. The Safe or Prime will bond with the metals and the filters trap it. The most important filter material being the charcoal.

If I remember right, any of the unused compounds breakdown in approximately 3 days after being put in the water and are also trapped by the filtering material.

The end result is that the water will not have the chlorine, chloramine or heavy metals after a few days and as long as the filter material is properly rinsed before re-use or thrown out in the trash there should be no problem with using the aquarium water after any water changes.

Most likely there are more traces of heavy metals and other 'possibly' undesirable materials that are added back into the root zone by the very fertilizers and nutrient mixes being used to feed the plants whether they are grown organically or non-organic. Plus, the aquarium water will have fewer or lower levels of heavy metals than water that is not treated.

After all that I want to say that I do not know how or what is involved with other brands or types of materials used for removing chlorine & chloramine and/or heavy metals from water whether they are for aquariums or backyard Koi ponds nor have I looked them up or otherwise researched them.

Please don't use Seachem Prime to dechlorinate water for edible/smokeable plants.

It's not approved for anything other than ornamental plants and fish per the MSDS.

Vitamin C powder works great to dechlorinate for aquariums and edible plants and is more economical.
Aquaponics folks stay away from Prime and use Vit C.

 

[Sativa1970]

My grow room is DWC but I use an aquaponics system to maintain a 200gal fish tank. First you do not want to use fish water unless you are in soil. Aquaponics is a living system and hydroponics is a sterile system so they do not mix. Fish release ammonium nitrate as waste. This is toxic to fish and can not be used by plants. Good bacteria decomposes it into a plant absorbable nitrogen. If you have a living soil it will act like a bio filter and convert the nitrates.

It will be a boost in slow released nitrogen. More nitrogen is only good if you are low in nitrogen. If you are in rich soil, adding nutes and nitrate water it may be too much. Especially in flower. If you are in living soil, in veg, and not feeding heavy you can use it. Just watch how the plant reacts and if it shows signs of lockout.

 

[JohnnyDavidson420]

Please don't use Seachem Prime to dechlorinate water for edible/smokeable plants.

It's not approved for anything other than ornamental plants and fish per the MSDS.

Vitamin C powder works great to dechlorinate for aquariums and edible plants and is more economical.
Aquaponics folks stay away from Prime and use Vit C.

Thanks man- I didn't know that! I'll look into it and maybe switch it up. I've been using a different dechlorinater for the cannabis plants. I stupidly presumed that it would be fine for cannabis plants if it's okay for aquarium plants. Every days a school day.

 

[AdaminCO]

Read this post on chloramine removal via Vitamin C. I use 1/4 tsp per 5 gallons.

What is your preferred method for removing chlorine or chloramine in tap water?

Thanks. How much do you use per gallon? If 1/4 tsp is enough for 40 gallons of water then like 1/10 of a 1/4 tsp should be enough for like 4 gallons right? Does anyone know if there are problems if you use more ascorbic acid vitamin c powder than you need for it on there?

www.420magazine.com

 

[JohnnyDavidson420]

My grow room is DWC but I use an aquaponics system to maintain a 200gal fish tank. First you do not want to use fish water unless you are in soil. Aquaponics is a living system and hydroponics is a sterile system so they do not mix. Fish release ammonium nitrate as waste. This is toxic to fish and can not be used by plants. Good bacteria decomposes it into a plant absorbable nitrogen. If you have a living soil it will act like a bio filter and convert the nitrates.

It will be a boost in slow released nitrogen. More nitrogen is only good if you are low in nitrogen. If you are in rich soil, adding nutes and nitrate water it may be too much. Especially in flower. If you are in living soil, in veg, and not feeding heavy you can use it. Just watch how the plant reacts and if it shows signs of lockout.

Thanks man- It's all organic soil. I'm gonna try it out during the veg process, see how I get on. My one concern was over-doing it with nutrients. I could start with just tank water and see if they develop any deficiencies

 

[Sativa1970]

I didn't catch that you were using Seachem to dechlorinate. Any other form of dechlorinate would be fine but that could be toxic. I have a 400gal/hour bio filter and the aquaponics system so I only do 5% changes from carbon filtered water. I also do not consume any of the plants in the aquaponics. They are just there for filtration, decoration, and the aquatic turtles munch on them. Save that water for just house plants.

 

[AdaminCO]

Here’s a bit more info I found….

“Aquarium water accumulates nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and ammonia, plus beneficial micro-organisms that process these materials. You may recognize these as ingredients in plant fertilizer and soil amendments. While it's important to follow the timing and dosage instructions on packaged plant food, if you're changing your fish-tank water regularly, it will be dilute enough to apply to your plants every time you water them.

Not all fish-tank water can go on houseplants or garden plants, however. Avoid using water from salt-water tanks because the amount of salt may harm the plants, particularly if they are potted. If you've used chemicals to adjust the water's pH, ammonia or other chemical levels or to treat your fish for diseases, do not apply the water to plants being grown for consumption. Very dirty aquarium water that has not been changed for a long period should also be kept off plants, as it may be too much of a good thing.”

 

[Virgin Ground]

Thanks man- I didn't know that! I'll look into it and maybe switch it up. I've been using a different dechlorinater for the cannabis plants. I stupidly presumed that it would be fine for cannabis plants if it's okay for aquarium plants. Every days a school day.

Most aquarium dechlorinators use sodium thiosulfate ( along with silver nitrate)as the main ingredient. That isn't good for you. I use that same chemical very carefully to reverse my cannabis plants. Any plant sprayed isn't ingestible.

I wouldn't use anything that isn't approved by the FDA for edible fish and plants.

Vit C has that approval.

I don't use decholr for my cannabis anymore. There just isn't enough in my municipal water supply to worry about it. Chlorine is an essential nutrient for all living things. You don't want to remove it 100% anyway.

If I'm not doing anything more than a 25% water change on my fish tank I don't bother to remove chlorine/chloramines.
Anything more than that and I use Vit C.

 

[JohnnyDavidson420]

I didn't catch that you were using Seachem to dechlorinate. Any other form of dechlorinate would be fine but that could be toxic. I have a 400gal/hour bio filter and the aquaponics system so I only do 5% changes from carbon filtered water. I also do not consume any of the plants in the aquaponics. They are just there for filtration, decoration, and the aquatic turtles munch on them. Save that water for just house plants.

I don't use seachem prime for cannabis plants- Just for the tank. I'm glad I know though cause I was gonna go for it with the tank water as it is.

 

[JohnnyDavidson420]

Most aquarium dechlorinators use sodium thiosulfate ( along with silver nitrate)as the main ingredient. That isn't good for you. I use that same chemical very carefully to reverse my cannabis plants. Any plant sprayed isn't ingestible.

I wouldn't use anything that isn't approved by the FDA for edible fish and plants.

Vit C has that approval.

I don't use decholr for my cannabis anymore. There just isn't enough in my municipal water supply to worry about it. Chlorine is an essential nutrient for all living things. You don't want to remove it 100% anyway.

If I'm doing anything more than a 25% water change on my fish tank I don't bother to remove chlorine/chloramines.
Anything more than that and I use Vit C.

I'm gonna buy some Vit c and give it a go. I've been letting chlorine evaporate from tap water for the cannabis plants. I have several friends who grow over here using water straight from the tap and they grow nice buds but I don't want to try that lol. We live north Scotland and our water quality is very good, it's soft water. Vit c seems more of a natural approach though.