Watering with fish tank water.

[Zeeth]

So I've got a 30 gallon natural planted tank, with no carbon filtration, only bio filtration. I've been watering my Kentia with water scooped from this tank for about the past month, and I've noticed that it has picked up growth quite a bit, throwing out a new frond, with a second new one a week or 2 from opening up. I thought this was pretty good growth for a month. So is it beneficial to water it this way?

Keith

[DoomsDave]

So I've got a 30 gallon natural planted tank, with no carbon filtration, only bio filtration. I've been watering my Kentia with water scooped from this tank for about the past month, and I've noticed that it has picked up growth quite a bit, throwing out a new frond, with a second new one a week or 2 from opening up. I thought this was pretty good growth for a month. So is it beneficial to water it this way?

Keith

An excellent question!

And, I don't really know, but, here's how you can find out:

Get two palms of the same kind, the same size, etc., and water one from the fish tank, the other using what you normally use (tap water, I assume?) and wait, say, a year, and see what happens. Make sure all other conditions are the same, including potting mix and light exposure.

Even better would be more palms, but you probably don't have a big enough fish tank.

I suspect all that rotted fish-poop probably adds a few nutrients, if you have a lot of really poopy fish in your tank . . . . What kind of fish, how big and how many?

[Zeeth]

So I've got a 30 gallon natural planted tank, with no carbon filtration, only bio filtration. I've been watering my Kentia with water scooped from this tank for about the past month, and I've noticed that it has picked up growth quite a bit, throwing out a new frond, with a second new one a week or 2 from opening up. I thought this was pretty good growth for a month. So is it beneficial to water it this way?

Keith

An excellent question!

And, I don't really know, but, here's how you can find out:

Get two palms of the same kind, the same size, etc., and water one from the fish tank, the other using what you normally use (tap water, I assume?) and wait, say, a year, and see what happens. Make sure all other conditions are the same, including potting mix and light exposure.

Even better would be more palms, but you probably don't have a big enough fish tank.

I suspect all that rotted fish-poop probably adds a few nutrients, if you have a lot of really poopy fish in your tank . . . . What kind of fish, how big and how many?

The fish in my tank are 1 red tailed black shark, 4 rummynose tertas, 5 neon tetras, and 3 feeder guppies and about 10 baby feeder guppies. Also a bunch of snails and 4 clams. At the bottom of the tank is 1 inch of potting soil covered in 1 inch of sand as per the Walstad method for a natural planted tank. I might try the experiment actually. It'd be neat to see what the results are.

[Breadfruit Bill]

Fish poo is one of the best fertilizers around...

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?s=...st&p=334873

[DoomsDave]

So I've got a 30 gallon natural planted tank, with no carbon filtration, only bio filtration. I've been watering my Kentia with water scooped from this tank for about the past month, and I've noticed that it has picked up growth quite a bit, throwing out a new frond, with a second new one a week or 2 from opening up. I thought this was pretty good growth for a month. So is it beneficial to water it this way?

Keith

An excellent question!

And, I don't really know, but, here's how you can find out:

Get two palms of the same kind, the same size, etc., and water one from the fish tank, the other using what you normally use (tap water, I assume?) and wait, say, a year, and see what happens. Make sure all other conditions are the same, including potting mix and light exposure.

Even better would be more palms, but you probably don't have a big enough fish tank.

I suspect all that rotted fish-poop probably adds a few nutrients, if you have a lot of really poopy fish in your tank . . . . What kind of fish, how big and how many?

The fish in my tank are 1 red tailed black shark, 4 rummynose tertas, 5 neon tetras, and 3 feeder guppies and about 10 baby feeder guppies. Also a bunch of snails and 4 clams. At the bottom of the tank is 1 inch of potting soil covered in 1 inch of sand as per the Walstad method for a natural planted tank. I might try the experiment actually. It'd be neat to see what the results are.

I've never heard of the Walstad method! I'm going to have to, if I get a fish tank again. (Earthquakes and fish tanks are a pain in combo, alas!)

If you really want to go whole-hog, get a number of tiny baby palms or other plants, and measure and weigh them first, label them, then go on with the rest of the experiment, then measure and weigh them at the end. That weighing part is super important because it will show raw growth much better than measuring alone will. This is particularly useful because it may show how one kind of water might make a plant more robust.

Does your fish tank have plants in it? If not, maybe get some Cryptocoryne . . . . .

Let us know what happens in any case.

[Zeeth]

So I've got a 30 gallon natural planted tank, with no carbon filtration, only bio filtration. I've been watering my Kentia with water scooped from this tank for about the past month, and I've noticed that it has picked up growth quite a bit, throwing out a new frond, with a second new one a week or 2 from opening up. I thought this was pretty good growth for a month. So is it beneficial to water it this way?

Keith

An excellent question!

And, I don't really know, but, here's how you can find out:

Get two palms of the same kind, the same size, etc., and water one from the fish tank, the other using what you normally use (tap water, I assume?) and wait, say, a year, and see what happens. Make sure all other conditions are the same, including potting mix and light exposure.

Even better would be more palms, but you probably don't have a big enough fish tank.

I suspect all that rotted fish-poop probably adds a few nutrients, if you have a lot of really poopy fish in your tank . . . . What kind of fish, how big and how many?

The fish in my tank are 1 red tailed black shark, 4 rummynose tertas, 5 neon tetras, and 3 feeder guppies and about 10 baby feeder guppies. Also a bunch of snails and 4 clams. At the bottom of the tank is 1 inch of potting soil covered in 1 inch of sand as per the Walstad method for a natural planted tank. I might try the experiment actually. It'd be neat to see what the results are.

I've never heard of the Walstad method! I'm going to have to, if I get a fish tank again. (Earthquakes and fish tanks are a pain in combo, alas!)

If you really want to go whole-hog, get a number of tiny baby palms or other plants, and measure and weigh them first, label them, then go on with the rest of the experiment, then measure and weigh them at the end. That weighing part is super important because it will show raw growth much better than measuring alone will. This is particularly useful because it may show how one kind of water might make a plant more robust.

Does your fish tank have plants in it? If not, maybe get some Cryptocoryne . . . . .

Let us know what happens in any case.

The Walstad method is working well for me so far, the biggest thing about it is to have many plants. I actually have some Cryptocoryne wendtii in the tank, along with some dwarf hair grass, mili aquarium lilies, some longer grass type stuff, some amazon swords, some water wisteria, some american water weed, and some Cabomba carolinianas. The Kentia gets watered every morning from the tank.

Edited October 26, 2009 by Zeeth

[Palmə häl′ik]

You need to pour some of that on that Veitchia out front.

That thing looked yellow when I was looking at it.

[Walter John]

Get some Polypterus palmas and red finned sharks (good for Chambeyronias).

[Paul The Palm Doctor!]

Get some Polypterus palmas and red finned sharks (good for Chambeyronias).

Whenever someone says that you're "full of manure." Thank them for the compliment! They won't expect THAT response!

Paul

[Walter John]

Oh dear....

[DoomsDave]

Get some Polypterus palmas and red finned sharks (good for Chambeyronias).

Whenever someone says that you're "full of manure." Thank them for the compliment! They won't expect THAT response!

Paul

[Walter John]

laugh it up boys, laugh it up....

:lol:

[_Keith]

Back to the subject at hand, the water would have some trace ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites, all of which would be beneficial to plant growth. Additionally, it would be chlorine free, which would make it far better than tap water for watering. The possibility of having some small amounts of fish poo would aid microbial activity in the soil too. The only possible thing to watch for might the build up of salts or lime, depending on the nature of your local water used to fill the tank, and how often you change the water in the tank. If you go long periods between water changes those things can build up to some pretty high levels. Weekly or even monthly partial water changes would eliminate these worries.

[Zeeth]

Back to the subject at hand, the water would have some trace ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites, all of which would be beneficial to plant growth. Additionally, it would be chlorine free, which would make it far better than tap water for watering. The possibility of having some small amounts of fish poo would aid microbial activity in the soil too. The only possible thing to watch for might the build up of salts or lime, depending on the nature of your local water used to fill the tank, and how often you change the water in the tank. If you go long periods between water changes those things can build up to some pretty high levels. Weekly or even monthly partial water changes would eliminate these worries.

That's exactly what I was thinking. If the only difference was the absence of chlorine, It would still be better than tap. The water changes has essentially been every month or so plus filling up what was taken out with watering.

[RainForestt Robert]

A friend had a Bismarckia in a 10 gal pot that was watered with water from his fish tank. I have never seen such amazing growth on a palm in such a relatively small pot. He fertilized the plants in his tank so that may have added to the nutrient content of the water. But the growth was mind boggling.

Robert

[ghar41]

Ive been watering seedlings, especially right after they germinate, with water from my pond. My tap water is a bit high in chlorine so its the only way to go for me.