Got fish?
We do. In fact, they’re the only pets/animals we have so far, though there’s a long list of the others we will acquire as we’re able.
I’m one of those people who really needs to have living creatures around in my life and living spaces, or something just is really missing. Fish have always had a place in my home, as far back as childhood, then college, then newlywed and during the childhood and later years of my daughter. I’ve even had them at my desks at different workplaces.
I’ve never been able to raise anything fancy, but goldfish, mollies, swordtails, and bettas have all had their heydays…and their babies…in many tanks over the years with a minimum of fuss or expense. Any other types of fish really never survived.
In all the experimentation, I’ve kept to the less expensive and easiest setups as far as aquariums, too. Generally, a basic aquarium with some air tubes and bubble stone tips for oxygen insures happy inhabitants, and a cover with light illuminate the interior for really enjoyable watching. Cleaning is minimal, and mostly involves water changes and some interior removal of algae from the glass. The big cleaning, washing the gravel and elements, are only necessary every few months or so.
It was a good many years ago, when I had a forty gallon tank in my bedroom, a 20 gallon in the living room, and a ten gallon at my daughter’s bedside, that I realized those water changes and cleaning sessions were yielding some pretty stinky buckets of murky water, but the “murk” was a rich mixture of nutrients plants would love.
I started pouring it on some container and garden plants.
They loved it!
I have only one tank now, and the two little guys in it are needing a bigger one soon. (Hello, craigslist!) The two small bettas that shared it for a long time (with clear divider in between) lived several years, but died last year…the second one dying shortly after the first…I’m convinced they have to have company or they lose interest in their small world. I replaced them with two very tiny Comet feeder goldfish, thinking those small guys would do well in the little aquarium. They cost about 25 cents apiece. The food’s about $2.50 and lasts about 6 months.
I forgot goldfish are in the carp family, and had no idea they’d grow by leaps and bounds. They also poop prodigiously. I feed all our fish pellet-form food to keep the water clearer, and make sure not to overfeed them. But these goldfish are total pigs…they seem to live to eat. They are near our dinner table, and when we sit to eat a meal, if they’ve not been fed yet, they truly do bum rush the near side of the aquarium in what looks for all the world like the tail wagging the dog…till they’re fed. How we can get attached to fish is a mystery, but we really enjoy them.
Even with a very small tank like ours, the water changes have to be made regularly by simply scooping out most of the old and adding in clean water of the same temperature. We do not add any chemicals to the water, nor treat the fish with chemicals, and those little carpy guys can sure produce a lot of “byproduct” fast. Even with the small aquarium, a water change yields at least a gallon or two of pure liquid gold for our plants…high quality fertilizer that’s plant-ready and doesn’t burn even the more fussy things in the garden or pots.
Right now we’re using it for the potted fig trees, and they love it. Our figs are fussy, but need good fertilizer. The aquarium water seems to fill the bill well, without burning them.
If we had a standard aquarium, for only the trouble of ten minutes’ worth of scooping water out of the tank with a cup into a bucket and refilling with clean water, we’d get a yield of anywhere from ten to twenty gallons of tank water a week…and that’s a steady, easy supply, with nearly no expense.
If we ever get more fish, we’ll likely stick to buying the inexpensive little Comet feeder goldfish. They grow fast and soil their water quicker. Usually that would be a turnoff, but with the oxygen piped in through the tubing and bubble stone, it keeps them healthy and we gain a lot of fertilizer water.
Got fish? It doesn’t take a huge outdoor aquaculture setup to gain benefits for use in the garden, to amp up the nutrients for hungry plants, and the relaxation of watching some friendly fish gliding among greenery in even a small aquarium is a simple pleasure. Even if you don’t have an outdoor tilapia pond that can be drained during harvest for irrigating an adjoining field or dredged for the sludge to spread for fertilizer, aquariums provide ample liquid nutrients for a great many plants…a regular supply of gallons at a time.
Thinking of the old stinky water in a new way is a great cost-saver, and you can always store any reserves in re-used seal-able milk or water jugs for later use. It’s just another benefit of keeping lovely creatures that bring beauty to the everyday, and in turn give us valuable gifts.
Ooooo, I want some goldies now. =) Had a bubble gold fish a few years ago – his name was Parker, and he was so entertaining.
They’re fun, aren’t they? 🙂
my son keeps a turtle and goldfish in his bedroom. for the longest time i couldnt figure out why the boxwood under his window was bigger, more lush and deeper green than it’s neighbors. then i caught him tossing the dirty water out of his window. the light bulb went on and i knew that the fish and turtle were finally going to start paying their way.
Ha! I threw away a lot, too, before putting 2 and 2 together…it’s amazing what some fishy poo-water can do for the plants!
If you really want to get fancy, you can use the fish water for a hydroponic plant setup, the plants would filter the water and it would be good for the fish too. It’s a win-win situation, your fish get cleaner, healthier water, the plants get the nutrients they need, you get food from the plants.
Wretha
My truly genius husband has such plans fermenting in his fertile scientific mind. I, however, have a real talent for killing off little green things, which is unfortunate for someone who hopes to one day wholly subsist on her garden. My vote is that my husband be the one to set up anything remotely hydroponic involving plant survival, while I blithely continue bailing out dirty bowl water from a few remaining indoor tanks. Your idea is great…Jack concurs! 🙂
I am constantly amazed at what I learn here. I never would have thought to use fish waste water as a fertilizer! Thanks for the great idea.
You’re welcome…I learn from everyone here, too 🙂
super cool idea!! thanks for sharing it! big hugs:)
Welcome! I loved your shared blog when I just now went to peek at it. What a great idea for two faraway friends 🙂
Excellent idea!! It’s all about perspective -one persons waste….Kris
Thanks…(P.S. I’m glad your mom is going to be ok!)
What a great idea! My son brought a small tomato plant home from school today — will the dirty water from my betta fish tank be enough fertilizer to help it grow well, or should I look into extra natural fertilizers?
Hi, Bunny 🙂
I’m not an expert on plants, but my best guess would be that it depends on what you’ve planted your tomato in…what sort of soil components. We only use natural fertilizers, so surely the betta water would be a great boost for your tomato. Other factors like how much sun it gets, etc, figure in, too. The other authors here have a lot of experience with crops like tomatoes…feel free to ask any of them what their best recommendations might be, too 🙂
I have a lined whisky barrel full of gold fish. Once a season I clean it out and love to use the water for the plants! Kim
What a great idea. Now I want to run to the store and get some goldfish. I have had a few in the past but the water always went down the drain.
Thanks for the idea and I have enjoyed reading all the posts here.
When we had out (streetfair) goldfish, I always poured the dirty water on the garden. We gave him and the tank set-up to a school recently. However, my hubby’s started to look into the possibility of aquaculture. It would give us great plants as well as fish to occasionally feed the dogs. (We want the option to eventually feed them homemade food should things get … interesting … in the future.)
i love my goldfish and they really do produce a lot of yuck, but i wanted plants too and i bought a little cheap climbing plant to hang in the window, and all i ever water it with is their yucky water from water changes, and it’s vines were all over the place in no time!
That tank is far too small for goldfish. While tank water is a great source for fertilizer, you should be ashamed of yourself.
You are right, Bob, and the fish were given a bigger home a long time ago (this post was authored quite a while back). And I am not ashamed of myself because I am one of those people who learn as they go, so lesson learned. In case you’re wondering, when we first bought them, they were each smaller than a fingernail. Thanks for your concern 🙂
I have used fish water for years as a fertilizer and it does a terrific job. How about using tilapia instead of goldfish then when they get to big for the tank, they will be just right for the diner plate! find them at: http://www.brandonsfishfarm.com