Hi Guys,
Have been using the EI method for my 2ft planted tank and have been using the weekly 50% water removed from the tank to water my plants. I am considering to set-up a larger tank when my new place (HDB) is ready. Don't think that I would that many plants to water when I'm there!
Care to share your water-saving techinques? Anyone modified their WC to take in the old tank water?
Also, how do you guys store the amount of water required for the weekly water change? Could need a barrel to store the large volume of water..
Thanks!
Suck out the unwanted water into a few pails and use the water to wash or "flush" the toilet. By the next water change you should have used up all the water in the pails. That is what i'm doing cos i change 40-50% (got no choice cos due to high stocking density) of my tank water in all my three 3ft tanks.
Use antichlorine than no need to store/age the water before putting into the tank.
Abit OT here, but just curious, do you notice a sudden bloom of your terrestrial plants when you use the water from the tanks, which have quite abit of excess ferts?
I noticed my top level of soil in the pots usually gets abit of algae growing when I use the tank water...
Hey there,Originally Posted by aquarius
Where do you store your pails of water? It is not asthetically pleasing to have pails next to the WC, especially when I have guests over. Don't think that it is nice for me to ask them to use the water for the pails to flush instead of using the WC lever. Ha! That was why I was wondering whether there is an innovative way to keep those pails out of sight.
Hi Vince,
Yes. The plants in my garden seem to be doing a little better. Well, at least my Mom is not complaining! Can't say much about algae growth on the soil as they are typically covered by a layer to moss.
I put 2 pails under the sink where i wash my face (the sink is just beside/outside the toilet). The other one i put in the toilet. Anyway you can also put one pail outside/near the plants. Just make sure you clear it within 2 days to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.Hey there,
Where do you store your pails of water? It is not asthetically pleasing to have pails next to the WC, especially when I have guests over. Don't think that it is nice for me to ask them to use the water for the pails to flush instead of using the WC lever. Ha! That was why I was wondering whether there is an innovative way to keep those pails out of sight.
Thanks for sharing.
Just trying to source for more ideas to make the pails less obtrusive lest my hobby gets sanctioned by my Minister of Home Affairs.
No more tips from the rest of the forumers?
topup water via hose direct from tap.
30-50% WC weekly for a 6ft tank. old tank water just goes down the drain (too much water to store and use).
as for water treatment, i'm using seachem prime poured directly into the tank when it gets filled up with tapwater.
Cheers,
Melvin Lim
Oh okie. Good to know that I can use water straight off the tap and adding water conditioners.
Hoping to cut down household expenses so was looking for ways to use the spent water. Hmm.. back to the drawing board I guess..
If your tank comes with a cabinet and you have suffucient space inside your cabinet, you can place an extra water container inside it to act as a 'water resevoir'. For every water change, you just need to channel the water directly into the water container inside your cabinet. It will be super neat.
If there isnt enough container space for a 50% WC, you can do less water changes but more frequently. With the water container at close proximity inside your cabinet, the more frequent water change shouldnt be too troublesome.. but the topping up of water might be...
If possible, add a tap fixture to the container so that you can easily draw water from the container as and when you need. (Tap fixture should be placed near the bottom of the container) So then your mum can water her plants using recycled tank water everyday by retrieving water from the water container. Furthermore, the cabinet is enclosed so there will be no mosquito issue.
Disclaimer: But then again, I'm just talking on paper, so don't come find me if you face any technical issues.
Who made up all these rules?
We follow 'em like fools.
Believe 'em to be true.
Don't care to think 'em through.
I am curious as to why there is a need to do frequent and up to 50% water change per week for planted tank. I thought water change is to dilute the nitrate concentration in the absence of plants. Since plants take in nitrate so there is less need for water change. I have experience in fish tank but not in planted tank. Forgive me if I am ignorant.
If your tank is very big eg 5-6ft, you definately will need to suck out more than 6 pail fulls of water which you will not use all at once and will be in the way.
What you can do is suck out water on monday into eg 3 pails to use for plants, toilet, washing the floor etc. If on tues or wed you need water again, suck out into the 3 pails. By the end of the week you would have sucked out 50% of your tank water. Only than do you top-up the tank.
Hi blim,
Adopting the Estimative Index method by Tom Barr. Basically the large volume of WC is to reset the nutrients level so that the nutrients do not build up to dangerous levels. Please do a search on Tom Barr's EI method.
Hi aquarius,
Erm, in that can I would have a 75% filled tank and then a 50% filled tank for a good half of a week! Not that good for the plants and fishes, and aesthetically pleasing I would say.
Go non-CO2 then if wc is an issue.
Regards
Peter Gwee
Plant Physiology by Taiz and Zeiger
We change water because we actually add nitrate via potassium nitrate to our tanks for nitrogen (following Tom Barr's Estimative Index, read stickies). The water change allows us to maintain an almost regular concentration of nitrates and other things in the tank, instead of slowly building up to dangerous levels due to our regular dosage.
I have been wanting to ask this question for quite some time and I think you have answered it.
I was playing with Chuck's calculator and no matter what value I enter, I always get overdose of nitrate from my KNO3. So the WC will help to remove the excess nitrate .... thanks Terence!
Chuck's recommendation of nitrate levels are pretty low if I'm not wrong... you can go higher to about 20ppm perhaps. The WC is good for plant and fish health as well (provided it doesn't kill the fish...).
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