Gardening is a common prepper practice. If you can grow your own food, you don’t need to worry about them running out. The same mindset fuels a preppers desire to raise aquatic livestock, i.e. fish. Aquariums and gardening are both common hobbies outside of prepping as well, and yet most people aren’t aware of this neat trick to both save water and have healthy plants.
Water your garden with your aquarium water
It may sound gross initially, but hear me out. Trees and grass consume CO2 and produce oxygen. Animals, such as humans, consume oxygen and produce CO2. This symbiotic relationship allows plants and animals to live in harmony. This balance applies in water, as well. Water-dwelling creatures, such as fish, turtles and crustaceans, dilly dirty up their tank with poo and uneaten food pellets. They require filtration systems to keep clean and prevent bacterial infection. Plants, on the other hand, love all of the carbon and nutrients found in the waste.
Many casual gardeners/fish owners have taken to using the aquarium water to tend to their plants, with wonderful results. Benjamin Hill, a writer for gardening website Dave’s Garden, tried watering his vegetables and flowers with his fish water and reported a 200% increase in growth.
This is extra nice for preppers, because of the improved water preservation. Instead of using water to tend to a fish tank and a garden combined, you can bring it down to just water for the tank. This will also promote the regular cycling of an aquarium, leading to clean and happy fish.