Using Aquarium Water for Plants

Sherin Woods is a California-based DIY enthusiast and garden design aficionado. With a background in Environmental Science, she combines creativity and sustainability in all her projects. A Pinterest favorite, Sherin is committed to eco-friendly solutions and has contributed to various home and garden publications. Her areas of expertise include DIY project planning, sustainable garden design, and content creation.
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Using Aquarium Water for Plants can be beneficial in a lot of ways for your green friends! Yes! The water you consider dirty is an elixir for house plants!

Depending on the size and types of fishes, you have to change the aquarium water monthly, weekly, or 1-2 times a week. Rather than throwing it away, Using Aquarium Water for Plants can be beneficial in a lot of ways as it contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, ammonia, and beneficial micro-organisms, which is healthy for your green little friends!

Check out our article on red aquarium plants here


Can You Water Houseplants with Aquarium Water

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The straight answer to the question is–Yes! Aquarium water contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and ammonia, along with useful micro-organisms that you can also find in the organic plant fertilizers.

When you don’t change the water for a particular period of time, say 5-8 days, it gets rich with all the elements that are beneficial for a plant’s health and growth. It might be not suitable for fishes but it certainly is a boon for the plants in your garden and home!

Tip: If there’s any dead fish in the tank then don’t throw it away. You can simply use it like a fish emulsion by burying it in the soil of the pot. 


Things to keep in Mind 

  1. If you use salt water for the fish tank, don’t use it for plants.
  2. Avoid using fish tank water for house plants if you’ve added aquarium salt, any medication or chemical, including pH adjusters and algae killers.
  3. If you have flowering plants, do not use aquarium water once they start to bloom.

Using Aquarium Water for Plants

Before using the aquarium water, it is a good idea to dilute it in the ratio of 1:1 before giving it to plants to balance the concentration.

  • You can dunk air plants in this water to give them an additional boost in growth.
  • For cuttings that grow in water and plants in vases, this can be a great substitute!
  • While growing pothos in water, you can use this as a supplement.
  • It can also be used to water house and garden plants.

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