# Anyone tried using old tadpole water as plant fertilizer?



## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

Success or disaster stories on doing this, anyone?


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

I've done it a couple times with plants that are still potted. Not nearly enough to tell if it really did much.


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

I have done it recently with some plants in my grow-out tank. We'll see if it affects their growth. My results may be skewed b/c I am getting much brighter lights on it soon though, so other stories are needed to complete this anecdotal study


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## poison beauties (Mar 1, 2010)

hope its not spreading chytrid or anything.

Michael


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

I've had my frogs tested for chytrid, came up negative. More likely vectors for chytrid would be muddy boots and sharing frogs/selling plants which have not been tested. 

Has anyone used tadpole water for this purpose?


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## Chris Miller (Apr 20, 2009)

You wouldn't ever use this water outside the house would you? I'd bet the waste in the water would have some benefit, but not sure it's worth the risk.


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## insularexotics (May 3, 2005)

earthfrog said:


> I've had my frogs tested for chytrid, came up negative. More likely vectors for chytrid would be muddy boots and sharing frogs/selling plants which have not been tested.
> 
> Has anyone used tadpole water for this purpose?


That's fabulous that you've had your frogs tested. I wish it was more affordable so everyone could do it. But I have personally seen animals that tested negative twice test positive on a third test. So I would strongly discourage anyone fromusing frog/tadwater outside their home, *ever*. It's just too risky.


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## pl259 (Feb 27, 2006)

So how would one discard it then? Watering indoor plants seems like a good use of it.


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## insularexotics (May 3, 2005)

You can also bleach it and then add dechlorinator before you pour it down the drain. But that process would make it much less desirable for watering plants. On the topic of watering houseplants, it seems like a relatively benign practice. And it should be fine as long as you don't throw the soil out when you repot or when the plant dies.
Just some thoughts,
Rich


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

insularexotics said:


> You can also bleach it and then add dechlorinator before you pour it down the drain. But that process would make it much less desirable for watering plants. On the topic of watering houseplants, it seems like a relatively benign practice. And it should be fine as long as you don't throw the soil out when you repot or when the plant dies.
> Just some thoughts,
> Rich


What about heating it to kill any risk of chytrid first? It would seem a short nuke in the microwave would do the trick to make it useable as fertilizer.

Also, it would seem plants and microfauna are just as likely a vector for chytrid as anything else that retains water, no?


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

Chris Miller said:


> You wouldn't ever use this water outside the house would you? I'd bet the waste in the water would have some benefit, but not sure it's worth the risk.


No, I don't have enough to be of any benefit to use out of doors anyway. However, I have already seen the african clawed frogs in my neighborhood pool down the street, as well as hiding under rocks in the woods near here, so I assume chytrid is already at my doorstep...


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## Woodsman (Jan 3, 2008)

I have been using the waste water from my tanks to water my houseplants, rather than dumping it outside or down the drain. I would bake any waste soil when transplanting any plants that have been treated this way, though.

Richard.


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

Woodsman said:


> I have been using the waste water from my tanks to water my houseplants, rather than dumping it outside or down the drain. I would bake any waste soil when transplanting any plants that have been treated this way, though.
> 
> Richard.


Good advice. Also, if folks follow proper sterilization techniques for new plants (and hopefully a 3-month quarantine for them if they're from a nursery that uses pesticides) they will avoid any risk of chytrid, in any case.


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

So, getting back to my original post---any other anecdotal reports of success/failure with using tadpole water as fertilizer (speaking in regards to your own viv plants)?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

insularexotics said:


> You can also bleach it and then add dechlorinator before you pour it down the drain. But that process would make it much less desirable for watering plants. On the topic of watering houseplants, it seems like a relatively benign practice. And it should be fine as long as you don't throw the soil out when you repot or when the plant dies.
> Just some thoughts,
> Rich


 
Rich, if the chlorine is neutralized doesn't that mean the nitrogen compounds have been primarily reduced to nitrate? (Any nitrites would be rapidly converted by the soil bacteria). If you regularly flush the pots any sodium build up (from the decomposition of bleach (sodium hypochlorite and sodium thiosulphate) shouldn't build up.. 

Ed


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## ravengritz (Mar 2, 2009)

When I had an aquarium I used the old fishy water for my bonsai trees and they thrived on it without additional fertilizer. I would assume the benefit for the plants would be similar to those of tadpole water.
Melissa


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## DougP (Feb 9, 2010)

ravengritz said:


> When I had an aquarium I used the old fishy water for my bonsai trees and they thrived on it without additional fertilizer. I would assume the benefit for the plants would be similar to those of tadpole water.
> Melissa


I also used water from my aquariums to water the plants. I lost all my tanks in a huge Ice storm about 4 years ago and noticed reduced plant growth when they went back onto tap water with liquid fert added.

Doug


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

DougP said:


> I also used water from my aquariums to water the plants. I lost all my tanks in a huge Ice storm about 4 years ago and noticed reduced plant growth when they went back onto tap water with liquid fert added.
> 
> Doug


Thanks Doug. This reminds me--I'm going to start a poll about taking precautions against winter weather...

Based on these things, I will continue to use tad water on plants, but I will heat them to boiling in the microwave first to eliminate any risk of chytrid or parasites.


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