Hi,

I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
week. I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the 
high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using the 
old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.

I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
usually carries salmonella.

Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?

--
http://www.richdavies.com
http://www.richdavies.com/tropicalfish.htm
http://www.richdavies.com/profit-protection-recruitment.htm

Rich wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
> week. I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the 
> high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using the 
> old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
> 
> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
> usually carries salmonella.
> 
> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?
> 
> --
> http://www.richdavies.com
> http://www.richdavies.com/tropicalfish.htm
> http://www.richdavies.com/profit-protection-recruitment.htm 
> 
> 
oh er I have been sticking mine on strawberries and the rhubarb I have 
not died as of yet?

"funfly3"  wrote in message news:nN%3i.5748
> oh er I have been sticking mine on strawberries and the rhubarb I have not 
> died as of yet?

We put custard on ours :-)

David.

David (Normandy) wrote:
> "funfly3"  wrote in message news:nN%3i.5748
>> oh er I have been sticking mine on strawberries and the rhubarb I have not 
>> died as of yet?
> 
> We put custard on ours :-)
> 
> David.
> 
> 
now there's a thought rhubarb & custard yummmmm mine needs a little more 
growing time for a water change

"Rich"  wrote
> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
> week. I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of 
> the high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been 
> using the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
> usually carries salmonella.
>
> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?
>
> --
> http://www.richdavies.com
> http://www.richdavies.com/tropicalfish.htm
> http://www.richdavies.com/profit-protection-recruitment.htm

I doubt it as I'm still alive and I've swallowed enough water over the years 
siphoning out tropical fish tanks. Might be true if you kept terrapins as 
they are serious carriers of salmonella.

-- 
Regards
Bob H
17mls W. of London.UK

"Rich"  wrote in message 
news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
> Hi,
>
> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
> week.

Why, it is not neccesary!

 I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
> high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using 
> the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.

Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?

>
> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
> usually carries salmonella.
>
> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?

On Sun, 20 May 2007 22:28:20 GMT, Alan Holmes wrote:

> "Rich"  wrote in message 
> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
>> week.
> 
> Why, it is not neccesary!
> Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?

If you check Alan Holmes posting history on Google, you'll see that he's a
fuckwit troll who's best ignored.

Alan Holmes wrote:
> "Rich"  wrote in message
> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium
>> every week.
>
> Why, it is not neccesary!
>

  I've bred Kribensis, kept a "general tank" and also kept some very fussy 
Discus. A regular water change of 10% to 20% depending on pollutant levels 
is normal practice. The idea of the perfectly balanced tank needing only top 
ups to replace water lost from evaporation is a myth.

Salts, calcium carbonate, "messenger" hormones controlling growth rates from 
the fish and many other pollutants would increase over time without water 
changes using water treated to strip out chlorine and heavy metals.

It is down to the hardiness of the common goldfish that gives rise to all 
those "stick the fish in a bowl of tap water while you scrub out the tank 
once a year" and the practices of lots or careless fishkeepers who stress 
their fish (giving rise to disease, it's not normal for fish to regularly 
die as many seems ready to accept) that give rise to the "I never did water 
changes" stories too.

You are really a "water keeper", keeping the system within certain limits of 
hardness and nitrate load to match the water from the part of the world your 
preferred fish hail from.

Also, the water coming out of the tank is nutrient rich and is great for 
houseplants and food crops. I always used it. Plus, as someone else has 
said, swallowed quite a bit too.

More here http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/wchanges.htm

Les

> I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>> high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been
>> using the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and
>> strawberries.
>
> Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>
>>
>> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium
>> water usually carries salmonella.
>>
>> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?

-- 
Remove Frontal Lobes to reply direct.

"These people believe the souls of fried space aliens inhabit their
bodies and hold soup cans to get rid of them. I should care what they
think?"...Valerie Emmanuel

Les Hemmings  a.a #2251 SA

On Sun, 20 May 2007 18:38:04 +0100, "Rich"  wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
>week. I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the 
>high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using the 
>old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
>usually carries salmonella.
>
>Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?


It's safe.  the amount of nitrate and phosphate is trivial compared to
what's used as liquid fertilizer.  It's a good reuse of water, though.
There are probably some bacteria in the water, but without bacteria we
wouldn't be able to live.

"Les Hemmings"  wrote in message 
news:5bd0o5F2roje2U1@mid.individual.net...
> Alan Holmes wrote:
>> "Rich"  wrote in message
>> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium
>>> every week.
>>
>> Why, it is not neccesary!
>>
>
>  I've bred Kribensis, kept a "general tank" and also kept some very fussy 
> Discus. A regular water change of 10% to 20% depending on pollutant levels 
> is normal practice. The idea of the perfectly balanced tank needing only 
> top ups to replace water lost from evaporation is a myth.

As I've said before, I kept tropical fish for many years, breeding them for 
sale to the local tropical fish shop, and I never, ever changed the water.

If your tank had a proper number of plants in it the water will stay 
healthy.

Alan

On May 20, 5:28�pm, "Alan Holmes"  wrote:
> "Rich"  wrote in message
>
> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>
> > Hi,
>
> > I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every
> > week.
>
> Why, it is not neccesary!
>
>  I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>
> > high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using
> > the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
> Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>
>
>
>
>
> > I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
> > usually carries salmonella.
>
> > Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

How ridiculous.
Unless a tank is packed with live plants, water changes are a MUST!

On May 21, 8:09 am, Tynk  wrote:
> On May 20, 5:28?pm, "Alan Holmes"  wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > "Rich"  wrote in message
>
> >news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>
> > > Hi,
>
> > > I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every
> > > week.
>
> > Why, it is not neccesary!
>
> > ?I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>
> > > high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using
> > > the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
> > Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>
> > > I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
> > > usually carries salmonella.
>
> > > Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?- Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> How ridiculous.
> Unless a tank is packed with live plants, water changes are a MUST!- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I agree with Tynk,

Even in tanks with a lot of live plants I perform at least some water
changes if only for the reason of adding more minerals and
electrolytes.
Water changes are a must and I have been watering my vegetables and my
clients vegetables for 25 + years without a problem.

Carl

On Sun, 20 May 2007 22:28:20 GMT, "Alan Holmes"
 wrote:

>
>"Rich"  wrote in message 
>news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
>> week.
>
>Why, it is not neccesary!
>
> I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>> high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using 
>> the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
>Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>

Are you familiar with "Old Tank Syndrome"?  Try Google for details,
but when you top off your tank without doing water changes, the solid
density increases.  The fish in the tank adjust to the gradual
changes, but adding new fish later on, creates a difficult and
sometimes deadly osmotic pressure adjustment.

I am winging this, but it is what I recall from what I have read.  

I have also formed a personal opinion, filters only  remove large
solid material, dependent on the mesh.  Smaller particles pass
through.  Erosion allows larger particles to eventually break up and
pass back into the tank.

I am a minimalist in most things and even use tap water rather than
risk adding chemicals to adjust water qualities. My tanks are all
heavily planted.  The plants live on fish waste.  I can move fish
between my 5 tanks easily as water condition and temperatures are
equal do to my simple procedures.

>>
>> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
>> usually carries salmonella.
>>
>> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?
>

On Mon, 21 May 2007 11:50:43 GMT, "Alan Holmes"
 wrote:

>
>"Les Hemmings"  wrote in message 
>news:5bd0o5F2roje2U1@mid.individual.net...
>> Alan Holmes wrote:
>>> "Rich"  wrote in message
>>> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium
>>>> every week.
>>>
>>> Why, it is not neccesary!
>>>
>>
>>  I've bred Kribensis, kept a "general tank" and also kept some very fussy 
>> Discus. A regular water change of 10% to 20% depending on pollutant levels 
>> is normal practice. The idea of the perfectly balanced tank needing only 
>> top ups to replace water lost from evaporation is a myth.
>
>As I've said before, I kept tropical fish for many years, breeding them for 
>sale to the local tropical fish shop, and I never, ever changed the water.
>
>If your tank had a proper number of plants in it the water will stay 
>healthy.
>
>Alan
>
 How do you keep the solid density down?

In message , Rich 
 writes
>Hi,
>
>I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every
>week. I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using the
>old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
>usually carries salmonella.
>
How does this nonsense start ? Every Saturday I get a mouthful of water 
from about 3 tanks as I do the weekly water change, and I've never had 
the slightest problem.

By the time it gets onto soil and then gets into the plants any chance 
of it being harmful must be about a hundred times that of winning the 
lottery :-)

It's good muck for the plants and valuable water. All mine goes on 
indoor plants and you should see the size of my Cycads (ooer missus).


-- 
Edward Cowling    "Time Fly's Like an Arrow.
                                  Fruit Flies Like A Bannana."

In article ,
Rich  wrote:
>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
>usually carries salmonella.

Do you know how rural septic systems work? In a nutshell, bugs when exposed to air,
die.

There are caveats: I wouldn't do this with tanks fed tubifex worms (they are often harvested
in Mexico and feed on human waste, sometiems contaminated with hepatitis) or in tanks
with sick fish - especially ones that won't eat or are wasting away. This could be
mycobacterium marinum which is contagous to humans. There's a good article about it
in this months TFH.


-- 
   Need Mercedes parts?   http://parts.mbz.org
Richard Sexton       | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

The only way I can see anyone contracting salmonella  from a fish tank 
would be if terrapins  and certain smails were  kept in the tank ,  saying 
that  there are a lot of different strains of salmonella out there , but all 
are just as nasty as each other ,  watering  your garden with water from 
your tank, is a more ecological way  of using all the nutrients suspended in 
the water  than just pouring it  down a drain where it will end up goint to 
a water treatment plant  and  back through your tap ,  If your really 
worried  you can always look at getting an  inline  UV Filter  to kill any 
bugs ,
On Water changes I have 4 tanks running  and only  do water changes  every 
14 days or so  and then  only about  25%  max
"Richard Sexton"  wrote in message 
news:f32ivm$bjf$1@news.datemas.de...
> In article ,
> Rich  wrote:
>>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
>>usually carries salmonella.
>
> Do you know how rural septic systems work? In a nutshell, bugs when 
> exposed to air,
> die.
>
> There are caveats: I wouldn't do this with tanks fed tubifex worms (they 
> are often harvested
> in Mexico and feed on human waste, sometiems contaminated with hepatitis) 
> or in tanks
> with sick fish - especially ones that won't eat or are wasting away. This 
> could be
> mycobacterium marinum which is contagous to humans. There's a good article 
> about it
> in this months TFH.
>
>
> -- 
>   Need Mercedes parts?   http://parts.mbz.org
> Richard Sexton       | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
> 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
> 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

"Andrew Gratton"  wrote in message 
news:YCC5i.969$J15.357@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net...
> The only way I can see anyone contracting salmonella  from a fish tank 
> would be if terrapins  and certain smails were  kept in the tank ,  saying 
> that  there are a lot of different strains of salmonella out there , but 
> all are just as nasty as each other ,  watering  your garden with water 
> from your tank, is a more ecological way  of using all the nutrients 
> suspended in the water  than just pouring it  down a drain where it will 
> end up goint to a water treatment plant  and  back through your tap ,  If 
> your really worried  you can always look at getting an  inline  UV Filter 
> to kill any bugs ,
> On Water changes I have 4 tanks running  and only  do water changes  every 
> 14 days or so  and then  only about  25%  max
> "Richard Sexton"  wrote in message 
> news:f32ivm$bjf$1@news.datemas.de...
>> In article ,
>> Rich  wrote:
>>>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium 
>>>water
>>>usually carries salmonella.
>>
>> Do you know how rural septic systems work? In a nutshell, bugs when 
>> exposed to air,
>> die.
>>
>> There are caveats: I wouldn't do this with tanks fed tubifex worms (they 
>> are often harvested
>> in Mexico and feed on human waste, sometiems contaminated with hepatitis) 
>> or in tanks
>> with sick fish - especially ones that won't eat or are wasting away. This 
>> could be
>> mycobacterium marinum which is contagous to humans. There's a good 
>> article about it
>> in this months TFH.

Thanks to all who replied, I guess my garden is, as ever, going to be 
watered using aquarium waste water, which is rich in nitrate and other stuff 
plants love. (and happens to be at a temperature which won't shock the 
tomato and pepper plants in the greenhouse ;-)    )

 --
Rich
http://www.richdavies.com
http://www.richdavies.com/tropicalfish.htm
http://www.richdavies.com/profit-protection-recruitment.htm

Rich wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
> week. I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the 
> high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using the 
> old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
> 
> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
> usually carries salmonella.
> 
> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?
> 
> --
> http://www.richdavies.com
> http://www.richdavies.com/tropicalfish.htm
> http://www.richdavies.com/profit-protection-recruitment.htm 
> 
> 
oh er I have been sticking mine on strawberries and the rhubarb I have 
not died as of yet?

"funfly3"  wrote in message news:nN%3i.5748
> oh er I have been sticking mine on strawberries and the rhubarb I have not 
> died as of yet?

We put custard on ours :-)

David.

David (Normandy) wrote:
> "funfly3"  wrote in message news:nN%3i.5748
>> oh er I have been sticking mine on strawberries and the rhubarb I have not 
>> died as of yet?
> 
> We put custard on ours :-)
> 
> David.
> 
> 
now there's a thought rhubarb & custard yummmmm mine needs a little more 
growing time for a water change

"Rich"  wrote
> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
> week. I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of 
> the high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been 
> using the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
> usually carries salmonella.
>
> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?
>
> --
> http://www.richdavies.com
> http://www.richdavies.com/tropicalfish.htm
> http://www.richdavies.com/profit-protection-recruitment.htm

I doubt it as I'm still alive and I've swallowed enough water over the years 
siphoning out tropical fish tanks. Might be true if you kept terrapins as 
they are serious carriers of salmonella.

-- 
Regards
Bob H
17mls W. of London.UK

"Rich"  wrote in message 
news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
> Hi,
>
> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
> week.

Why, it is not neccesary!

 I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
> high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using 
> the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.

Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?

>
> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
> usually carries salmonella.
>
> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?

On Sun, 20 May 2007 22:28:20 GMT, Alan Holmes wrote:

> "Rich"  wrote in message 
> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
>> week.
> 
> Why, it is not neccesary!
> Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?

If you check Alan Holmes posting history on Google, you'll see that he's a
fuckwit troll who's best ignored.

Alan Holmes wrote:
> "Rich"  wrote in message
> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium
>> every week.
>
> Why, it is not neccesary!
>

  I've bred Kribensis, kept a "general tank" and also kept some very fussy 
Discus. A regular water change of 10% to 20% depending on pollutant levels 
is normal practice. The idea of the perfectly balanced tank needing only top 
ups to replace water lost from evaporation is a myth.

Salts, calcium carbonate, "messenger" hormones controlling growth rates from 
the fish and many other pollutants would increase over time without water 
changes using water treated to strip out chlorine and heavy metals.

It is down to the hardiness of the common goldfish that gives rise to all 
those "stick the fish in a bowl of tap water while you scrub out the tank 
once a year" and the practices of lots or careless fishkeepers who stress 
their fish (giving rise to disease, it's not normal for fish to regularly 
die as many seems ready to accept) that give rise to the "I never did water 
changes" stories too.

You are really a "water keeper", keeping the system within certain limits of 
hardness and nitrate load to match the water from the part of the world your 
preferred fish hail from.

Also, the water coming out of the tank is nutrient rich and is great for 
houseplants and food crops. I always used it. Plus, as someone else has 
said, swallowed quite a bit too.

More here http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/wchanges.htm

Les

> I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>> high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been
>> using the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and
>> strawberries.
>
> Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>
>>
>> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium
>> water usually carries salmonella.
>>
>> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?

-- 
Remove Frontal Lobes to reply direct.

"These people believe the souls of fried space aliens inhabit their
bodies and hold soup cans to get rid of them. I should care what they
think?"...Valerie Emmanuel

Les Hemmings  a.a #2251 SA

On Sun, 20 May 2007 18:38:04 +0100, "Rich"  wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
>week. I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the 
>high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using the 
>old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
>usually carries salmonella.
>
>Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?


It's safe.  the amount of nitrate and phosphate is trivial compared to
what's used as liquid fertilizer.  It's a good reuse of water, though.
There are probably some bacteria in the water, but without bacteria we
wouldn't be able to live.

"Les Hemmings"  wrote in message 
news:5bd0o5F2roje2U1@mid.individual.net...
> Alan Holmes wrote:
>> "Rich"  wrote in message
>> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium
>>> every week.
>>
>> Why, it is not neccesary!
>>
>
>  I've bred Kribensis, kept a "general tank" and also kept some very fussy 
> Discus. A regular water change of 10% to 20% depending on pollutant levels 
> is normal practice. The idea of the perfectly balanced tank needing only 
> top ups to replace water lost from evaporation is a myth.

As I've said before, I kept tropical fish for many years, breeding them for 
sale to the local tropical fish shop, and I never, ever changed the water.

If your tank had a proper number of plants in it the water will stay 
healthy.

Alan

On May 20, 5:28�pm, "Alan Holmes"  wrote:
> "Rich"  wrote in message
>
> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>
> > Hi,
>
> > I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every
> > week.
>
> Why, it is not neccesary!
>
>  I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>
> > high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using
> > the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
> Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>
>
>
>
>
> > I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
> > usually carries salmonella.
>
> > Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

How ridiculous.
Unless a tank is packed with live plants, water changes are a MUST!

On May 21, 8:09 am, Tynk  wrote:
> On May 20, 5:28?pm, "Alan Holmes"  wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > "Rich"  wrote in message
>
> >news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>
> > > Hi,
>
> > > I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every
> > > week.
>
> > Why, it is not neccesary!
>
> > ?I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>
> > > high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using
> > > the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
> > Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>
> > > I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
> > > usually carries salmonella.
>
> > > Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?- Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> How ridiculous.
> Unless a tank is packed with live plants, water changes are a MUST!- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I agree with Tynk,

Even in tanks with a lot of live plants I perform at least some water
changes if only for the reason of adding more minerals and
electrolytes.
Water changes are a must and I have been watering my vegetables and my
clients vegetables for 25 + years without a problem.

Carl

On Sun, 20 May 2007 22:28:20 GMT, "Alan Holmes"
 wrote:

>
>"Rich"  wrote in message 
>news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
>> week.
>
>Why, it is not neccesary!
>
> I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>> high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using 
>> the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
>Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>

Are you familiar with "Old Tank Syndrome"?  Try Google for details,
but when you top off your tank without doing water changes, the solid
density increases.  The fish in the tank adjust to the gradual
changes, but adding new fish later on, creates a difficult and
sometimes deadly osmotic pressure adjustment.

I am winging this, but it is what I recall from what I have read.  

I have also formed a personal opinion, filters only  remove large
solid material, dependent on the mesh.  Smaller particles pass
through.  Erosion allows larger particles to eventually break up and
pass back into the tank.

I am a minimalist in most things and even use tap water rather than
risk adding chemicals to adjust water qualities. My tanks are all
heavily planted.  The plants live on fish waste.  I can move fish
between my 5 tanks easily as water condition and temperatures are
equal do to my simple procedures.

>>
>> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
>> usually carries salmonella.
>>
>> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?
>

On Mon, 21 May 2007 11:50:43 GMT, "Alan Holmes"
 wrote:

>
>"Les Hemmings"  wrote in message 
>news:5bd0o5F2roje2U1@mid.individual.net...
>> Alan Holmes wrote:
>>> "Rich"  wrote in message
>>> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium
>>>> every week.
>>>
>>> Why, it is not neccesary!
>>>
>>
>>  I've bred Kribensis, kept a "general tank" and also kept some very fussy 
>> Discus. A regular water change of 10% to 20% depending on pollutant levels 
>> is normal practice. The idea of the perfectly balanced tank needing only 
>> top ups to replace water lost from evaporation is a myth.
>
>As I've said before, I kept tropical fish for many years, breeding them for 
>sale to the local tropical fish shop, and I never, ever changed the water.
>
>If your tank had a proper number of plants in it the water will stay 
>healthy.
>
>Alan
>
 How do you keep the solid density down?

In message , Rich 
 writes
>Hi,
>
>I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every
>week. I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using the
>old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
>usually carries salmonella.
>
How does this nonsense start ? Every Saturday I get a mouthful of water 
from about 3 tanks as I do the weekly water change, and I've never had 
the slightest problem.

By the time it gets onto soil and then gets into the plants any chance 
of it being harmful must be about a hundred times that of winning the 
lottery :-)

It's good muck for the plants and valuable water. All mine goes on 
indoor plants and you should see the size of my Cycads (ooer missus).


-- 
Edward Cowling    "Time Fly's Like an Arrow.
                                  Fruit Flies Like A Bannana."

In article ,
Rich  wrote:
>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
>usually carries salmonella.

Do you know how rural septic systems work? In a nutshell, bugs when exposed to air,
die.

There are caveats: I wouldn't do this with tanks fed tubifex worms (they are often harvested
in Mexico and feed on human waste, sometiems contaminated with hepatitis) or in tanks
with sick fish - especially ones that won't eat or are wasting away. This could be
mycobacterium marinum which is contagous to humans. There's a good article about it
in this months TFH.


-- 
   Need Mercedes parts?   http://parts.mbz.org
Richard Sexton       | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

The only way I can see anyone contracting salmonella  from a fish tank 
would be if terrapins  and certain smails were  kept in the tank ,  saying 
that  there are a lot of different strains of salmonella out there , but all 
are just as nasty as each other ,  watering  your garden with water from 
your tank, is a more ecological way  of using all the nutrients suspended in 
the water  than just pouring it  down a drain where it will end up goint to 
a water treatment plant  and  back through your tap ,  If your really 
worried  you can always look at getting an  inline  UV Filter  to kill any 
bugs ,
On Water changes I have 4 tanks running  and only  do water changes  every 
14 days or so  and then  only about  25%  max
"Richard Sexton"  wrote in message 
news:f32ivm$bjf$1@news.datemas.de...
> In article ,
> Rich  wrote:
>>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
>>usually carries salmonella.
>
> Do you know how rural septic systems work? In a nutshell, bugs when 
> exposed to air,
> die.
>
> There are caveats: I wouldn't do this with tanks fed tubifex worms (they 
> are often harvested
> in Mexico and feed on human waste, sometiems contaminated with hepatitis) 
> or in tanks
> with sick fish - especially ones that won't eat or are wasting away. This 
> could be
> mycobacterium marinum which is contagous to humans. There's a good article 
> about it
> in this months TFH.
>
>
> -- 
>   Need Mercedes parts?   http://parts.mbz.org
> Richard Sexton       | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
> 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
> 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

"Andrew Gratton"  wrote in message 
news:YCC5i.969$J15.357@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net...
> The only way I can see anyone contracting salmonella  from a fish tank 
> would be if terrapins  and certain smails were  kept in the tank ,  saying 
> that  there are a lot of different strains of salmonella out there , but 
> all are just as nasty as each other ,  watering  your garden with water 
> from your tank, is a more ecological way  of using all the nutrients 
> suspended in the water  than just pouring it  down a drain where it will 
> end up goint to a water treatment plant  and  back through your tap ,  If 
> your really worried  you can always look at getting an  inline  UV Filter 
> to kill any bugs ,
> On Water changes I have 4 tanks running  and only  do water changes  every 
> 14 days or so  and then  only about  25%  max
> "Richard Sexton"  wrote in message 
> news:f32ivm$bjf$1@news.datemas.de...
>> In article ,
>> Rich  wrote:
>>>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium 
>>>water
>>>usually carries salmonella.
>>
>> Do you know how rural septic systems work? In a nutshell, bugs when 
>> exposed to air,
>> die.
>>
>> There are caveats: I wouldn't do this with tanks fed tubifex worms (they 
>> are often harvested
>> in Mexico and feed on human waste, sometiems contaminated with hepatitis) 
>> or in tanks
>> with sick fish - especially ones that won't eat or are wasting away. This 
>> could be
>> mycobacterium marinum which is contagous to humans. There's a good 
>> article about it
>> in this months TFH.

Thanks to all who replied, I guess my garden is, as ever, going to be 
watered using aquarium waste water, which is rich in nitrate and other stuff 
plants love. (and happens to be at a temperature which won't shock the 
tomato and pepper plants in the greenhouse ;-)    )

 --
Rich
http://www.richdavies.com
http://www.richdavies.com/tropicalfish.htm
http://www.richdavies.com/profit-protection-recruitment.htm

Rich wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
> week. I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the 
> high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using the 
> old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
> 
> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
> usually carries salmonella.
> 
> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?
> 
> --
> http://www.richdavies.com
> http://www.richdavies.com/tropicalfish.htm
> http://www.richdavies.com/profit-protection-recruitment.htm 
> 
> 
oh er I have been sticking mine on strawberries and the rhubarb I have 
not died as of yet?

"funfly3"  wrote in message news:nN%3i.5748
> oh er I have been sticking mine on strawberries and the rhubarb I have not 
> died as of yet?

We put custard on ours :-)

David.

David (Normandy) wrote:
> "funfly3"  wrote in message news:nN%3i.5748
>> oh er I have been sticking mine on strawberries and the rhubarb I have not 
>> died as of yet?
> 
> We put custard on ours :-)
> 
> David.
> 
> 
now there's a thought rhubarb & custard yummmmm mine needs a little more 
growing time for a water change

"Rich"  wrote
> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
> week. I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of 
> the high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been 
> using the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
> usually carries salmonella.
>
> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?
>
> --
> http://www.richdavies.com
> http://www.richdavies.com/tropicalfish.htm
> http://www.richdavies.com/profit-protection-recruitment.htm

I doubt it as I'm still alive and I've swallowed enough water over the years 
siphoning out tropical fish tanks. Might be true if you kept terrapins as 
they are serious carriers of salmonella.

-- 
Regards
Bob H
17mls W. of London.UK

"Rich"  wrote in message 
news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
> Hi,
>
> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
> week.

Why, it is not neccesary!

 I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
> high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using 
> the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.

Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?

>
> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
> usually carries salmonella.
>
> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?

On Sun, 20 May 2007 22:28:20 GMT, Alan Holmes wrote:

> "Rich"  wrote in message 
> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
>> week.
> 
> Why, it is not neccesary!
> Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?

If you check Alan Holmes posting history on Google, you'll see that he's a
fuckwit troll who's best ignored.

Alan Holmes wrote:
> "Rich"  wrote in message
> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium
>> every week.
>
> Why, it is not neccesary!
>

  I've bred Kribensis, kept a "general tank" and also kept some very fussy 
Discus. A regular water change of 10% to 20% depending on pollutant levels 
is normal practice. The idea of the perfectly balanced tank needing only top 
ups to replace water lost from evaporation is a myth.

Salts, calcium carbonate, "messenger" hormones controlling growth rates from 
the fish and many other pollutants would increase over time without water 
changes using water treated to strip out chlorine and heavy metals.

It is down to the hardiness of the common goldfish that gives rise to all 
those "stick the fish in a bowl of tap water while you scrub out the tank 
once a year" and the practices of lots or careless fishkeepers who stress 
their fish (giving rise to disease, it's not normal for fish to regularly 
die as many seems ready to accept) that give rise to the "I never did water 
changes" stories too.

You are really a "water keeper", keeping the system within certain limits of 
hardness and nitrate load to match the water from the part of the world your 
preferred fish hail from.

Also, the water coming out of the tank is nutrient rich and is great for 
houseplants and food crops. I always used it. Plus, as someone else has 
said, swallowed quite a bit too.

More here http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/wchanges.htm

Les

> I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>> high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been
>> using the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and
>> strawberries.
>
> Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>
>>
>> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium
>> water usually carries salmonella.
>>
>> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?

-- 
Remove Frontal Lobes to reply direct.

"These people believe the souls of fried space aliens inhabit their
bodies and hold soup cans to get rid of them. I should care what they
think?"...Valerie Emmanuel

Les Hemmings  a.a #2251 SA

On Sun, 20 May 2007 18:38:04 +0100, "Rich"  wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
>week. I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the 
>high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using the 
>old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
>usually carries salmonella.
>
>Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?


It's safe.  the amount of nitrate and phosphate is trivial compared to
what's used as liquid fertilizer.  It's a good reuse of water, though.
There are probably some bacteria in the water, but without bacteria we
wouldn't be able to live.

"Les Hemmings"  wrote in message 
news:5bd0o5F2roje2U1@mid.individual.net...
> Alan Holmes wrote:
>> "Rich"  wrote in message
>> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium
>>> every week.
>>
>> Why, it is not neccesary!
>>
>
>  I've bred Kribensis, kept a "general tank" and also kept some very fussy 
> Discus. A regular water change of 10% to 20% depending on pollutant levels 
> is normal practice. The idea of the perfectly balanced tank needing only 
> top ups to replace water lost from evaporation is a myth.

As I've said before, I kept tropical fish for many years, breeding them for 
sale to the local tropical fish shop, and I never, ever changed the water.

If your tank had a proper number of plants in it the water will stay 
healthy.

Alan

On May 20, 5:28�pm, "Alan Holmes"  wrote:
> "Rich"  wrote in message
>
> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>
> > Hi,
>
> > I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every
> > week.
>
> Why, it is not neccesary!
>
>  I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>
> > high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using
> > the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
> Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>
>
>
>
>
> > I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
> > usually carries salmonella.
>
> > Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

How ridiculous.
Unless a tank is packed with live plants, water changes are a MUST!

On May 21, 8:09 am, Tynk  wrote:
> On May 20, 5:28?pm, "Alan Holmes"  wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > "Rich"  wrote in message
>
> >news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>
> > > Hi,
>
> > > I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every
> > > week.
>
> > Why, it is not neccesary!
>
> > ?I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>
> > > high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using
> > > the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
> > Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>
> > > I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
> > > usually carries salmonella.
>
> > > Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?- Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> How ridiculous.
> Unless a tank is packed with live plants, water changes are a MUST!- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I agree with Tynk,

Even in tanks with a lot of live plants I perform at least some water
changes if only for the reason of adding more minerals and
electrolytes.
Water changes are a must and I have been watering my vegetables and my
clients vegetables for 25 + years without a problem.

Carl

On Sun, 20 May 2007 22:28:20 GMT, "Alan Holmes"
 wrote:

>
>"Rich"  wrote in message 
>news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
>> week.
>
>Why, it is not neccesary!
>
> I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>> high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using 
>> the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
>Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>

Are you familiar with "Old Tank Syndrome"?  Try Google for details,
but when you top off your tank without doing water changes, the solid
density increases.  The fish in the tank adjust to the gradual
changes, but adding new fish later on, creates a difficult and
sometimes deadly osmotic pressure adjustment.

I am winging this, but it is what I recall from what I have read.  

I have also formed a personal opinion, filters only  remove large
solid material, dependent on the mesh.  Smaller particles pass
through.  Erosion allows larger particles to eventually break up and
pass back into the tank.

I am a minimalist in most things and even use tap water rather than
risk adding chemicals to adjust water qualities. My tanks are all
heavily planted.  The plants live on fish waste.  I can move fish
between my 5 tanks easily as water condition and temperatures are
equal do to my simple procedures.

>>
>> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
>> usually carries salmonella.
>>
>> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?
>

On Mon, 21 May 2007 11:50:43 GMT, "Alan Holmes"
 wrote:

>
>"Les Hemmings"  wrote in message 
>news:5bd0o5F2roje2U1@mid.individual.net...
>> Alan Holmes wrote:
>>> "Rich"  wrote in message
>>> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium
>>>> every week.
>>>
>>> Why, it is not neccesary!
>>>
>>
>>  I've bred Kribensis, kept a "general tank" and also kept some very fussy 
>> Discus. A regular water change of 10% to 20% depending on pollutant levels 
>> is normal practice. The idea of the perfectly balanced tank needing only 
>> top ups to replace water lost from evaporation is a myth.
>
>As I've said before, I kept tropical fish for many years, breeding them for 
>sale to the local tropical fish shop, and I never, ever changed the water.
>
>If your tank had a proper number of plants in it the water will stay 
>healthy.
>
>Alan
>
 How do you keep the solid density down?

In message , Rich 
 writes
>Hi,
>
>I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every
>week. I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using the
>old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
>usually carries salmonella.
>
How does this nonsense start ? Every Saturday I get a mouthful of water 
from about 3 tanks as I do the weekly water change, and I've never had 
the slightest problem.

By the time it gets onto soil and then gets into the plants any chance 
of it being harmful must be about a hundred times that of winning the 
lottery :-)

It's good muck for the plants and valuable water. All mine goes on 
indoor plants and you should see the size of my Cycads (ooer missus).


-- 
Edward Cowling    "Time Fly's Like an Arrow.
                                  Fruit Flies Like A Bannana."

In article ,
Rich  wrote:
>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
>usually carries salmonella.

Do you know how rural septic systems work? In a nutshell, bugs when exposed to air,
die.

There are caveats: I wouldn't do this with tanks fed tubifex worms (they are often harvested
in Mexico and feed on human waste, sometiems contaminated with hepatitis) or in tanks
with sick fish - especially ones that won't eat or are wasting away. This could be
mycobacterium marinum which is contagous to humans. There's a good article about it
in this months TFH.


-- 
   Need Mercedes parts?   http://parts.mbz.org
Richard Sexton       | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

The only way I can see anyone contracting salmonella  from a fish tank 
would be if terrapins  and certain smails were  kept in the tank ,  saying 
that  there are a lot of different strains of salmonella out there , but all 
are just as nasty as each other ,  watering  your garden with water from 
your tank, is a more ecological way  of using all the nutrients suspended in 
the water  than just pouring it  down a drain where it will end up goint to 
a water treatment plant  and  back through your tap ,  If your really 
worried  you can always look at getting an  inline  UV Filter  to kill any 
bugs ,
On Water changes I have 4 tanks running  and only  do water changes  every 
14 days or so  and then  only about  25%  max
"Richard Sexton"  wrote in message 
news:f32ivm$bjf$1@news.datemas.de...
> In article ,
> Rich  wrote:
>>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
>>usually carries salmonella.
>
> Do you know how rural septic systems work? In a nutshell, bugs when 
> exposed to air,
> die.
>
> There are caveats: I wouldn't do this with tanks fed tubifex worms (they 
> are often harvested
> in Mexico and feed on human waste, sometiems contaminated with hepatitis) 
> or in tanks
> with sick fish - especially ones that won't eat or are wasting away. This 
> could be
> mycobacterium marinum which is contagous to humans. There's a good article 
> about it
> in this months TFH.
>
>
> -- 
>   Need Mercedes parts?   http://parts.mbz.org
> Richard Sexton       | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
> 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
> 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

"Andrew Gratton"  wrote in message 
news:YCC5i.969$J15.357@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net...
> The only way I can see anyone contracting salmonella  from a fish tank 
> would be if terrapins  and certain smails were  kept in the tank ,  saying 
> that  there are a lot of different strains of salmonella out there , but 
> all are just as nasty as each other ,  watering  your garden with water 
> from your tank, is a more ecological way  of using all the nutrients 
> suspended in the water  than just pouring it  down a drain where it will 
> end up goint to a water treatment plant  and  back through your tap ,  If 
> your really worried  you can always look at getting an  inline  UV Filter 
> to kill any bugs ,
> On Water changes I have 4 tanks running  and only  do water changes  every 
> 14 days or so  and then  only about  25%  max
> "Richard Sexton"  wrote in message 
> news:f32ivm$bjf$1@news.datemas.de...
>> In article ,
>> Rich  wrote:
>>>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium 
>>>water
>>>usually carries salmonella.
>>
>> Do you know how rural septic systems work? In a nutshell, bugs when 
>> exposed to air,
>> die.
>>
>> There are caveats: I wouldn't do this with tanks fed tubifex worms (they 
>> are often harvested
>> in Mexico and feed on human waste, sometiems contaminated with hepatitis) 
>> or in tanks
>> with sick fish - especially ones that won't eat or are wasting away. This 
>> could be
>> mycobacterium marinum which is contagous to humans. There's a good 
>> article about it
>> in this months TFH.

Thanks to all who replied, I guess my garden is, as ever, going to be 
watered using aquarium waste water, which is rich in nitrate and other stuff 
plants love. (and happens to be at a temperature which won't shock the 
tomato and pepper plants in the greenhouse ;-)    )

 --
Rich
http://www.richdavies.com
http://www.richdavies.com/tropicalfish.htm
http://www.richdavies.com/profit-protection-recruitment.htm

On Sun, 20 May 2007 22:28:20 GMT, Alan Holmes wrote:

> "Rich"  wrote in message 
> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
>> week.
> 
> Why, it is not neccesary!
> Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?

If you check Alan Holmes posting history on Google, you'll see that he's a
fuckwit troll who's best ignored.

Alan Holmes wrote:
> "Rich"  wrote in message
> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium
>> every week.
>
> Why, it is not neccesary!
>

  I've bred Kribensis, kept a "general tank" and also kept some very fussy 
Discus. A regular water change of 10% to 20% depending on pollutant levels 
is normal practice. The idea of the perfectly balanced tank needing only top 
ups to replace water lost from evaporation is a myth.

Salts, calcium carbonate, "messenger" hormones controlling growth rates from 
the fish and many other pollutants would increase over time without water 
changes using water treated to strip out chlorine and heavy metals.

It is down to the hardiness of the common goldfish that gives rise to all 
those "stick the fish in a bowl of tap water while you scrub out the tank 
once a year" and the practices of lots or careless fishkeepers who stress 
their fish (giving rise to disease, it's not normal for fish to regularly 
die as many seems ready to accept) that give rise to the "I never did water 
changes" stories too.

You are really a "water keeper", keeping the system within certain limits of 
hardness and nitrate load to match the water from the part of the world your 
preferred fish hail from.

Also, the water coming out of the tank is nutrient rich and is great for 
houseplants and food crops. I always used it. Plus, as someone else has 
said, swallowed quite a bit too.

More here http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/wchanges.htm

Les

> I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>> high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been
>> using the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and
>> strawberries.
>
> Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>
>>
>> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium
>> water usually carries salmonella.
>>
>> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?

-- 
Remove Frontal Lobes to reply direct.

"These people believe the souls of fried space aliens inhabit their
bodies and hold soup cans to get rid of them. I should care what they
think?"...Valerie Emmanuel

Les Hemmings  a.a #2251 SA

On Sun, 20 May 2007 18:38:04 +0100, "Rich"  wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
>week. I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the 
>high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using the 
>old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
>usually carries salmonella.
>
>Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?


It's safe.  the amount of nitrate and phosphate is trivial compared to
what's used as liquid fertilizer.  It's a good reuse of water, though.
There are probably some bacteria in the water, but without bacteria we
wouldn't be able to live.

"Les Hemmings"  wrote in message 
news:5bd0o5F2roje2U1@mid.individual.net...
> Alan Holmes wrote:
>> "Rich"  wrote in message
>> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium
>>> every week.
>>
>> Why, it is not neccesary!
>>
>
>  I've bred Kribensis, kept a "general tank" and also kept some very fussy 
> Discus. A regular water change of 10% to 20% depending on pollutant levels 
> is normal practice. The idea of the perfectly balanced tank needing only 
> top ups to replace water lost from evaporation is a myth.

As I've said before, I kept tropical fish for many years, breeding them for 
sale to the local tropical fish shop, and I never, ever changed the water.

If your tank had a proper number of plants in it the water will stay 
healthy.

Alan

On May 20, 5:28�pm, "Alan Holmes"  wrote:
> "Rich"  wrote in message
>
> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>
> > Hi,
>
> > I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every
> > week.
>
> Why, it is not neccesary!
>
>  I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>
> > high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using
> > the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
> Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>
>
>
>
>
> > I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
> > usually carries salmonella.
>
> > Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

How ridiculous.
Unless a tank is packed with live plants, water changes are a MUST!

On May 21, 8:09 am, Tynk  wrote:
> On May 20, 5:28?pm, "Alan Holmes"  wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > "Rich"  wrote in message
>
> >news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>
> > > Hi,
>
> > > I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every
> > > week.
>
> > Why, it is not neccesary!
>
> > ?I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>
> > > high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using
> > > the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
> > Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>
> > > I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
> > > usually carries salmonella.
>
> > > Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?- Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> How ridiculous.
> Unless a tank is packed with live plants, water changes are a MUST!- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I agree with Tynk,

Even in tanks with a lot of live plants I perform at least some water
changes if only for the reason of adding more minerals and
electrolytes.
Water changes are a must and I have been watering my vegetables and my
clients vegetables for 25 + years without a problem.

Carl

On Sun, 20 May 2007 22:28:20 GMT, "Alan Holmes"
 wrote:

>
>"Rich"  wrote in message 
>news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every 
>> week.
>
>Why, it is not neccesary!
>
> I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>> high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using 
>> the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
>Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>

Are you familiar with "Old Tank Syndrome"?  Try Google for details,
but when you top off your tank without doing water changes, the solid
density increases.  The fish in the tank adjust to the gradual
changes, but adding new fish later on, creates a difficult and
sometimes deadly osmotic pressure adjustment.

I am winging this, but it is what I recall from what I have read.  

I have also formed a personal opinion, filters only  remove large
solid material, dependent on the mesh.  Smaller particles pass
through.  Erosion allows larger particles to eventually break up and
pass back into the tank.

I am a minimalist in most things and even use tap water rather than
risk adding chemicals to adjust water qualities. My tanks are all
heavily planted.  The plants live on fish waste.  I can move fish
between my 5 tanks easily as water condition and temperatures are
equal do to my simple procedures.

>>
>> I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
>> usually carries salmonella.
>>
>> Is this true, and if so is it safe to recycle my water in this way ?
>

On Mon, 21 May 2007 11:50:43 GMT, "Alan Holmes"
 wrote:

>
>"Les Hemmings"  wrote in message 
>news:5bd0o5F2roje2U1@mid.individual.net...
>> Alan Holmes wrote:
>>> "Rich"  wrote in message
>>> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium
>>>> every week.
>>>
>>> Why, it is not neccesary!
>>>
>>
>>  I've bred Kribensis, kept a "general tank" and also kept some very fussy 
>> Discus. A regular water change of 10% to 20% depending on pollutant levels 
>> is normal practice. The idea of the perfectly balanced tank needing only 
>> top ups to replace water lost from evaporation is a myth.
>
>As I've said before, I kept tropical fish for many years, breeding them for 
>sale to the local tropical fish shop, and I never, ever changed the water.
>
>If your tank had a proper number of plants in it the water will stay 
>healthy.
>
>Alan
>
 How do you keep the solid density down?

In message , Rich 
 writes
>Hi,
>
>I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every
>week. I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using the
>old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
>usually carries salmonella.
>
How does this nonsense start ? Every Saturday I get a mouthful of water 
from about 3 tanks as I do the weekly water change, and I've never had 
the slightest problem.

By the time it gets onto soil and then gets into the plants any chance 
of it being harmful must be about a hundred times that of winning the 
lottery :-)

It's good muck for the plants and valuable water. All mine goes on 
indoor plants and you should see the size of my Cycads (ooer missus).


-- 
Edward Cowling    "Time Fly's Like an Arrow.
                                  Fruit Flies Like A Bannana."

In article ,
Rich  wrote:
>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water 
>usually carries salmonella.

Do you know how rural septic systems work? In a nutshell, bugs when exposed to air,
die.

There are caveats: I wouldn't do this with tanks fed tubifex worms (they are often harvested
in Mexico and feed on human waste, sometiems contaminated with hepatitis) or in tanks
with sick fish - especially ones that won't eat or are wasting away. This could be
mycobacterium marinum which is contagous to humans. There's a good article about it
in this months TFH.


-- 
   Need Mercedes parts?   http://parts.mbz.org
Richard Sexton       | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

The only way I can see anyone contracting salmonella  from a fish tank 
would be if terrapins  and certain smails were  kept in the tank ,  saying 
that  there are a lot of different strains of salmonella out there , but all 
are just as nasty as each other ,  watering  your garden with water from 
your tank, is a more ecological way  of using all the nutrients suspended in 
the water  than just pouring it  down a drain where it will end up goint to 
a water treatment plant  and  back through your tap ,  If your really 
worried  you can always look at getting an  inline  UV Filter  to kill any 
bugs ,
On Water changes I have 4 tanks running  and only  do water changes  every 
14 days or so  and then  only about  25%  max
"Richard Sexton"  wrote in message 
news:f32ivm$bjf$1@news.datemas.de...
> In article ,
> Rich  wrote:
>>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium water
>>usually carries salmonella.
>
> Do you know how rural septic systems work? In a nutshell, bugs when 
> exposed to air,
> die.
>
> There are caveats: I wouldn't do this with tanks fed tubifex worms (they 
> are often harvested
> in Mexico and feed on human waste, sometiems contaminated with hepatitis) 
> or in tanks
> with sick fish - especially ones that won't eat or are wasting away. This 
> could be
> mycobacterium marinum which is contagous to humans. There's a good article 
> about it
> in this months TFH.
>
>
> -- 
>   Need Mercedes parts?   http://parts.mbz.org
> Richard Sexton       | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
> 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
> 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

"Andrew Gratton"  wrote in message 
news:YCC5i.969$J15.357@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net...
> The only way I can see anyone contracting salmonella  from a fish tank 
> would be if terrapins  and certain smails were  kept in the tank ,  saying 
> that  there are a lot of different strains of salmonella out there , but 
> all are just as nasty as each other ,  watering  your garden with water 
> from your tank, is a more ecological way  of using all the nutrients 
> suspended in the water  than just pouring it  down a drain where it will 
> end up goint to a water treatment plant  and  back through your tap ,  If 
> your really worried  you can always look at getting an  inline  UV Filter 
> to kill any bugs ,
> On Water changes I have 4 tanks running  and only  do water changes  every 
> 14 days or so  and then  only about  25%  max
> "Richard Sexton"  wrote in message 
> news:f32ivm$bjf$1@news.datemas.de...
>> In article ,
>> Rich  wrote:
>>>I was covinced this was a great idea until somkeone told me aquarium 
>>>water
>>>usually carries salmonella.
>>
>> Do you know how rural septic systems work? In a nutshell, bugs when 
>> exposed to air,
>> die.
>>
>> There are caveats: I wouldn't do this with tanks fed tubifex worms (they 
>> are often harvested
>> in Mexico and feed on human waste, sometiems contaminated with hepatitis) 
>> or in tanks
>> with sick fish - especially ones that won't eat or are wasting away. This 
>> could be
>> mycobacterium marinum which is contagous to humans. There's a good 
>> article about it
>> in this months TFH.

Thanks to all who replied, I guess my garden is, as ever, going to be 
watered using aquarium waste water, which is rich in nitrate and other stuff 
plants love. (and happens to be at a temperature which won't shock the 
tomato and pepper plants in the greenhouse ;-)    )

 --
Rich
http://www.richdavies.com
http://www.richdavies.com/tropicalfish.htm
http://www.richdavies.com/profit-protection-recruitment.htm

"Les Hemmings"  wrote in message 
news:5bd0o5F2roje2U1@mid.individual.net...
> Alan Holmes wrote:
>> "Rich"  wrote in message
>> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium
>>> every week.
>>
>> Why, it is not neccesary!
>>
>
>  I've bred Kribensis, kept a "general tank" and also kept some very fussy 
> Discus. A regular water change of 10% to 20% depending on pollutant levels 
> is normal practice. The idea of the perfectly balanced tank needing only 
> top ups to replace water lost from evaporation is a myth.

As I've said before, I kept tropical fish for many years, breeding them for 
sale to the local tropical fish shop, and I never, ever changed the water.

If your tank had a proper number of plants in it the water will stay 
healthy.

Alan

On May 20, 5:28�pm, "Alan Holmes"  wrote:
> "Rich"  wrote in message
>
> news:m-ednXqXZ7nkGs3bnZ2dnUVZ8v2vnZ2d@bt.com...
>
> > Hi,
>
> > I change 20% of the water in my 180L Tropical Freshwater Aquarium every
> > week.
>
> Why, it is not neccesary!
>
>  I'm sure this year we're gonna get a hose pipe ban, and mindful of the
>
> > high Nitrate and Phosphate content of my aquarium water, I've been using
> > the old water for my garden, particularly tomatoes and strawberries.
>
> Why waste good water which will do more good being left in the tank?
>