Would aquarium water be bad for chickens?

[Kisura]

Would you consider using water from a fresh water fish tank to water your chickens? We have a 30gal heavily planted freshwater tank; we change the water every week. We test the water regularly and maintain it at 5-10 ppm nitrate, 0 nitrite, 0 ammonia, and 7.2ph. During the summer we put it on the garden, but have recently started thinking about giving it to the chickens. We have been giving the chickens a floating plant (like duckweed) when we clean it and it’s their favorite treat after mealworms. Thoughts?

 

[JaeG]

Your tank sounds very well balanced and I don't see a problem with using that water for your chickens. It would only be if you were doing a gravel clean that you wouldn't give it too them (your garden will love it though) or if you had to medicate it for some reason.

Once we get the plumbing sorted our chickens will be watered via our farm dam and when it rains they prefer to drink out of the drain that collects the water that comes off the hill behind us and runs past their coop. Our ducks live on the dam without issue. Judging by the insect life in and around the water it can't be too bad quality-wise.

 

[Kisura]

Thank you @JaeG! That makes sense about the gravel clean. I hadn’t thought of that, but I’m sure my husband would have as he’s the one maintaining the tank

Sounds like you have and will have a great setup!

 

[Folly's place]

As garden fertilizer, for ornamentals, it's great. For vegetables, or waterers, no way.
Mary

 

[Kisura]

As garden fertilizer, for ornamentals, it's great. For vegetables, or waterers, no way.
Mary

Thanks for the comment Mary. I’m curious why you wouldn’t use the aquarium water for vegetables or waterers?

 

[MarkJr]

Thanks for the comment Mary. I’m curious why you wouldn’t use the aquarium water for vegetables or waterers?

Would you drink it straight?

Some vegetables have the ability to draw moistures contamination directly into the produce. This uptake has caused lettuce recalls just this past summer.

 

[Kisura]

Would you drink it straight?

Some vegetables have the ability to draw moistures contamination directly into the produce. This uptake has caused lettuce recalls just this past summer.

Thanks Mark. I probably wouldn’t drink it straight, but I‘m not sure it‘d be unsafe to do so. I guess that is what my question really was - the nitrate levels are within drinking water standards.

 

[MarkJr]

Thanks Mark. I probably wouldn’t drink it straight, but I‘m not sure it‘d be unsafe to do so. I guess that is what my question really was - the nitrate levels are within drinking water standards.

I fed my cherry tomato plant aquarium water for years. Houseplants loved it too.

 

[MarkJr]

And my nitrate numbers were far off the safe scale.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Maybe I’m just a germophobe but I think I would be grossed out drinking it even kept clean, fish can carry salmonella so that may be a concern but then again chickens can too. All that said though, animals can drink some disgusting things by their own choice like my chickens prefer dirty muddy/probably poopy puddles over clean water and many dogs drink from toilets or used to do it might be okay but I personally would think it’d be better to give them fresh clean water but idk. How long would the water stay in there? I go out to top it off/refill every day and some totally replace daily. One of my chickens has drunken from my fish pond before as well as stolen their food though and she’s fine but I don’t think I would intentionally give it as their only water but idk. Maybe you could mix it into a compost pile or something? So the nutrients get added to it and not wasted?