What Is Fish Poop Does It Have Any Uses?

What is fish poop does it have any uses? This is the last in a whole series of posts detailing the fish faecal matter.

We have explored the fact that fish do indeed poo and how they poop as well as why they have to expel waste and how this helps in keeping an eye on our fish.

For health and vitality and in checking fish stress levels diet etc. Now we will be tackling what is actually in fish poo and what poop does and its uses if any.

Starting with a basic overview and answering the question briefly here before going into more in-depth after join me here as we look into this important topic.

What’s in Fish Poop?

Does It Have Any Uses?

Fish poop is made of salt nitrogen lactic acid bacteria also calcium phosphorus and potassium and has many uses including aiding in the continued cycling of tanks water and as fertilizer for plants crops and gardens.

What is in the poop that helps with your tanks cycle

As well as having lactic acid bacteria which helps for fertilizing plants in the tank. There are also trace bacteria those lcb bacteria and ammonia both are vital.

As ammonia is needed if the good bacteria are to flourish. Nitrogen is released from the poop back into the water.

This builds up more ammonia the good bacteria eat the ammonia. Turning nitrogen into nitrites. Once the nitrites start growing those lcb and other good bacteria eat the nitrites turning them into nitrate.

So some poop is very good although too much and the tank produces too much ammonia this is why we never overstock or overfeed our fish.

It’s a balancing act.

What Else Is In Fish Poop & Its Uses

There are trace minerals such as zinc and vitamin D that help with cultivating the soil along with calcium nitrogen and phosphates all help get the soil ready for plants to grow in.

Fish Poop Great For Plant Life

Aquaponics

How does your garden grow well these days it’s looking more and more likely to be by fish poop. That’s right fish pop is way better and way faster at growing and maintaining your plant life.

Aquaponics as its become known to us is all the rage as it is better at providing the nutrients the soil absorbs those nutrients faster and can deliver them to the plants more effectively.

Even crops within the farming industry are starting to take advantage.

Why Fish Waste Over Manure?

Simple really speed both in how fast the nutrients get into the soil and how fast they feed the plants and crops. But also how fast they grow afterwards too.

The nutrients hit the soil over twice as fast and now even faster when used within the water from a tank. Apparently getting the nutrients straight in via liquid form is yet another game changer.

There is no extra breakdown required as there would be in manure and so no wastage in nutrients ie the plants and or crops get close to if not 100 per cent of all the goodness needed.

So they grow faster and keep growing for longer think of those huge marrows etc at the veggie shows.

Fish Poop For The Environmental win

The production of fish waste even on an agricultural market in order for farming crops would half the costs and over half the overall emissions as well as there is no oil involved.

Fish poop for the win. What about doing it yourself and aquaplaning etc.

Bio Organic Fish Tank Planting

The system is completely safe to do at home and hobbyists have been growing plants for their tanks for many years using fish waste.

Simply by using the water from your tank during water changes or from your ponds. Just be sure you have not used any pesticides on your garden if using pond water.

You can even buy some waste fertilizer be careful and read the ingredients as some may have chlorine in shocker.

Bio Organic Fish Poop Used In African Farming

Aquaponics The Water Cycle & Growing Crops

Certain farms in Africa are now keeping freshwater fish. They raised these fish in one tank and the wastewater runs off into another tank that has crops in it.

As the plants take all the nutrients they absorb the fertilizer which in turn cleans the water. After the water has been cleaned it is returned back to the fish tank.

A process called biomimicry is the complete aquaponic cycle with no waste. The process might only be on a small scale but each community village is becoming self-sufficient.

Each village is able to grow enough to sustain itself and it’s rumoured to be three times faster than even aquaponics using soil.

Which could well be up to five times faster than traditional agriculture using manure. Amazing stuff and with little to no wastage.

What Is In Fish Poop & Are There Any Uses For It Conclusion

We have learned a fair bit in researching this post and I think you will too in reading. Fish poop has some unique properties that can be put to good use.

Turns out fish faecal matter has beneficial bacteria calcium potassium phosphorus nitrogen and just the right amount of salt.

Perfect for helping keep a tank cycled as long as we don’t overfeed or overstock the tank. And so long as we remove any uneaten food and hoover excess poop from the tank’s substrate it’s a balancing act remember.

We have also learned that aquaponics is amazing and fish poop can be used to fertilize plants and crops alike as well as help in the process of helping those very plants give us fresh clean water back.

We hope more hobbyists will give aquaponics a go and start growing their own plants even if it’s only for their own fish tanks.

As plants will also help by absorbing some of those bad bacteria fish keeping it’s all one big cycle each piece helping the other.

Hope as always you enjoyed the read. I enjoyed writing this post that’s for sure.