The worst thing about this hobby is that I feel like I'm using up way more water than I need to. We do laundry or rinse dishes with the RO wastewater. Is there any way to use the water that is pulled out during a routine water change? Evaporate/distill it and re-use the salt? Some chemical process that will take out the nitrates so I can put it right back in the tank? A way to filter it so I can safely use it to, at the very least, water plants (will salt hurt em?) or do laundry?
Can tank water be recycled?
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redfishbluefish
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The cost of processing dirty saltwater is too high to consider doing this.
Have you looked into NatuReef where you would do minimal water changes?
Have you looked into NatuReef where you would do minimal water changes?
Paul B
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It is recycled, when we dump it in a sewer, it eventually makes it's way back to the ocean. So don't worry about it 
Down the drain so it gets treated and recyled over and over at your local municipal wastewater treatment plant.
It is recycled, when we dump it in a sewer, it eventually makes it's way back to the ocean. So don't worry about it
Tell that to the water dept, who really likes to take my checks!
I've looked intro denitrifyers but from what I've seen they're super super expensive. I'm setting up a 29g barebottom tank and will be doing daily spot-cleaning and am looking into my options (refugium vs skimmer vs reactor). Hopefully I wont need to do as many water changes with this barebottom thing but I just have no idea yet.
Cameron
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This is a interesting topic to me. I have a septic tank, and from what I understand, salt water isn't the best for it. I've been pouring it down the sink since I only have a 20 gallon tank and only change out a couple gallons at a time, but I'm looking for a better alternative as well.
Homer Allman
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This is something I too have been thinking about. What I would do if room and warmth allowed. I would get one of those outdoor goldfish ponds. Fill it with mangroves and macro algae. I would then use my old tank water for the water. After a while I would run some tests to see if the water has been cleaned. If it worked you can return it to the tank. It's basically the same thing you do in a refugium with mangroves and macro only larger scale ans seperate from your main system. I can see this working, especially in a large tub indoors.
Saltwater isn't that bad for septic systems, it often helps break up clay type soils. Besides that, reef tank water has a lot less salt than water softener brine which people have been flushing down the drain for decades.
MOPAR
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It may be a waste of time but you could make a solar still. It would be easy and cheap. It would be a slow process, but in the end you would have water that could be used to water lawn or plants. As far as the salt goes I don't know.
Squishie89
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It seems the weeds outside my house love the saltwater -.-
mandinga
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I felt the same way...but after I stopped doing water changes three years ago my water wasting went to 0...the only water I throw out is skimmer waste and water that my corals come home in.here is an older pic of my mixed reef:
