Regular Member Wesleyworking Posted July 11, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted July 11, 2014 Hey guys! Today I was walking down my creek and found some water cress. My mom eats it because she says it taste like lettuce but she always has to go out and find the water cress. I was thinking about growing it on the top of my aquarium. It would be nice to lower my nitrates and bit and give my goldfish something to munch on if I miss a feeding. Also do you think you could sanitize so my mom could eat it. I thought you could because I would think my aquarium would be much cleaner than the creek we get it out of. Also how would I clean it to put in the tank so no diseases or parasites get into the tank. Thanks! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Daniel Posted July 11, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted July 11, 2014 I wouldn't eat anything out of my aquarium, the idea weirds me out. Whether or not the plant you've found is safe for consumption is something to consider too. I've found blueberries and corn locally; however, all the native plants in creeks around here are exposed to all sorts of nasty run off from cars. Watercress is a great for aquaponics and is how it's grown on farms. If you ever get the chance you should visit a watercress farm, very interesting. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GoldenSpoiledRotten Posted July 11, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted July 11, 2014 If you use seachem prime, you cannot grow plants to eat in your tank. Prime isn't a human-consumption-rated water conditioner, and it even says on the bottle not to use it with things you are going to eat. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member yafashelli Posted July 11, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted July 11, 2014 (edited) If you use seachem prime, you cannot grow plants to eat in your tank. Prime isn't a human-consumption-rated water conditioner, and it even says on the bottle not to use it with things you are going to eat. Lots of people water their gardens with their aquarium water. Does that make it unsuitable for use on food gardens (as opposed to flowers)? I haven't the slightest idea. Edited July 11, 2014 by yafashelli 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GoldenSpoiledRotten Posted July 11, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted July 11, 2014 (edited) If you use seachem prime, you cannot grow plants to eat in your tank. Prime isn't a human-consumption-rated water conditioner, and it even says on the bottle not to use it with things you are going to eat. Lots of people water their gardens with their aquarium water. Does that make it unsuitable for use on food gardens (as opposed to flowers)? I haven't the slightest idea. I think it does, according to the label and the MSDS. I wouldn't use that water on anything you want to put in your mouth. Edited July 11, 2014 by ChelseaM 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member yafashelli Posted July 11, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted July 11, 2014 If you use seachem prime, you cannot grow plants to eat in your tank. Prime isn't a human-consumption-rated water conditioner, and it even says on the bottle not to use it with things you are going to eat. Lots of people water their gardens with their aquarium water. Does that make it unsuitable for use on food gardens (as opposed to flowers)? I haven't the slightest idea. I think it does, according to the label and the MSDS. I wouldn't use that water on anything you want to put in your mouth. I haven't the slightest idea, but I think that it would be an interesting question to ask Seachem. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GoldenSpoiledRotten Posted July 11, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted July 11, 2014 If you use seachem prime, you cannot grow plants to eat in your tank. Prime isn't a human-consumption-rated water conditioner, and it even says on the bottle not to use it with things you are going to eat. Lots of people water their gardens with their aquarium water. Does that make it unsuitable for use on food gardens (as opposed to flowers)? I haven't the slightest idea. I think it does, according to the label and the MSDS. I wouldn't use that water on anything you want to put in your mouth. I haven't the slightest idea, but I think that it would be an interesting question to ask Seachem. The MSDS States the following: Precautions to Be Taken in Handling and Storing: Do not introduce to drinking water or foodstuffs. Wash hands after use, wear gloves if exposure is prolonged. I will check the seachem forum and/or ask anyway though. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Daniel Posted July 11, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted July 11, 2014 Wesley, if you wanted to grow watercress for your mum, you can do so in a pot of compost and/or potting mix. You need to the keep the soil pretty wet and water daily, but the plant itself doesn't need flowing water or an aquarium to grow. You can even do micro herbs (a micro herb is just a juvenile plant picked before it develops further) in a shallow pot by a window of sunlight. Plants don't need much. I used to grow peas by a window when I was your age. It's a good way to get into sustainable vegetable gardening. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Wesleyworking Posted July 11, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 11, 2014 Ok thanks for all the answers! So eating it will be a big no no. [emoji23] I can grow it outside of my mom really wants it. But I will probably grow it in my aquarium. Thanks again! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member *Amanda* Posted July 11, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted July 11, 2014 (edited) Watercress can be very high in lead and arsenic. We wanted to put it in one of our new products at work, but we weren't able to because we couldn't find any materials that were low enough in heavy metals. [emoji17] This is just something else to be aware of with watercress. I would hope that the fresh stuff you can buy at the grocery store is safe, but wouldn't trust something I found/grew unless I had test results. Perhaps you could call the supplier of the herbs/seeds and ask? Of course, the samples we tested that failed may have been grown in a high-lead environment, so it may not be a function of the plant itself, but rather where it's grown. Edited July 11, 2014 by *Amanda* 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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