Tip of the Day – 10/15/2013

Many of the consumable items for our aquariums that we toss in the trash or flush down the sink after they’ve outlived their use can be reused and recycled to significantly prolong their usefulness. Activated carbon and GFO, for example, can both be “reactivated” by baking them out in an oven and soaking them in sodium hydroxide, respectively. While the number of “reactivations” isn’t infinite, the process helps keeps costs down while also reducing waste. Another consumable that we don’t think much about is the waste water from an RO/DI water filtration unit. Some hobbyists let the waste go down a sink or some other drain, but why waste this water? It can be re-purposed into water for your plants, washing your car, or whatever else you might need water for. Many of the items we use on a daily basis can be used over and over again, and not just on our aquariums. So, be sure to conserve and reuse as much as possible, you’ll thank yourself in the long run.