The big news came last week as California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a drought emergency for the state. Sure we’ve had plenty of rain in February but January was one dry month. There is some debate as to the exact nature of our summer and how it will effect water usage. There are some simple things we can do as hobbyists to cut down on our use of water without sacrificing water changes all together.

Now is a good time to inspect your reverse osmosis/de-ionization (RO/DI) unit if you have one.
Make sure you check your sediment and carbon cartridges and make sure the housing is clean and the filters are seated properly. Also inspect your RO membrane and make sure its all in one piece and there are no visible signs of damage.

Instead of running the waste water from your unit right down the drain, let the hose fill your washing machine and use it to wash a load of clothes. This way you are using nearly 100% of the water, some for your tank and some for your laundry.

If you have a freshwater tank, use your waste water from water changes for your lawn, plants and flowers. The waste in the water will be a great nutrient source and may give your greenery a boost.

If you have a saltwater tank, you can’t really use it on your lawn as it could kill off your grass. You could do a few things though. Use some of this water to “flush” the toilet as needed. Its going down the drain anyway, might as well make it a useful trip. This beats the old “If it’s brown flush it down, if it’s yellow let it mellow” philosophy from the big drought days of the early 80s.

Also why not use this to wash your nasty tank rags and towels? The soap will help get rid of the nasties and the freshwater rinse cycle will remove all the salt sediments. I don’t think you want to wash your delicates this way, but for something like rags or towels it would work just fine.

You can also do more universal things like take shorter showers, don’t water your lawn so often, and add special fittings to your faucets so you can block the flow while soaping your hands or brushing your teeth. A drought can suck but by being a bit smarter you can cut down on your water use and keep your fish, corals and inverts happy.