How do you know how much?

[spilopterus]

Was just wondering, how do you guys know you have added enough fertiliser? The thing is I do not really think the instructions on the bottle are good enough. Its a whole different thing having a tank thick and lushful of plants and a tank filled with nanas and bare spots here and there. Not to mention when we mix, imagine adding TMG, Dennerle 7, root monsters, E17 and iron tabs. Something has to give.

I normally see how much the plants bubble. If there is increased bubbling, I'll stick with it. But there is always that feeling I could go higher. I once tried PMDD and over fertilisation resulted in the whole tank crashing.

[vinz]

I usually start at half the dosage and then work from there. Guidelines are algae presence and type, plant growth/health, nitrate and phosphate tests.

[Simon]

i always underdose my tanks, better yet, I no longer fertilizer both my 4 & 6ft

[DEA]

that kind of approach doesn't work for everyone
why don't you tell them what kind of plants you're keeping, simon?

[spilopterus]

Agree with DEA, your plants are not really the liquid fert kinds. See, if I do my whole tank full of java fern, definitely zero base fert and go easy on liquid fert. Not that strict either.

But imagine i got rotala macranda 'red', glosso, hairgrass... whole different ball game.

By the way vinz, care to share how you see algae as signs?

[Simon]

I have all echinodorus in my 6ft and rotala macandra 'red', 'green' form, E. stelleta, one greed tiger lotus, crypto and many more stemmed plants in my 4ft

[vinz]

Diff algae appear depending on which nutrients are lacking or in excess. There are posts about this in different forums, especially the APD and the rec.aquaria.freshwater.* newsgroups. I just read up and then do a guesstimate.

I forgot, also look up the nutrient deficiency charts at TheKrib and then check the plants. Also guesstimation. I'm at the point I'm comfy with the amount, type and location of the algae I'm getting.

[DEA]

----------------
On 8/6/2002 11:30:44 PM

I have all echinodorus in my 6ft and rotala macandra 'red', 'green' form, E. stelleta, one greed tiger lotus, crypto and many more stemmed plants in my 4ft
----------------

strong root feeders
you're using a lot of base fert iirc
your stem plants would be growing faster and stronger if you had some liquid fert is my guess