Regarding base fertilizer?

[Nicholas Tay]

I am new in planted. I have the following questions regarding base fertilizer. Anyone can help?

1) After using base fertilizer for initial set-up, is there a need to replenish base fertilizer? If yes, how often? Any particular recommendation if need to replenish base fertilizer?

2) For initial set-up, how much base fertilizer should I put and any particular recommended base fertilizer to buy?

[|squee|]

1) You usually do not need to replenish your base fertiliser if you dose regularly through liquid fertilisers. Even if you depend entirely on the base fertiliser, it'll probably take a few years to deplete.

2) Get at least a 1.5cm layer of base fertiliser. I use JBL Aquabasis. There's also Dennerle Deponit-Mix, and many others.

[juggler]

Nicholas: In your other post http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=14427 you seem to have a planted tank up and running. Is this base fert question for another set up?

Just asking ...

[Nicholas Tay]

Terence: Thanks for your advise on base fertilizer. I read that some are using Root Monster base fertilizer and it come in a cone shape for you to insert into the substrate. If there is no need to replenish the base fertilizer, what is this Root Monster for?

Koah Fong: You are right that I have a tank that is running right now. Reason I want to find out about base fertilizer is because I am wandering whether I should replenish my base fertilizer as my current tank is already around 2 yrs. Also because my red plant is not doing well in my tank, so I want to find out if it is due to my base fertilizer. Thanks for asking!

Nicholas

[juggler]

Nicholas: If everything has been going well, there's no need to change base fertiliser. Like Terence said, plants can draw nutrients from the water through their leaves. For those heavy root feeders like those big Echinodorus, Lotus, Aponogetons, you can add a bit of fertiliser stick (or the cone-shaped root monster) at its root area to give it a boost.

I have a tank about 2.5 years old now and I have not added extra fertiliser to the soil substrate. 2 months back I did a complete rescape and the newly planted hair grass can still grow well.

[aquarius]

I heard from three lfs owners that after a few years, you will need to throw away the substrate and redo the whole tank again due to the accumulated dirt and the lost of the nutrients in the base fert.

Is this true and do you guys actually do that?

[PeterGwee]

I heard from three lfs owners that after a few years, you will need to throw away the substrate and redo the whole tank again due to the accumulated dirt and the lost of the nutrients in the base fert.

Is this true and do you guys actually do that?

Too much mulm will cause the substrate to go "sour" and cause plant growth issue. But if you often uproot plants and remove the bottom before replanting, the issue should not happen that fast. You can also vac the substrate annually like Tom Barr recommends (which is why I don't use JBL top off with lapis gravel..imagine the mess you will get if you vac the substrate with that combo?).

Regards
Peter Gwee

[aquarius]

What do you use since you don't use JBL top off with lapis sand?

[PeterGwee]

What do you use since you don't use JBL top off with lapis sand?

Personally, I use Seachem flourite and nothing underneath it. Its definitely much cleaner to uproot things now than previously with JBL topoff with lapis gravel.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[celticfish]

hi peter,

i'm also new to planted tank matters. i have recently purchased a full setup from a planted tank old-hand. my goal is to save as many plants as possible, or better yet, and cultivate more plants for future use. currently i have them in a "super low tech" 3' tank (only water, fish and plants). tank is placed in a shaded porch (no direct sunlight) with no lights and filter. weekly water change of 25 to 50% and top-up of Bioplast fert. all pants are potted with salvaged deponit and dennerle gravel (2cm and 4cm - minimum). plant growth is slow and steady with no algae attack other then the brown stuff typical of new tanks. the only calamity was a crypt meltdown which i'm happy to say are now regrowing well. i will put a post of the tank when i figure the picture size reduction thingy. my "hi tech tank" project is pending house renovations *sigh*... imagine having all this equipment and not being able to use them!! so i'm trying to pickup as much as i can in the meantime.
may i ask:

a) what are the signs to lookout for when the substrate goes sour?

b) also, if you have quite dense planting how do you vac those areas? would one have to uproot vac then replant or leave out that area? what if every square inch in planted?!

c) do you use seachem flourite with point fert like root monster and deponit for "hungry" plants like large echinodorus? or is seachem flourite good enough? can you expound on the virtues of flourite compared to stuff like dennerle's deponit mix?

with many thanks!
celticfish

Personally, I use Seachem flourite and nothing underneath it. Its definitely much cleaner to uproot things now than previously with JBL topoff with lapis gravel.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[wynx]

I heard from three lfs owners that after a few years, you will need to throw away the substrate and redo the whole tank again due to the accumulated dirt and the lost of the nutrients in the base fert.

Is this true and do you guys actually do that?

I did a rescape of my tank, only after 6yrs tank started. To that, some plants does better than others...

I did supplement fertizilers through the use of root monsters, etc. Consequently, I am never a good echinodorus keeper.