Help on Fertilizer

[rudi]

Dear All,

Newbie here needs help.

I'm currently using ocenfree brown color gravel i think its call ocenfree biogravel. The seller told me its something like ADA but lower grade. Co2 from with diffuser and 2 x 36w PL light. I am keeping shrimps and mosquito and spotted resbora. I have soime black color hair algae growing on some leaves of my plants. I have Tonina, moss, hair grass, APP, some green colored lotus and mini nana.

My Tonina seems to lost the bright green color after a while although they are still growing. Is it because there is not enough fertilizer? The seller told me i need not use any fertilizer under the substrate as it is sufficient.

And i read through many of the articles on fertilizer but i cannot understand the uasge. Pardon me for my stupidity. How should i add fertilizer?

What are the necessary fertilizer i should add? What are trace mix? Any easy all in one fertilizer around cause i do not want to over dose and kill my shrimps.

I saw on the net previously there is a nature aquarium.com that is selling some fertilizer but it has closed down. Are those sufficient? And where can those be bought?

Thank you.

Cheers,
Blur, confused newbie

[|squee|]

You need to add liquid fertilisers because of a couple of reasons:

1) Your substrate cannot provide all of the numerous elements required by plants, no matter how good the gravel is. Even if it can, you will still need to add liquid fertilisers later on as the nutrients in the substrate are used up.

2) You have CO2 for your plants. CO2 allows plants to maximise their growth rates, and thus need more of the elements (nutrients) they require. Your substrate cannot provide for so much.

3) You have high lighting (if it's a standard 2ft tank). High lighting coupled with CO2 = plant haven. But it won't be a haven if food (nutrients) is not provided for them.

There are two paths you can choose:

• Commercial fertilisation
• Dry powder fertilisation

Commerical fertilisation

This means you buy the whole set of fertilisers from a company/brand. You can choose ADA, Sera, Dennerle, etc etc. However, they cost alot and if you run into problems it's difficult to find help online. You hvae to use their full range if you want the best results as usually they make their products work with each other.

Dry power fertilisation

This means you dose fertilisers through 3 (or 4) items:

1) KNO3, potassium nitrate (??)
2) KH2PO4, potassium phosphate
3) Trace element mix
4) Seachem Equilibrium (optional)

KNO3 and KH2PO4 provides the 3 major elements needed by plants: nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous.

Trace element mix can be any commercial product like Tropica Plant Nutrition, or Seachem Flourish or Ferka Aquatilizer. Anything can provides trace elements for plants. This product provides for the trace elements needed by plants.

Seachem Equilibrium provides calcium, magnesium, manganese, sulphur, and a whole lot of other elements as well.

If you add the above, you can be assured that you are providing everything possible your plants need for nutrition.

Now comes the question of how to dose these?

I recommend following the Estimative Index by Tom Barr. This is a light version, if you want technical details read this.

Also read the general guide to growing plants well.

However, if you want it all simple and easy, don't dose fertilisers, don't add CO2, use 36W of light, don't change water just topup, and add Ferka Aquatilizer and Ferka Balance-K weekly.

If you really cannot afford the loss of your shrimps, then you shouldn't even be considering planted tanks since there are a lot of variables that are present in a planted tank.

[NDC]

wow Squee, that is very informative and easy to understand. Thanks man

But i saw on the website you provide there is this (+/- 1/16 tsp K2S04 3x a week) what is this for? and the optional seachem equilibrium, what is it function?

Sorry for the stupid question just want to know more


Cheers!

[|squee|]

No prob, I used to go through that before and it was also very confusing.

The K2SO4 (potassium sulphate) is like Seachem Equilibrium, optional. It provides mainly potassium along with sulphur. However, read here on why Tom Barr says that only KNO3 is needed.

I'd add Seachem Equilibrium still though, since it makes me feel good anyway

[Freddy]

Hi,

K2SO4 is for supplementing your plants with Potassium(K). Seachem Equilibrium is also providing K plus other elements like Ca, Mg, Fe and Mn. The recommended K range is about 20-30ppm. There are fert calculators to help you with calculation of fert dosing like:

1) http://www.fishfriend.com/fertfriend.html
2) http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/f...fertilator.php
3) http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_aquacalc.htm

Hope these help..

[NDC]

Hi Squee,

Another stupid question here early in the morning

You mentioned that planted tank is not for shrimps is it because the dousing might kill them instead?

Cheers,
Andy

[|squee|]

Well... yes and no. I'm personally puzzled with people who want to have a shrimp planted tank. On one hand they want to keep their prized shrimp from harm, on the other hand they want to go into the complexities of a planted tank.

Then you take a look at people who keep prized discus, arowanas... they are all in empty tanks with only the necessities inside. My point is, don't risk introducing variables if you have expensive shrimp/fish to keep. A planted tank introduces a heck load of variables.

Of course if I'm not saying that dosing fertilisers will harm shrimps. I'm just erring on the side of caution.

[uklau]

Great job, Terence. Your willingness to share & educate us makes you a star!
Keep it up, man.

[spinex]

Well... yes and no. I'm personally puzzled with people who want to have a shrimp planted tank. On one hand they want to keep their prized shrimp from harm, on the other hand they want to go into the complexities of a planted tank.

Then you take a look at people who keep prized discus, arowanas... they are all in empty tanks with only the necessities inside. My point is, don't risk introducing variables if you have expensive shrimp/fish to keep. A planted tank introduces a heck load of variables.

Of course if I'm not saying that dosing fertilisers will harm shrimps. I'm just erring on the side of caution.

Usually those on pure shrimp tank will dose very little + low maintainence plant. In this way, the plant still can grow and won't require so much effort.