Which fertiliser to buy???

**jiajuen900** · 19th Oct 2009, 01:02

I have a DENNERLE fertiliser and water conditioner set, could anyone tell me which are the ones (fertilisers) i need to buy in future just to stimulate good plant growth, providing Macro, Micro nutrients, etc.....

And are there any alternative fertilisers available locally that are as good as as DENNERLE and ADA ones that are cheaper. Also if i were to use ADA ferts and not buy the whole set,which ones will i need for good plant growth and have a tight budget

Thanks

**Tristan** · 19th Oct 2009, 09:52

it's being discussed here
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=60434

**jiajuen900** · 19th Oct 2009, 10:46

Okay thanks... but that covers which are alternatives i still have my question on which are the bottles i will have to buy again just as firts and not the water conditioner of the DENNERLE fertiliser and water conditioner set i have.

**Tristan** · 22nd Oct 2009, 01:08

Buy the ones labeled as fertilizer. I'm not familiar with dennerle fert but I'm guessing you want e15 and v30. It's a good idea to read the labels before adding stuff to an aquarium

**jiajuen900** · 22nd Oct 2009, 19:29

they are not exactly clear on what is inside the various bottles of each set. Besides E15 and V30 is there any thing else? Also what do E15 and V30 provide?

**StanChung** · 23rd Oct 2009, 18:53

You need to use 'A1' daily as well. That's potassium if I remember correctly.

Plants need their NPK's and trace elements. Whoever the manufacturer, it's best to get a complete set. For example buying just Brighty K is not enough, you need to use together with Step 2 as the minimum.
Though some manufacturers provide an all in one like Seachem's Flourish Comprehensive.

If you know where, buying dry fert and mixing yourself would save a lot of $$. There's links and discussions here on AQ, be a little diligent and do a search-

**jiajuen900** · 23rd Oct 2009, 19:04

Okay i will see if i can get my hands on A1. Erm.. do you know what e15, V30 and S7 provide . Eg. trace elements, micro nutrients... The labels are not very clear in what the products provde.

Also, if i were to try the ADA line of products, what is the least requirement of what i need to buy eg. Brightly K, ECA, Green brighty step 1...

**StanChung** · 23rd Oct 2009, 20:07

V30 is a comprehensive type fertilizer liquid-smell it and you can probably detect some 'SF Excel' smell!. E15 is an Iron supplement tablet and S7 is a Trace elements and Vitamins for plants and fish.
A1 is a daily NPK-Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium. [I googled a bit to refresh my memory

]

For ADA, The usual combo is Brighty K, Step1 then substitute with Step 2 when tank reaches 3-12 months age. Then come the additional stuff-
Green Brighty Lights Special and Green Brighty Shade Special are for either light hungry plants or ferns as supplement.
The other stuff like ECA is for Iron hungry plants and Green Gain is for plants growing greener and also promote splitting after trimming.

The additional products provide more nutrients to let the aquatic plants reach their full potential. They are usually used as a booster and stop dosing these in case of algae infestation as advised. Only Brighty K is advised to be continued when tank is infested with algae.

**jiajuen900** · 23rd Oct 2009, 21:24

So... A1 is a must.... I bought the whole fertaliser set it did not cantain A1

.
I just googled A1 fert too, now i know i need it ...... On the web site it is stated that when using A1 i do not need to use S7 is this true?

http://www.dennerle.de/en/index.php?...d=53&Itemid=97

Also if i were to try ADA could i just use brightly K and step 2?

**StanChung** · 24th Oct 2009, 00:31

You can just use BK and S2 but your results will show at some point is lacking especially when plant mass is very high.

S7 is stated to have benefits not just for plants but also for your fish. IMO it's a 'booster'.

**jiajuen900** · 24th Oct 2009, 01:08

I really want to try ADA but have a tight budget..... What else would i need if were to grow plants like HC and hair grass in my mini planted tanks?

**StanChung** · 24th Oct 2009, 03:55

Just one bottle of Comprehensive fert[Seachem/Sera/Ferropol] and a bottle of SF Excel.

**jiajuen900** · 24th Oct 2009, 09:55

Originally Posted by StanChung

You can just use BK and S2 but your results will show at some point is lacking especially when plant mass is very high.'.

I think i was not clear....

Since you said plants would show lacking after some point, which othere ADA brand ferts do i need besides RK and S2 if i want to have moderate to high plant mass and grow plants like HC and glosso. But not buy the whole set.

Thx for advices