Jobes Spikes

[tropic]

I have seen this two spikes... But so by chance i have the Jobes Plant food spikes... can i use it for the planted tank??? The one i have had the following specs as the 2nd link below... Will it generate an algae attack on the tank...??Thanx!

http://www-app2.wa.gov/agr/prodinfo.asp?pname=1322406

http://www-app2.wa.gov/agr/prodinfo.asp?pname=1322415

[budak]

Not really recommended nowadays.... too much risk of uncontrollable N and P spikes. They basically provide N, P and K. You would do better buying the bulk KNO3, KH2SO4 and PSO4 from Dr Mallick and dosing it at each water change. Then you can control your dosage.

[vinz]

Choose the one with the lowest P. That would usually be the one for palms and ferns. Jobes for Aquatic Plants has A LOT of P, not ideal for planted tanks. I suspect its meant more for ponds.

[tropic]

P?? As in....? Im not really gd with this terms...I gues compare to bothe the link the 2nd link would be a better choice...[]

[budak]

N (nitrogen in the form of NO3), P (phophorus in the form of PO4) and K (potassium) are the three macronutreients plants need. Try looking thru the old threads on fert for what they are about.

Also read this article: click here

[vinz]

A lot of terrestrial fertilisers come with an N-P-K indication. N for nitrate, P for phosphorus and K for potassium. The numbers are printed like 8-24-8, which means 8%N, 24%P and 8%K. The packaging may or may not indicate any other ingredients. For planted tanks, high N and P are not desirable.

The nurseries should have several versions on hand. Look for Jobe for Palms and Ferns. Those have the lowest P. But the one in your second link is not too far off from that either. You can consider Horti and other brands as well.

Use less and bury deeply when you start and monitor for N or P problems. Once you have inserted them, it's near impossible to remove them as they'll turn to mush. If you have the habit of or plan to uproot plants frequently, I would advice against using them as the roots will pull these spikes to the surface. If you have to, remember to siphon the area quickly.

[theodore]

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http://www-app2.wa.gov/agr/prodinfo.asp?pname=1322406

http://www-app2.wa.gov/agr/prodinfo.asp?pname=1322415
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I was looking at the 2 links provided by tropic and the analysis indicated 6ppm of Arsenic. Is it normal for fertilizers to contain Arsenic? Isn't it dangerous to our fishes and shrimps?

[bclee]

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On 7/11/2003 9:13:39 AM

A lot of terrestrial fertilisers come with an N-P-K indication. N for nitrate, P for phosphorus and K for potassium. The numbers are printed like 8-24-8, which means 8%N, 24%P and 8%K. The packaging may or may not indicate any other ingredients. For planted tanks, high N and P are not desirable.

The nurseries should have several versions on hand. Look for Jobe for Palms and Ferns. Those have the lowest P. But the one in your second link is not too far off from that either. You can consider Horti and other brands as well.

Use less and bury deeply when you start and monitor for N or P problems. Once you have inserted them, it's near impossible to remove them as they'll turn to mush. If you have the habit of or plan to uproot plants frequently, I would advice against using them as the roots will pull these spikes to the surface. If you have to, remember to siphon the area quickly.
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A slight correction. Terrestrial fertilisers seldom uses nitrate as N source. Most of the time it is urea (like NH3), a form more readily utilised by plants. The thing is that too much urea or NH3 will kill fishes in our tank. It is also said to be a contributor to algae blooms.

I suspect the reason for high P in the plant spike for aquatic plants is that aquatic plants can sucked most other nutrients by their leaves. It is P and Fe that plants rely substantially on their roots for uptake.

BC

[vinz]

Hah! And I correct you back... and myself too. Thanks for bring it up.

N in N-P-K is for nitrogen not nitrate as I had wrongly posted (will edit it soon).

[tropic]

Noted! thankx for the info..jus keep it comin. I have been into planted tanks but don reallly take note of all these N-P-K..BUT the results are just as gd. anyway cos during my experimentation on using normal soil as base fert on 2footer the results was disastrous.Algae bloom was uncontrollable.Mayb due to high nitrogen...my guess...[] []

[tawauboy]

instead of spikes, you can use horti tabs.
these don't become mushy.
use sparingly and push into gravel as deep as possible.

[gnome]

Every time I use Jobes ("for Beautiful House Plants" 13-4-5) I end up with green water. It takes several days to weeks for it to completely clear. It's the urea that causes this. I've also found that root-feeding generally doesn't benefit stem plants as much as rosettes (like crypts and swords). But rosettes can take up nutrients from the water column, so they're not going to starve without root-feeding if you're good about dosing.

I haven't used Jobe's in a while. I think I'm slowly getting better about dosing with liquid aquarium fertilizers and KNO3 (which may not be readily available, depending on what country you live in). If you really want to root-feed, go with something that's specifically formulated for aquarium use.

[killua7]

Seems like the people here do not recomend Jobe's for palms and ferns. However, a lot of folks on the net are recommending it as a cheap terrastrial substitute for those designed for planted tanks. My question is, is it really that bad or is the fert just unsuited for the water here?

I'm looking for a cheap fertilizer for the substrate because quite broke and looking to cut costs.

[bclee]

Personally, I use Horti Root Tabs with good effects.

The greenwater problem is probably due to the urea leaching into the water column.

Once you inserted the spikes or tab, it is important that you do not disturb it.

BC

[Plantbrain]

It's not the NO3, it's ther NH4 that causes ther algae outbreaks. PO4, the last number, does not have any bearing, Palm and fern sticks don't matter, get the lowest N, the first number instead. Adding PO4 does not cause algae as we have found out some years ago so the P issue is not really the problem.

Sure, folks can and do use these. But be careful when removing plants and pulling the spikes up. Do a 50% etc water change right afterwards.

You'll get good results using the water column method if you use CO2.

I have used them in the past and still do for algae cultures. But I did not find any difference in my growth rates if I was adding nutrients to the water column.

Adding jobes to a well fertilized water column will not help the plant more. More fert's is not always better.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[tropic]

Im using the fert sticks above now for about close to three months.Results were steady and it works well.Of course don expect like root monster results..but it provides a steady fert supply at a low cost...but one for few bucks and still had plenty of sticks left.[] [] []

[Fei Miao]

I'd used both Horti tabs and sticks sparingly, so far no complains.

BTW, is there an expiry date for Jobe sticks, I didn't see any on the box I bought some time ago. Is it safe to use expired jobe sticks?

[killua7]

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On 8/6/2003 8:47:05 AM

It's not the NO3, it's ther NH4 that causes ther algae outbreaks. PO4, the last number, does not have any bearing, Palm and fern sticks don't matter, get the lowest N, the first number instead. Adding PO4 does not cause algae as we have found out some years ago so the P issue is not really the problem.

Sure, folks can and do use these. But be careful when removing plants and pulling the spikes up. Do a 50% etc water change right afterwards.

You'll get good results using the water column method if you use CO2.

I have used them in the past and still do for algae cultures. But I did not find any difference in my growth rates if I was adding nutrients to the water column.

Adding jobes to a well fertilized water column will not help the plant more. More fert's is not always better.

Regards,
Tom Barr


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I think the problem with getting information on the net is that you have to sort out which information is accurate and up-to-date and which is out-of-date. I keep reading that P is the main reason for algae bloom. Maybe partly caused by the misinterpretion of the original paper on PMDD perhaps?


So does that mean that all aquatic plants can take nutrients thru the water column?

The main reason I'm looking at spikes is to be able to reduce the amount of water column fertilization so I think its probably still valid.