What to add ?

[tranquillizer]

Currently deciding on my 3ft planted setup. After surfing the net i found many aquarist are using liquid and chemical fert instead of substrate. I'm planning to use Lapis sand and 4x36w PL lights for my planted. Thinking of putting hairgrass, APP, Vallisneria spiralis, Blyxa novoguineensis, Aponogeton ulvaceus, Eriocaulon cinereum. How do i know what type of fert to add to my planted tank ? How long can these fert last me ? or shld i get substrate fert and liquid fert ? Any recommendation is welcomed and appreciated.

[shortman]

General rule, rooting plant go for substrate fert and floating plant with root and plant without root use liquid fert.

Liquid fert without Phosphourus would be a good choice.

Eriocaulon cinereum best grow in temp <25 with strong light.

Blyxa novoguineensis required very stable conditions with low carbonate hardness(<3dh) and take some time to establish.

Aponogeton ulvaceus can grow very fast but will stop after that.

All your plants are rooted plant and you will need substrate fert.

regds

[tranquillizer]

Will JBL AquaBasics Fert do ? 5 or 10kg for 3ft tank ? i'm afraid the using substrates fert will cause algae problems although i read from The Nature Aquarium that frequent changing of the water will ease the problem. If i were to use substrates fert do i still need liquid fert ?

[tranquillizer]

Anybody ?

[vinz]

JBL AquaBasis has been dissapointing for me.

I'm pretty happy sticking to soils as the base fert layer. You have several choices for that:
- Aquatic Compost (Far East Nursery along Thomson Rd or their branch at Queensway. Frequently out of stock)
- Inquire what other nurseries use for pond plants.
- Normal potting mix/soils. Other experienced forumers can give advice here.

Most importantly, make sure the soil does not contain fungicides and pesticides.

[vinz]

Many many hobbyists are using basefert. But liquid fert is still necessary.

Frequent uprooting may cause a problem with algae, but just be careful during the process and siphon around the area of the uprooting immediately. Avoid using root ferts that has Urea, NO3 and PO4... like Jobe sticks. Aquatic root ferts usually do not contain any of these 3. Make sure the packaging reveals it's contents or at least claim they do not have any of the 3 or contain very low levels of NO3 and PO4.

[tranquillizer]

Hi Bro vinz,
You mean using garden's fertilizers for planted tank ?

[Aeon]

To be safe, never use land fertilisers.
Look for root ferts made specifically for aquatic plants, though not as cheap as land ferts, you don't risk algae and plant health, which are priceless.

[PeterGwee]

For a CO2 enriched tank, go with KNO3, KH2PO4 and some form of liquid traces (TMG, Flourish or micros from Dr Mallick) and you are set. Don't try Jobe sticks as they contain urea(NH3) which is toxic to critters and induces algae readily. Have a porous substrate which is high in iron content helps the plants grow better. Non-CO2 approach is another different ball game though.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[shortman]

I use Sera floredepot but it contain too much peat.
Seachem Flourite/Flourite red is a good choice for planted tank.
Cost for the above are relative better than Dennerle.

Any comments from bros around here?

[BFG]

For a 3ft tank, 2 bags of JBL is enough. Been using JBL base fert all the while. On top of that, it is covered with 2 bags of ADA Aquasoil Amazonia.

[tranquillizer]

ADA soil is too ex for me man. Thinking of adding JBL fert and lapis soil.

Bro BFG how thick is your JBL and ADA substrates ? Does your JBL fert gives u algae problem ? I was told Sera fert leeches less into the water.

Bro vinz how does the JBL fert dissapoint u ?

[vinz]

[quote:2440dc3899="tranquillizer"]Hi Bro vinz,
You mean using garden's fertilizers for planted tank ?[/quote:2440dc3899]

No. I said avoid using garden fertilisers (like Jobe Sticks). Use Aquatic root fertilisers.

As for the base fert layer, you can try potting soils as a much cheaper alternative, but you need to be careful of algae blooms from excess PO4 and NO3 from uprooting. Pond potting soils are a good choice as they are specifically mixed to have low PO4 and NO3, etc.

I've read ppl recommending soaking the soil in water for 2 weeks or so to allow NO3, PO4, etc to leech out. After that, drain the water and use the soil.

If anyone has ever used Dennerle Deponit (not Deponit-mix), you'll see that it is actually just soil. I don't know if they add supplements in it. You can even find twigs and other organic materials in it.

[Aeon]

[quote:ff2f739e87="tranquillizer"]ADA soil is too ex for me man. Thinking of adding JBL fert and lapis soil.

Bro BFG how thick is your JBL and ADA substrates ? Does your JBL fert gives u algae problem ? I was told Sera fert leeches less into the water.

Bro vinz how does the JBL fert dissapoint u ?[/quote:ff2f739e87]

Comparing weight and quality and price, ADA is only little more expensive. I've used it and I strongly recommend it. The substrate is the thing stays in the tank the longest and where most of the plants get their nutrients from, so save the money somewhere else. Take care of the head before the beard.

[vinz]

[quote:6276dff98d="tranquillizer"]...

Bro vinz how does the JBL fert dissapoint u ?[/quote:6276dff98d]

Not as rich as I thot it was. OTOH, it's not meant to be really rich. I've used it before and it performed ok for a high light, CO2 rich type tank. For a moderate light, high CO2 tank, it just didn't make it for me.

[juggler]

I have been using cocopeat ($2 per 5L pack at Cold Storage) for my tanks. I found they work OK. Not very fertile though. Which is good because I don't want stuff to seep out to the water column.

For my recent tanks, I have been mixing in some JBL Base Fert with the cocopeat (1:3 ratio) and I think it works much better. In one tank, I mix Root Monster pellets with my cocopeat, no JBL. Works just as well. So far I am still satisfied after more than one year. I will see if it really degrades over time.

[tranquillizer]

I was told that there is no need of fertilizer due to the fact that the ADA gravel already contains nutrients for the plants. However, some said that there is the need of some ADA fert to be added.

One more thing is that, do we need thick substrates for planted tank. ?

[tranquillizer]

[quote:ccc481abad="juggler"]I have been using cocopeat ($2 per 5L pack at Cold Storage) for my tanks. I found they work OK. Not very fertile though. Which is good because I don't want stuff to seep out to the water column.

For my recent tanks, I have been mixing in some JBL Base Fert with the cocopeat (1:3 ratio) and I think it works much better. In one tank, I mix Root Monster pellets with my cocopeat, no JBL. Works just as well.[/quote:ccc481abad]

How long can the cocopeat last ?

[juggler]

So far I have been upgrading my tanks faster than I know if the cocopeat is really exhausted.

But I noticed that if I use purely cocopeat, it has insufficient nutrients. My Blyxa grew well in the first year but started to die off or remain small subsequently. In my recent tanks with the JBL mixed in, the Blyxa continued to grow well after more than a year.

I wouldn't conclude that cocopeat is that inferior. Maybe it is just my past inexperience with fertilising.

[Aeon]

ADA substrates work in this way.

ADA Power Sand - is a pumice base bottom substrate that is mixed with peat based organic ingredients. It is very porous and used at the bottom-most layer.

ADA Bacter 100 - I've only seen the box. It's the second layer and provides 100 different kinds of bacteria to kickstart the bacteria colonies in the substrate.

ADA Aqua Soil - is I think a clay based soil that is made to resemble the natural soil. Amazonia is like amazonian soil and Africana is like Africa soil. It's rounded and unlike gravel, it doesn't damage roots while planting and hold nutrients well.

You usually get better results if you use them together and don't mix with other stuff like peat, laterite, etc.

I never read about ferts being used with these. I suppose Power Sand contains enough nutrients and pumice can retain much nutrients.

You still have to administer liquid ferts because plants absorb through the leaves too.