Plants & fertilizers

[Ali Day]

Hi,
I've always had OK plants, but never really had pearling and lustrous green
growth. so recently I've started buying fertilizer for the plants. But I've
got to say it's more expensive than the keeping fish.
More a question for the guys from the states as it'll be cheaper there. What
fertilizers do you guys use, and are they available online?

With the CO2 injection, I have 4 x 1.5m 58w strip lights 2 at 10,000K
spectrum and 2 at 13,000k so just need the fertilizers, and started to get
some results, but don't think I can afford to do this for ever.

Cheers

A

[Mean_Chlorine]

Thusly "Ali Day" > Spake Unto All:

>Hi,
>I've always had OK plants, but never really had pearling and lustrous green
>growth. so recently I've started buying fertilizer for the plants. But I've
>got to say it's more expensive than the keeping fish.
>More a question for the guys from the states as it'll be cheaper there. What
>fertilizers do you guys use, and are they available online?
>
>With the CO2 injection, I have 4 x 1.5m 58w strip lights 2 at 10,000K
>spectrum and 2 at 13,000k so just need the fertilizers, and started to get
>some results, but don't think I can afford to do this for ever.

I'm no plant aquarist, but I know our local plant aquarists use
NutriSI (cheaper) or Tropica Master Grow (pricier) for the trace
elements, then group-purchase sacks of KNO3 and KH2PO4 from
agriculture supply stores and split it into 100 gram bags. Then it's
just a question of making stock solutions.

There are also of course people selling prepackaged bags/stock
solutions of these, considerably cheaper than petshops.

[Margolis]

how much co2 is in the tank? If it is not enough most of your plants are
not going to pearl very well.

--

Margolis
http://web.archive.org/web/20030215212142/http://www.agqx.org/faqs/AGQ2FAQ.htm
http://www.unrealtower.org/faq

[Ali Day]

"Margolis" > wrote in message
...
> how much co2 is in the tank? If it is not enough most of your plants are
> not going to pearl very well.

I don't have the numbers here at work, but it's a fair bit with a hardness
around 12, I'm bringing the PH down from 7.6 to around 6.9, I have slight
pearling but not alot.

Cheers

A

[Ali Day]

"Ali Day" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
> I've always had OK plants, but never really had pearling and lustrous
green
> growth. so recently I've started buying fertilizer for the plants. But
I've
> got to say it's more expensive than the keeping fish.
> More a question for the guys from the states as it'll be cheaper there.
What
> fertilizers do you guys use, and are they available online?
>
> With the CO2 injection, I have 4 x 1.5m 58w strip lights 2 at 10,000K
> spectrum and 2 at 13,000k so just need the fertilizers, and started to get
> some results, but don't think I can afford to do this for ever.

Whilst looking round the web I found this which classically sums up what
most of us already know about conflicting tips on the web.

http://www.cryptocoryne.com/tips.htm

[Joachim Laufer]

If you have a chance to get some from
this side www.drak.de
works perfect.
Cheers Joachim

[[email protected]]

Ali Day wrote:
> Hi,
> I've always had OK plants, but never really had pearling and lustrous
green
> growth. so recently I've started buying fertilizer for the plants.
But I've
> got to say it's more expensive than the keeping fish.
> More a question for the guys from the states as it'll be cheaper
there. What
> fertilizers do you guys use, and are they available online?
>
I use Seachem Flourish, Flourish Iron, etc. with great results. I get
plenty of pearling and lustrous green growth without C02 injection.

> With the CO2 injection, I have 4 x 1.5m 58w strip lights 2 at 10,000K
> spectrum and 2 at 13,000k so just need the fertilizers, and started
to get
> some results, but don't think I can afford to do this for ever.
>
It is not that expensive.

> Cheers
>
> A

[Enigma]

one of my fish books recommends using rabbit poo,there is nothing in it
harmful to fish,just stick one under the plant in question.
I personaly havent tried it myself.

[Ali Day]

"Ali Day" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
> I've always had OK plants, but never really had pearling and lustrous
green
> growth. so recently I've started buying fertilizer for the plants. But
I've
> got to say it's more expensive than the keeping fish.
> More a question for the guys from the states as it'll be cheaper there.
What
> fertilizers do you guys use, and are they available online?
>
> With the CO2 injection, I have 4 x 1.5m 58w strip lights 2 at 10,000K
> spectrum and 2 at 13,000k so just need the fertilizers, and started to get
> some results, but don't think I can afford to do this for ever.

since I've been fertilising the plants for the last three weeks, my tanks
now resembles pea soup. I have new good growth on some of my plants, but the
old leaves are covered by all sorts of algae, the gravel is a lurid green
and I've cleaning the sides of the tank more than I have ever had to in the
past.. Question, is it better to hack these plants back removing all the
algae or leave them for a bit?

A

[Ozdude]

"Ali Day" > wrote in message
...

> since I've been fertilising the plants for the last three weeks, my tanks
> now resembles pea soup. I have new good growth on some of my plants, but
> the
> old leaves are covered by all sorts of algae, the gravel is a lurid green
> and I've cleaning the sides of the tank more than I have ever had to in
> the
> past.. Question, is it better to hack these plants back removing all the
> algae or leave them for a bit?

Firstly, what's in your fertiliser? Does it contain Phosphate and Nitrate?
Which fertiliser are you using?

I have had an attack of brown stuff (diatoms I think) which has completly
devistated at least two of my plants. I read on Amano's plant guide site
(http://www.vectrapoint.com/main/infocentral.html) that it best to cut all
the leaves off that are infested. He also states it's quite normal for this
to happen btw. His recommendations are Ammano Shrimp, Plecos and SAE's if
you can find the real ones.

I wouldn't have had the guts to do that myself, but I have done, and some I
took right back down to just the stem and low and behold they have all grown
back at the nodes, brand new green healthy leaves, and what's more - there's
more of them.

This "pruning" seems harsh when you contemplate it and I must admit it takes
guts to cut the leaves off your plants, but my experience is that alage
damages the leaves and they will eventually die off any way, so Amano
appears to be right - just lop them off and let the new healthy growth
appear.

In the interim, the algae eating creatures will beat the algae to some
extent and give the plants a fighting chance for new growth. They should
(theoretically) be able to out compete the algae if you have enough algae
eaters and plants, but if your fertilisation is actually food for the algae
it may be an uphill battle for all concerned.

I am going for substrate fertilisation in 10 days or so, when the balls I
ordered arrive in the shop, because I'm not convinced that adding chelated
this and that to tank water is a good thing to do, especially in regard to
moderate high light tanks. It's asking for algae blooms if certain
perameters are out of balance to start with.

I have read lots of personal pages where the fertilisation is only with
Seachem Flourish, Flourish Iron and Flourish Potasium, but these tanks also
have substrate fertilisation happening, which personally I think is the best
way to feed stem plants.

I say take the leaves off, do water changes, scrub the gunk and have a look
at what is in your fertiliser before attempting it again.

Oz

--
My Aquatic web Blog is at http://members.optusnet.com.au/ivan.smith