Where can I buy some fertilizer tablets in UK?

[TwoBells]

hey all

I have read through Jum Kelly's excellant piece titled 'How to Grow
Beautiful Aquarium Plants on a Student Budget' and want to get my hands on
some fertilizer tabs, does anyone know a UK online shop where I can buy some
or even from a garden centre chain perhaps?
Also, any brand name recommendations would be welcome.

Many thanks in advance

Steve Page

[Rikko]

On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 01:01:34 +0100, "TwoBells" >
wrote:

>hey all
>
>I have read through Jum Kelly's excellant piece titled 'How to Grow
>Beautiful Aquarium Plants on a Student Budget' and want to get my hands on
>some fertilizer tabs, does anyone know a UK online shop where I can buy some
>or even from a garden centre chain perhaps?
>Also, any brand name recommendations would be welcome.
>
>Many thanks in advance
>
>Steve Page

Most tabs I've seen are intended for root growth (high Nitrogen, low
everything else? Does that sound right?) and I was never really blown
away.

Root Tabs are one brand we often carry which are really only good for
root growth - sorry I don't recall the manufacturer.

Hagen also makes fert "sticks" that you bury in the substrate - they
go by the name Nutrafin Max Plant Spikes I believe, and come 6 to a
pack. They run around $8CDN. Warning: They contain a pair bit of PO4
and a few people have reported algae breakouts when using them.

I bought a couple of loose tabs by the name of Terropur - I don't know
who makes them but I'm sure they're European. I want to say Tetra but
I can't be certain as I bought mine in bulk.

We also just brought in a new brand of tabs whose name eludes me atm.
Something like "Plant Tabs" (clever, eh?) and I think they are made by
Aquatronics. They have surprisingly high levels of nutrients and are a
very small pill. We have them in a box of 50 for around $10CDN.

[Moses KA]

This is not a direct answer to your question but...
I have read people use successfully fertilizer sticks used for potted
plants. A quarter of a stick pushed in the substrate between the roots
should do it and not raise nitrates or phosphates too much. I have not used
them yet as I have made my own substrate the last time I set up an aquarium.
I plan to rebuild it however and this time I will use sand only and these
sticks.
As for the Jum Kelly's piece you have mentioned, where can I read it? Was
it posted somewhere?

Best regards,
Primoz



"TwoBells" > wrote in message
news:ditxc.551$Fo5.288@newsfe3-gui...
> hey all
>
> I have read through Jum Kelly's excellant piece titled 'How to Grow
> Beautiful Aquarium Plants on a Student Budget' and want to get my hands on
> some fertilizer tabs, does anyone know a UK online shop where I can buy
some
> or even from a garden centre chain perhaps?
> Also, any brand name recommendations would be welcome.
>
> Many thanks in advance
>
> Steve Page
>
>
>

[Moses KA]

I have just found Jim Kelly's piece in the archives. For those of you who
have not read it yet but want to, here is the link:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&frame=right&th=be87e99f9e
d9f5f1&seekm=3g28ui%24ov4%40mark.ucdavis.edu#link1

Primoz


"Moses KA" > wrote in message
...
> This is not a direct answer to your question but...
> I have read people use successfully fertilizer sticks used for potted
> plants. A quarter of a stick pushed in the substrate between the roots
> should do it and not raise nitrates or phosphates too much. I have not
used
> them yet as I have made my own substrate the last time I set up an
aquarium.
> I plan to rebuild it however and this time I will use sand only and these
> sticks.
> As for the Jum Kelly's piece you have mentioned, where can I read it? Was
> it posted somewhere?
>
> Best regards,
> Primoz
>
>
>
> "TwoBells" > wrote in message
> news:ditxc.551$Fo5.288@newsfe3-gui...
> > hey all
> >
> > I have read through Jum Kelly's excellant piece titled 'How to Grow
> > Beautiful Aquarium Plants on a Student Budget' and want to get my hands
on
> > some fertilizer tabs, does anyone know a UK online shop where I can buy
> some
> > or even from a garden centre chain perhaps?
> > Also, any brand name recommendations would be welcome.
> >
> > Many thanks in advance
> >
> > Steve Page
> >
> >
> >
>
>

[Kris]

I can't answer your question, but I am be able to offer you an alternative.

The absolute 'cheapest' set up I had used 4 good full shovels of soil,
straight out of the garden (2" in the tank). A few more full shovels of
pea gravel/drain rock (the stuff found around household window wells,
weeping tiles or under downspouts from the eaves) and finally a bucket
of sand from the playground nearby.

The soil provided more than enough nutrients for about 1 1/2 years,
before I started having to add fertilizer

This was back when I was a starving student, and it worked great.

*sift and clean the sand and gravel thoroughly first*

I should mention that the soil and drain rock did cost me a couple of
bucks - I paid for the batteries for the flashlight, that I used while
digging in the neighbors yard. ;)

TwoBells wrote:
> hey all
>
> I have read through Jum Kelly's excellant piece titled 'How to Grow
> Beautiful Aquarium Plants on a Student Budget' and want to get my hands on
> some fertilizer tabs, does anyone know a UK online shop where I can buy some
> or even from a garden centre chain perhaps?
> Also, any brand name recommendations would be welcome.
>
> Many thanks in advance
>
> Steve Page
>
>
>

[Rick]

"TwoBells" > wrote in message
news:ditxc.551$Fo5.288@newsfe3-gui...
> hey all
>
> I have read through Jum Kelly's excellant piece titled 'How to Grow
> Beautiful Aquarium Plants on a Student Budget' and want to get my hands on
> some fertilizer tabs, does anyone know a UK online shop where I can buy
some
> or even from a garden centre chain perhaps?
> Also, any brand name recommendations would be welcome.
>
> Many thanks in advance
>
> Steve Page
>
>
>

many people use "Jobes" plant tabs usually the one recommended for ferns
however I have used others. They do work well on plants like Amazon Swords.
One tab should be broken into 3 pieces with one small piece buried deep in
the substrate near the roots. A word of caution on all these tabs, keep them
below the substrate. Be careful if you are vacuuming not to dislodge them as
they normally contain a considerable amount of P04 and you will get an algae
bloom.

Rick

[TwoBells]

That link is a older article Primoz.

Check this link out:

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/kelly-intro.html

regards

Steve Page



"Moses KA" > wrote in message
...
> This is not a direct answer to your question but...
> I have read people use successfully fertilizer sticks used for potted
> plants. A quarter of a stick pushed in the substrate between the roots
> should do it and not raise nitrates or phosphates too much. I have not
used
> them yet as I have made my own substrate the last time I set up an
aquarium.
> I plan to rebuild it however and this time I will use sand only and these
> sticks.
> As for the Jum Kelly's piece you have mentioned, where can I read it? Was
> it posted somewhere?
>
> Best regards,
> Primoz
>
>
>
> "TwoBells" > wrote in message
> news:ditxc.551$Fo5.288@newsfe3-gui...
> > hey all
> >
> > I have read through Jum Kelly's excellant piece titled 'How to Grow
> > Beautiful Aquarium Plants on a Student Budget' and want to get my hands
on
> > some fertilizer tabs, does anyone know a UK online shop where I can buy
> some
> > or even from a garden centre chain perhaps?
> > Also, any brand name recommendations would be welcome.
> >
> > Many thanks in advance
> >
> > Steve Page
> >
> >
> >
>
>