Looking for ferts advice

[madfox]

Howdy! I'm looking for the best ferts you can recommend (including where I can find them) that do NOT have copper in them.

Thanks!

Also, what do you all think of this light system? Is it too good to be true? (for the price)
http://all-aquatics.com/store/category/fd3q/Current_Satellite_w_Lunar.html

[tackful]

It doesn't look too bad, as long as you stay in the 5200-6700k range for your plants. It is possible to get bulbs and ballasts for less at AH Supply, but these do not include either a canopy or a fan.

[jpappy789]

We'd need more info about your set up...lighting? Co2? plants you have/plan on keeping?

[madfox]

We'd need more info about your set up...lighting? Co2? plants you have/plan on keeping?

Duh! Sorry - I've been unusually spacy the last few days...

#1:
20L, planted, SEA
Seachem Flourite Dark, plus some natural color gravel
Twin tube T8 flourescents - 18w, Aqua Rays by GE - w/Versa-Top glass hood (plan to change to this light (http://all-aquatics.com/store/item/2v8rd/Current_Satellite_w_Lunar/30_Current_Satellite_1x65watt_10K_460nm_w_Lunar.ht ml))
Magnum 250 HOT Bio-Pro
Won*Bros Pro-Heat titanium 100W heater
Nutrafin Natural Plant System for CO2 (1 bubble every 4 seconds)
One resin stump, and one resin rock formation
2x Nutrafin Plant Gro sticks
Undertank reptile heater for warm roots

Flora:
R. rotundifolia
R. wallichii
R. nanjenshan
Ludwigia repens (will be moved to another tank soon)
Java Fern
Crypt. wendtii (green)
Crypt. wendtii (red)
Najas indica
E. Lilaeopsis
Cardimine lyrata
Marimo ball
Adding next week: Blyxa Japonica

Fauna:
1x Weather Loach
10x Zebra Danios
1x Leopard Danio (oopsy by LFS when netting Zebras)
2x Dwarf Gourami
5 (or 6, hard to tell)x Ghost Shrimp

Parameters:
Temp 79F
pH 7.0
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrites 0ppm
Nitrates 0ppm
gH 12 degrees
kH 8 degrees

Small (2.5 gals on average) water changes twice weekly, with debris removal
Large (40%) water change every ten days
Scooping floating leaves daily

Along with ferts without copper, how do I get my nitrates up a bit for the plants?

#2 - planned:
20H, planted, Amazon
Carib-Sea Eco-Complete
Plan for this light (http://all-aquatics.com/store/item/2v8rc/Current_Satellite_w_Lunar/24_Current_Satellite_1x65watt_10K_460nm_w_Lunar.ht ml)
Plan for Marineland Multi-Stage Canister Filter C160
Jalli titanium 100W heater
Nutrafin Natural Plant System for CO2
Driftwood
2x Nutrafin Plant Gro sticks
Repti-heat undertank cable system for warm roots

Planned Flora:
Alternantheia reinecki 'red'
Lilaeopsis novae zelandice
E. osirus
E. tenullus
Mayaca
Myro elattnoides (sp?)
H. zoster
Hydro leucocephala
E. latifolius
Frogbite

Planned Fauna:
6 Marble Hatchets
4 Otos
5 Pygmy Cories
Either Blue Rams or smaller half-black angels (until they grow too big, then they'll get a larger tank)

Higher temps, softer, blackwater.

Plan a 55, too, but haven't decided where I'm going with it. I might do the Amazon in that, instead, and make the above 20H a Cultivar tank.

That better?

[plantbrain]

Copper is a required plant nutrient.
I know of no brand of aquarium fertilizer trace mix that has a copper concentration that will harm any inhabitants.

Dose, not mere presence, makes the poison.

Not enough, you will have issues with plants, too much you kill the fish/shrimp, just like any drug, caffeine, salt.... you name it.

Folks drink coffee all the time.

What you might consider asking is at what levels/ppm's do we see issues with specific critters?

Now you have something that's a specoific question and lets you know and learn far more about risk of copper and also it's required use for plants as a nutrient.

So good plant growth = light, C(O2, nutrients, and copper in the right amounts, not presence/absence. You need a low residual of copper, fish, you, plants etc all need it.

Less is not not "better".
I'd not worry the least about it from Seachem, Tropica etc and most all other brands. Not enough to do any harm.

Regards,
Tom Barr