Do you HAVE to use ferts?

you dont have to have ferts but they do help.

what size tank?

are you doing co2? if so are you using a DIY system?

if it is a 10gal tank i would reccomend the cheap, $20 hoods that they sell at walmart, they use an incandescent bulb but i put the CFLs in there, dont leave your lights on all day though, you will get major algae problems.



hope this helps.

WARNING: I'm no expert on plants so don't take my word as definate!

I think it depends on the plant- most of the ones you listed above should be fine without ferts... they are some of your easier plants- they will grow faster with fertiliser and CO2 of course.

I think with swords though you do need fertiliser, good light, and root tabs. Mine melted away the first few weeks I had it- cut off the dead leaves (all of them)- added root tabs, leaf zone, DIY CO2 and it has started to come back... I've got a couple of new leaves on it growing slowly but steadily.

Saved it from doom.

Water Wisteria is another plant everyone says is easy... it started to die on me at first until I added fertiliser (in fact only 3 of my original 5 stems survived- and they all rotted at the base)- now it's growing healthy (and quite rapidly too I might add)- turn around point was about 2 weeks ago- it's doubled in size in that period of time.

No problems with any of my other plants though... but I've not been keeping them long.



I've read hornwort WILL grow fast with nutrients in the water- but keep it in check because it can strip the nutrients from the tank and then die off suddenly when there is none left.

I got a tiny strand of hornwort with some MTS I ordered in the mail. Hornwort can float, but I pushed it into the substrate near a root tab.

Still small- but it has doubled in size over the past 4 weeks and already started to branch.

Nutrient requirements depends on the light level, the more light you use the more nutrients and CO2 will be required. With a low light setup the nutrient uptake is low enough where you may not have to dose anything provided you do a large weekly water change.

Yes, we trim with scissors, preferably stainless steel so they don't rust.

To find out if your getting enough co2. Check the co2 sticky in this forum. It will give you a graph. You can check the Kh and then the ph. The kh should remain the same but the ph will swing up and down. You want to get your ph in the right range for your kh. You have to much co2 cut back on yeast if you don't have enough add a little more. But give it some time. Like a few days to be sure. Unless it's to high then you gotta worry about your fish.

I don't fertilize much but I use root tabs pieces for swords & crypts & sometimes liquid micros with iron. I have low light mostly. I've never tried even DIY CO2.

Some plants you can pinch off with your thumbnail (stem plants) but some are too hard (anubias) or too many (java moss) & need scissors.