How often to fertilize

[Milton Friedman]

How often should I fertilize? I have a 10 gallon tank 3wpg and CO2.

I fertilized about once every 2 months wondering if that would starve off algae. It didn't, it actually got worse which led to an outright algae bloom which resulted in I having to take everything out of the tank, bleaching the tank and the plants. To avoid this from happening again, I am wondering if the algae problem increased because I reduced the amount of fertilizer, which limited the amount of certain elements needed for photosynthesis. This, I think would lead to other excess elements in the tank for algae. Am I on the right track, or am I totally wrong? The fertilizer I use is Flora Pride (trace elements) and Nutrifin (trace elements).

BTW, what elements do fish waste provide and is it enough for plants?

[poormanisme]

I would think with CO2 and 3wpg you would need to be fertilizing quite a bit more than once every two months. When I first started my luck with a planted tank the best advise i got was that a plant tank was all about balance. Meaning a little light and low fish load and you probably don't need many ferts at all, however, as these thing increase ferts increase as well. If any of the big three(light, ferts, CO2) are not in balance you get algae. This is probably why you had lots of algae as you had a good amount of light and Co2 and very little if any ferts. Also, are you only dosing trace ferts? You need macros as well, these include Nitrogen, Potassium, and PHosphorus for healthy plant growth. Here are a few links to help you along.

http://plantedtank.net/fertilizers.html
http://www.aquatic-plants.org/est_index1.html
http://www.cam.org/~tomlins/algae.html
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/
http://plantedtank.net/algae.html
http://aquabotanicwetthumb.infopop.cc/eve/ubb.x
http://plantedtank.net

good luck
Scott

[djlen]

In a nutshell: Every week.
You have all the elements for success. To go with good light and CO2 the plants need Macros, as stated above in addition to traces.
First, pick up Nitrate and Phosphate test kits and test your tank water and tap water for content. Hopefully, you already have pH and kH test kits and know that your kH is OK for injecting CO2.
Next, consult our nutrient sticky for availability/locations for nutrient sources. This will save you a bunch of money on nutrients.
Go here:
www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/articles.htm
Down load Chuck's desktop calculator for nutrients and CO2. This is a handy source for dosing most of the required elements.
Weekly water changes are a must, IMO, when dosing regularly.

Len