Fertilizer Recommendations & Info - the Informal FAQ

GregWatson said:
1. Feed your plants ...
2. Feed your plants a well balanced diet ...
3. Feed your plants on a regular basis ...
It really can't get any more simple than that <grin> ...
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Yes, master. :bowing:
Must. feed. plants.

Why do I feel like I just stumbled into the Little Shop of Horrors? :eek:

All over the web, there is an abundance of very very technical details about many of the physiological interactions ...

All over the web, there is an abundance of very very technical details about many of the biochemical interactions ...

All over the web, there is an abundance of very very technical details about dosing strategies ... how much, how often, and when ...

All over the web, there is an abundance of very very technical details about plant nutritional deficiencies ...
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I really hope you copied and pasted that, or your hands are gonna hate you :)

. . .
I would encourage you to cut through all of the noise ... find a dosing strategy that makes sense to you and matches your lifestyle ... then apply it to your aquarium ... you might be suprised to find that it works ...
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Unless the algae finds it works better?

And over time ... as your experience grows ... your knowledge and understanding of this vast hobbyist encyclopedia will grow as well ... and based on your real world experiences, you will be better equipped to interpret what of that encylopedic knowledge is relevant and what is not ...

Good luck ... but I would encourage you to actually "apply" the concepts and practices that you have already learned from your fellow hobbyists ...

Best of wishes ... feed your plants ...
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Boy, I've been told!

I will use the Ferts. I will trust in the Ferts. I will ignore the Dark Side of too much technical verbage and just DO it. I will wield my Fleet Enema with confidence, knowing that I dose for the good of the Plant Republic.

I need more coffee. :coffee2:


Hrm, in case it doesn't show, thank you. Sometimes I need a kick in the butt :)
Roan
 
I went out this weekend and bought almost everything on the list. I am having trouble with the stump remover, but I will keep looking. I was hoping to find dosing instructions now, but I read this thread more closely today and see that there are none. Dosing requirements are different between tanks and will change over time. So basically, dose and test, dose and test, until I figure out what the correct dosing is for my tank, right? Then, what is the target concentration for each nutrient? And, do they make tests for micronutrients? The Flourish w/ Iron I could add per label instructions, but I am concerned about the Epsom Salt. I have not seen a Magnesium test kit.
 
:thud: If only he put THAT much effort into getting the extra iron!!! :D

Roan, pick something and go with it. Change it down the road if you encounter a problem. If there is iron, phosphorus, in your water already, don't dose it. Your dosing regime will change anyway and you're free to change it anytime. You'll get the nack of what is deficient with experience. To single anything out though, only change one thing and wait a week or two to be sure that one thing was the cause.

EcoPit, this link http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_dosage_calc.htm is all over these boards. It is a good bookmark/favorite to add to your list! Micros you dose according to the label and as stated earlier, you're free to change it down the road. If things look better after the change, continue to do it. If not, go back to what you were doing. Stump remover is a seasonal item and can be hard to find. Mg can be figured if you know your GH and Calcium level. Or, if you know how much is in your source water via city water report or the like.
 
beviking said:
:thud: If only he put THAT much effort into getting the extra iron!!! :D
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Boy, would I like to know that story behind that :)

Roan, pick something and go with it. Change it down the road if you encounter a problem. If there is iron, phosphorus, in your water already, don't dose it. Your dosing regime will change anyway and you're free to change it anytime. You'll get the nack of what is deficient with experience. To single anything out though, only change one thing and wait a week or two to be sure that one thing was the cause.
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Good advice! Much thanks :)

I think, for now, I'll just use Flourish on this 36g and see how it goes. Once I get the 75gs up and running, it'll be a whole new ballgame since the plants and lighting will be much different.

Roan
 
It depends on how much you add. Check out the Sticky written by Plantbrain (Tom Barr) about using KH2PO4 and KNO3 as the sole source of NO3.

From my own experience, my high light tank (which is dosed w/ KNO3 and KH2PO4 every other day) receives sufficient K from the NO3 and PO4 doses. In my lower growth tank the leaves start developing pinholes after several weeks.
 
EcoPit said:
I had looked at that, but couldn't figure it out. I took another look after your post and I think I have the mechanics of the calculator figured out. Thanks.
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Geesh, I just re-read that reply of mine...I hope I didn't come across too snobby! :duh: Just because it's there doesn't mean everyone knows how to use it, sorry, and if you need any clarification...just ask! :)
 
I agree with Roan Art, I'm trying Flourish and CO2 in my tank right now. All the other stuff sounds complicated and I don't even know if my plants need that extra stuff. I mean i dont even know why the plants need some of those and also how to dose it.

Why do we need to pute nitrate in? i thought we were trying to get rid of nitrate through water changes? If i have a decent stock of fish producing ammonia won't nitrate be produced via the nitrogen cycle?
 
Onikun said:
Why do we need to pute nitrate in? i thought we were trying to get rid of nitrate through water changes? If i have a decent stock of fish producing ammonia won't nitrate be produced via the nitrogen cycle?
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Nitrate = plant food.

Whether or not you need to dose nitrate depends on lighting, plant mass, fish species, tapwater content. I'm sure there's other variables. In a planted tank it's not a good idea to let the plants be deficient in nitrate.
 
It's not so much the NO3 that we're trying to rid our tanks of, but the other chemicals produced by the fish along with ammonia (such as hormones and pheromones).

If your plants are growing well your NO3 level be 0 ppm, which means no more food for the plants. As Reiverix said, not a good thing. Flourish is just traces, a great trace mix, granted, but your plants need macros primarily.
 
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