watersprite not green

Plants use a balance of light, CO2, and fertilizers in order to grow. If you have a little light, but a lot of CO2 and fertilizer, the plant will only use as much of the CO2 and fertilizer as it needs to utilize the light you have available. The rest of the CO2 and fertilizer is wasted. Unless algae decides to make use of it.

So no, fertilizer will just make things worse unless you fix the lighting issue first. Good luck!
 
You won't "have" to add CO2. But it means dosing ferts at a low level. This will mean better growth fro some plants and of course that you can attempt to grow plants that need higher light. I have 2.8 watts in my 10 gallon and add ferts with every water change, just a capful per change. It isn't a whole lot but my plants (and fish) seem quite healthy. And I add no CO2 to the water. I grow a sword, java fern, java moss and an unknown stem plant.
 
Right now I just simply have an all in one I belive is made by Hagen. It contains mostly Nitrogen and Potassium plsu trace minerals like Iron. I do a 20% water change weekly and have a heavily planted tank with a medium fish stock. My cories spwan regularly (though produce no babies) and my plants look nice an dhealthy with only minimal algae. Of course my plants could be a lot bigger given the right conditons but this suits me fine.
 
Great!
Well, i'm not looking for spectacular looking grade "A" plants. I just want plants that are green and healthy looking. Ferts once a week i can handle. Buying a pc... a dent in the wallet, but is probably worth it on the long run. Its about time i upgraded my lighting, the bulb is probably pretty old and useless (and only 40W). I'll research a little more on pc's and maybe once i get one i'll play around with the ferts to figure out how much to dose. Ooh, but i'm going to have to do a lot of research on them first. I am pretty clueless when it comes to ferts.
 
Check out www.ahsupply.com

They sell retorfitting light kits for exisiting hood and are very resonable in their prices. It will require you to do a little work but their instructions and help desk are also very helpful. Good luck.
 
THanks for the link TKOS.

I checked it out, and if my calculations are right, it would cost me $174 Canadian for the 2X55 W kit. Thats including the exchange rate, shipping, and the bulbs that aren't included in the kit. Also, i would have to purchase or make a hood. I would also have to build it when it came (not a biggie, but still a con).

At my LFS they sell for considerably cheaper than other places. It would cost $181 for .36W more per gallon, an already assembled light fixture and no waiting time. I would still have to buy a hood, but an all glass DIY one is $20 there.

It may not be worth it for me. I live in Vancouver and there are extra charges for shipping and i have to convert to US dollars.

Thanks anyways TKOS!
 
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