Is Plant nutrition+ enough?

[dazcoops]

Hello.

When you first get into planted aquariums you assume that if you buy a Liquid plant fertilizer it should be enough for your plants, After reading the "Estimative Index" it mentions Nitrate, Potassium, phosphate, magnesium and iron.

When i looked to see what Plant nutrition+ contains, it only contains "N" and "P", is this enough or would i need to buy another fertilizer so my plants get the full range of nutrients? or would be it a cheaper to switch over to dry salts? or should i use dry salts along side plant nutrition+?

Any suggestion or criticism welcome

Thanks in advance
Darren.

 

[John Starkey]

Hi
most liquid ferts dont contain n & p to my knowledge,i think tropica plus contains all the usual nutrients plus N & P,
hence the name tropica plus.
regards John

 

[dazcoops]

oh right, ok.

thanks for that.

Would a uv sterilizer effect nutriants in the water?

Thanks
Darren

 

[John Starkey]

Hi Darren,

personally i wouldnt waste your money on a uv for a planted setup,

as long as you have all the right nutrients,and 25 to 30 ppm of co2,

95% planted from the start you shouldnt have too many algae issues,

regards john.

 

[dazcoops]

Thanks for the advice john,

I already have the uv unit, i used to use it on a malawi tank i had which was quite highly stocked, so iv just always used it since, but i guess it will slow down my flow rate from the external filter, so i might disconnect it.

whats the best way to check for Co2, im not to sure if i really trust my drop checker.

Thanks again
Darren.

 

[plantbrain]

It's a good brand to use for some folks unable to add the KNO3 etc to water.
Fear of chemicals, DIY etc.........there will awlays be a market.

For those in the know.............you are paying fo water, with a little bit of ferts added. It's your money.
Once you overcome the fear, DIY, it's really really easy..............

If you need more nutrients with TMG, simply add more progressively till you no longer see a plant response.
Make sure the CO2 is good.

Lower light works well for TMG, and might be cost effective for the average person just getting into planted tanks.
Or someone wanting to look professional in their brands etc, and reduce errors for consistencty when offering advice.

Newbies can and do mix up KH2PO4 for KNO3 etc etc, or add a tblespoon instead of a teaspoon etc etc, this should not hurt..........many have done it............but you get the idea.

Many simply do not have the nutrient demand to warrant full EI since they have lower light etc, or ADA AS etc...........still, doing so does no harm, you can simply add less EI(it's not written in stone, it's an upper bound, you can and should tweak i lower after things are going well).

So just add more TMG, and when you are ready for DIY, they will be there.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[a1Matt]

Newbies can and do mix up KH2PO4 for KNO3 etc etc, or add a tblespoon instead of a teaspoon etc etc, this should not hurt..........many have done it............but you get the idea.

I did this Absentmindedly ended up putting in 5x my normal phosphate dosage once. Best thing I ever did ferts wise, as it took away my fear of over dosing my tank with ferts Plants grew damn well with the extra powder as well.

Now I tweak fert levels both up and down without being unduly paranoid about fish health, just keep an eye on the plants and always be consistant with the changes over a 3 week period before reassessing.