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Is this fert any good?

It is missing nitrogen and phosphorus so is not a complete fertiliser. If you have low light\low plant mass and lots of fish then your fish poop may be producing enough of nitrogen and phosphorus.

As an example I have a goldfish bowl, and the golfish is a heavy feeder so he fertilises the single java fern that is in there quite well.

My 160litre tank on the other hand is densely planted with almost no fish, so would look a lot worse for wear within a fw weeks of just that fertiliser being used.

Read this about the use of dechlor: viewtopic.php?f=51&t=6474&hilit=dechlorinator
 
I would recommend the Tropica range of ferts. I have tried all sorts, cheaper versions but the results aren't good for over two to three weeks. Now I'm doing every other day routine with Tropica plant nutrition and Tropica plant nutrition plus with easy carbo and so far so good. Also the amounts I use (1,5-3 ml per day in Fluval Roma 90) are so small that the cost is minimal after initial purchase. I bought 500 ml bottles of each three additives and they have now lasted me months. I used them in my Rio 125 first so they are very economical in small-medium tanks. Also to point out, I'm low tech with 30 watts light/20 gallon of water and 9 time filter turnover and no pressurised co2 and my plants are growing like a treat. My list:
Vallisneria nana
Cryptocoryne wendtii green
Cryptocoryne wendtii tropica
Cryptocoryne beckettii
Anubias barteri var nana
Hygrophila corymbosa compact
Hygrophila polysperma
Limnophila sessiliflora
Echinodorus bleheri
Echinodorus "rose"

So quite a list but my hygrophilas and limnophilas are there to bulk the plant load in the new tank due to their fast growth rate. Good luck with your plant adventures! ;)

Water conditioner is absolutely essential, otherwise you will repeatedly kill your filter bacteria and damage your fish causing chlorine burns. :twisted:
 
sari - can i get a pic of your tank, with some photoshopped arrows and names of the plants on?

So your easy carb dosing replaces the 'need' for co2?

When people say 'dose the water 'column'' what exactly do they mean by column?
 
I'll try to load some pictures,never done it so no guarantees. I can't photoshop either but perhaps you'll get an idea if I ever get a pic online... :oops:
 
No need for a hard hat, at least from my corner. I never used water conditioners back home until it struck me that after my monthly (!) water changes, the fish always seemed ill or some died. I then invested in a ammonia and nitrite tests and discovered ammonia spikes for a week after a waterchange and the only culprit could have been chlorine and chloramine in the tap water. My then tank wasn't what one would call a planted tank, I had one 18 watt T8 bulb over 100 litres of water so most plants struggled. If there had been more plants, perhaps they would have dealt with the ammonia spikes, who knows, but ever since I always have conditioned the water or left it standing for overnight... :eek:
 
Nice one sari.
I'm still conditioning mine but that article has got me thinking.
That's the trouble with this forum, it always gets me thinking. But that's what I like about it. I kept fish for years but never had any success with plants until now, but it's turned most of my fishkeeping thinking on it's head.
Examples are:
Must aereate the water. No I mustn't, I'll stick some co2 in it instead.
Excess nutrients cause algae. No they don't. They'll feed it if it's there, but do not cause it.
Must keep my Nitrates down. No I mustn't, I'll put some in to feed the plants.
3x flow for filtration, how about 10x flow.
Must try and keep algae out of my tank. No I mustn't, I'll put some in to feed my shrimps.
Must test my water, no I won't, I'll dose EI and chuck my test kits in the bin.
Oh, and the 20% water change per month, how about 50% min. water change per week :wideyed:
Must dechlorinate, now I'm not so sure. :?
All in all a great learning curve which I am enjoying, oh and my plants are looking the business :D

Chris.
 
I know exactly what you are saying, my first fish tank experiences were at a time of must wash filter sponge in hot water, empty the whole tank every three months and wash gravel, 3 x filtartion, bigger airstone the better and so on. But like said, I'm going by my experience and thats why I'm in the conditioner school of thought. I see that there are people successfully not conditioning so good luck, what ever works for you and your livestock is all good! :D
 
sari said:
I'm going by my experience
Yes, and I suspect we've all got our own tales of woe from our experiences but that can only make this a better place for learning and hopefully help others avoid some of the pitfalls that we once experienced.
I must say that when I first decided to keep a planted tank I didn't think I would be tweaking and adjusting co2 levels and flow/flow rates around my tank quite so much. But there we have it, all down to experience but what a great place to learn. :D
A big thumbs up to UKAPS from me. :D

Chris
 
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