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Advise on plant ferts

Prince

The ONE who is The ONE
I am considering ordering these items but have questions about dosing.

http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/aquarium-fertilizers-supplements/micro-macro-fertilizers.html

http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/aquarium-fertilizers-supplements/dispenser-32oz.html

It's for two 10 gallon tanks both have Nutrafin Co2 systems, Soilmaster Select substrate, one is lit with two screw in 10w PC bulbs in a incan. hood. The other is lit with a 40w PC current USA Satillite.
I am trying to cut down on my useless aquarium products.
 

rsretep

Members
sounds like a good deal to me prince i also use dry ferts (kno3,kso4,and csmb) i purchased mine from rex griggs, check out his site if you get a chance
 

DonkeyFish

Members
Hello there Prince!

First off, Greenleaf is a GREAT company to deal with Orlando (owner) is super helpful and responsive, so if you have further questions he will help you. And if you happen to be a GWAPA member make sure you mention it when you order. Not sure if he's still giving individual discounts to members but its worth a shot.

The fertilizer package you've linked is for dry fertilizers, meaning you will get 3 or 4 (didn't look closely at which package it was) bags of powdered ferts and you're on your own, LOL. If this is your first foray into fertilizing I would strongly suggest starting off with pre-mixed liquids to get a feel for what your tanks need and then once you get comfortable with the different variables move on to dry ferts.

I'm not saying that dry ferts are impossible... but they can be uber frustrating if you're just starting out. Heck, I still fight with dosing dry in my tanks. A little bit off on one thing and you'll get this algae. A little off on this other and you'll get that algae, etc. You'll probably want to start with the PPS-Pro system (http://sites.google.com/site/aquaticplantfertilizer/home/pps-pro) to have a starting point.

OR you can take the alternate theory (Estimated Index or EI) where you basically overdose everything and make sure to do big water changes weekly to essentially flush everything out and start over. This would only be advisable if you've got really good lighting and pretty dense planting.

My honest suggestion would be to start out with pre-mixed solutions. The Seachem line is a solid choice, best pricing is online (look at BigAlsOnline.com or DrsFosterSmith.com) but cool thing is if you get stuck and run out local shops usually carry it. I wouldn't be opposed to trying the Tropica fertilizers, just never have.

If the price tag is the issue (you'll need to get the full line of bottled stuff, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Flourish... and optionally--yet highly recommended--Excel and Iron) I don't mean to discourage you from trying out the dry ferts route, by all means! Just trying to be the official CCA planted tank hand-holder as I've been dubbed ;)

One other thing to note: if you have shrimp in either tank you might want to avoid using the pre-mixed trace elements (micros) in the dry fertilizer package. There are people who swear it is no good for sensitive inverts. If I had to chime in an opinion I would probably agree on the side of caution. For these (super important) ferts the Seachem Flourish is pretty much the most popular choice. Not Flourish "trace", as that's pretty much bottled water. ALSO (sorry, guess that's *two* things to note) make sure no matter what you go with to get some Seachem Excel. It's awesome. If you do get an algae breakout you can dose that and (depending on the algae, of course) it will greatly assist in eliminating it, plus it is a great additional source of useable carbon for the plants. Lots of people (including myself) dose it in addition to pressurized CO2 systems. Again, though, be careful on how much you dose with extra sensitive inverts and fish. It's some wicked stuff straight up.

So if your head isn't spinning yet ask away if you have more questions. I'll be probably MIA on the forum over the weekend, but there are others here that should be able to chime in. OR if you're going to the auction on Sunday there will be PLENTY of people there to pick the brains of!
 

Prince

The ONE who is The ONE
Thanks. I already have Seachem Flourish, Flourish excel, Nitrogen, potassium, some API leaf Zone Pro. After reading your post I plan on sticking with the liquids for now and plan on getting some iron and phosphorous supps..
 

DonkeyFish

Members
That's a good way to go. Dry ferts aren't impossible... just take a little more to sort through. We'll be around when you get brave enough to try 'em ;)
 
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