How Should I Dose My Tank With Ferts?

[mattb]

Hi, i have a planted tank(fluval duo deep 1200) thats 216l. Substrate is just plain pea gravel and the lighting works out at 1.6wpg. I dont have any co2 system running.

Currently i have a tea bag thing in the tank that is supposed to provide the plants with nutrients (got this free with an online plant order) and i am dosing the tank with the recommended amount of nutrafin plant gro once a week.

Some plants are growing well others not so well but i am satisfied at the moment! No major algea to speak of just a little brown algea on the glass that a bristlenose cat is taking care of!

What i would like to know is whether what i am doing is correct with regards my fert dosing and whether there are any other useful products worth using?

Thanks, Matt.

 

[Themuleous]

Sounds about right to me, guessing you got the bag from greenline? Not used them myself but they are said to provide 'all' the plants need. Supplementing the other ferts is therefore supposedly not necessary.

Sam

 

[mattb]

Yeah it was greenline. Would co2 benefit my tank with this level of lighting or is my lighting not strong enough? I was wondering if whether using a smaller co2 unit for a lower lit tank would benefit the plants at all or not make any difference?

 

[Themuleous]

Given the size of thank 1.6PWG is actually quite a bit and so CO2 would probably help. But Id recommend a pressurized system as yeast is going to be a pain on such a large tank.

Sam

 

[mattb]

Would one or maybe two nutrafin units be sufficient? I'm a poor student and really cant afford pressurised and i feel the nutrafin units would be easier for a co2 newbie like me to operate.

 

[Themuleous]

Think you'd need three, as they are rated for tanks upto 70lt, so three would probably work ok. But three kits is going to be around 50-60quid anyway and I got my kit for 85quid all in, including a massive pub type 12lb cylinder.

You'll also find you change a yeast mix every other day, and trust me you'll wish you'd spent a bit more and gone pressurised after a few weeks of that. Just extend the overdraft that's what its for!

Sam