Nitrate Question With Regards To My Plants

[mtv8dmarine]

I ran some tank parameter tests yesterday and my tank after planting have finally reduced my nitrates to 0 ppm. Sure, that's great for my fish but what impact does it have on my low light low tech plants? Plants all seem to be doing fine really but just a curiosity for the long-term if any.

 

[anshuman]

Now you have to make sure you are dosing good nitrogen source in form of your fertilizer is my take. (moar KN03?)

 

[mtv8dmarine]

Fertilizer pellets that I use have Potassium Nitrate as one of the active ingredients. What signs/indicator would I see if the plants were lacking sufficient nitrogen levels?

 

[ian]

You would be seeing browning on the leaves, also I really wouldn't trust the nitrate testing kit.

 

[mtv8dmarine]

Ok thanks. As long as I'm not seeing any browning leaves I'll assume that the plants are getting what they need from any leftover food, fish waste, and the pellets.

Thanks!

 

[ian]

sorry i was on my phone earlier, walking the dog...

you will see the browning on the leaf tips, and the plant will die. Browning can also mean the plants may be missing something else. I would still think about dosing some TPN plus, just to make sure. Is your bioload small?

 

[mtv8dmarine]

My only issue with TPN+ is how ridiculously expensive it is...or seems to be. The fish I have in my tanks are 1 angelfish, 5 platies, 8 otocincluses, 6 corydoras. I do have plans for more fish but am waiting until the plants mature a bit more so I know what kind of room I have.

As far as consumption goes, here's my list of plants I have in there.

3 anubias congensis
2 barteri var. roundleaf
2 echinodoris osiris (melon sword)
10 vallis gigantea
2 java fern
10 chain sword
2 crypto. wendtii
1 red tiger lotus

If the plants were mature I would worry less because their needs I think would be more stable, but they are all growing and probably require more. I just want to make sure I'm providing enough. And in the event I'm not then I am better educated in how to respond to it.

 

[ian]

Nice looking healthy plants at the moment and your plants are slow growers. I would look into getting some tpn, it doesn't work out that expensive, when you look at the price of other ferts on the market and look at what you're dosing. You can get 500ml for 12 quid. Look at seachem flourish without macros and it's 15 quid.

Btw have you thought about some kind of center peice in your tank?

 

[mtv8dmarine]

Yeah I have thought about it. I had a piece of driftwood in there before, albeit imitation and just didn't like how it looked (the shape not the fact that it was fake). So I took it out. So for now, I have the red tiger lotus acting as a center piece when it grows up. I would like to find something structural like driftwood that looks good...it just seems to be the most challenging part since I can't actually find anything locally I can put my eyes on.

And thanks on the health of the plants. They have only been in there about 2 weeks now. I got slow growers because I'm low light but I can tell how much they've grown already.

 

[mtv8dmarine]

Well it looks like the only thing I can get of TPN+ is through big al's and that's the tabs which they're out of stock on. I can't find TPN+ in liquid form anywhere. I'm not really wanting to mix my own because that's just not of any interest to me really. Just more I have to store, scales I have to buy, etc. So is TPN+ really my only option for nitrogen if I need it (other than making my own)?

 

[SuperColey1]

If its just nitrogen then its a bit of a misnomer really. a small pack of KNO3 will take less space than TPN+ so less to store. It will cost less most definately in the long run if not at the beginning. 1 heaped teaspoon will be close enough to 6g so no need for scales. It really doesn't need to be accurate.

TPN+ has nitrogen in it but also has everything else. The majority of the others still follow the old myths that N and P cause algae and use that as a selling point (contains no N and P) so I wouldn't know.

However I assume you are in the US. Seachem products are cheaper over there than here in the UK so you could get Seachem Nitrogen

Would be a good idea to put your location even if it just says 'US'. Just means us Brits won't be recommending you products that are easy to get over here but hard to get over there

AC

 

[mtv8dmarine]

I can see my location in my profile. Is it not visible to others by chance? Thanks for the clarification on TPN+ and SeaChem. I already dose their Excel so it's nice to know they have other products out there that fill the gap that not having TPN+ here in the US leaves.

I do have much to learn and try to use resources outside the forums where possible but this was one question I couldn't find anything about. I'd much rather have some recollection of some previous conversation than to be in an emergency situation and be frantic in finding one. It also to me seems to make more sense in error prevention ahead of time. =D

 

[SuperColey1]

I can see my location in my profile. Is it not visible to others by chance?

Sorry Seems in their wisdom when the forum changed the location has disappeared from where the username and avatar is in each post. Strange change if you ask me as not many of us will go to the trouble of going to profiles when posting. However I should have noticed that mine doesn't show a location there either first. lol

AC