Plant Food - DIY and LFS

[buggyboutbettas]

well, I got some Java Fern today (my first plants) for my 5 Gal. tank. I'm gonna get more plants but they didn't have what I wanted.
When I got home I realized that I forgot plant fertilizer. )
First I want to know what can I do myself until I go get some? Obviously the second thing I need to know is what kind or brand of plant food should I get when I go to the store?

It might be helpful to know that my tank is still cycling and that I currently have Betta in it. Eventually I will get two more to put in the tank (it has dividers).

Thanks!

 

[Lateral Line]

In a tank that size with regular water changes, and a slow grower, low demanding plant like Java fern, you won't need fertiliser.

 

[endparenthesis]

I'd skip it. I gave myself a major algae problem that way.

http/fish.orbust.net/forums/index.php?sh...showtopic=31967

 

[buggyboutbettas]

Thanks guys for the help!

I'd skip it. I gave myself a major algae problem that way.

Do you mean skip using plants or skip using fertilizer? For now, I'll take it as "skip" using fertilizer.

In a tank that size with regular water changes, and a slow grower, low demanding plant like Java fern, you won't need fertiliser.

Would your answer change at all if I told you that I was planning on getting either corkskrew vals, java moss, or Elodea ? I should have said something about that in the first post but I forgot.

P.S. If you guys think that vals, j moss, or elodea, won't work good in my tank just say something. I'm still a plant dummy. And I think that I might want something grassy (like vals, I just love the way they look).

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> Would your answer change at all if I told you

It would have been longer, but not changed really.

You don't talk about light. The twisted versions of Vallis really need more light then many plants. If your light is good enough for twisted vallis, typically 3 Watts of full spectrum, (5500K - 6500K), fluorescent light for 10-12 hours a day, then maybe a root tab under the vallis, (vallis is a substrate rooted plant).

Elodea also requires good light for good growth, and is not really a tropical plant, it gets long a spindly in water above say 20C/70F.

Java Moss is okay though, and just as tolerant as Java fern.

Unless your tapwater is very mineral free, you won't really need fertiliser.

 

[buggyboutbettas]

Here are my stats:

Tank:
5 Gallon
16x8x10 inches.
medium-small substrate
1 betta, 2 more to come (I have dividers)
3 java ferns
tank is towards the end of cycling

Light:
16" flourescent aquarium reflector
120 Volt 40 Watt 60 hz
I have it on for 10-12 hours anyway
I also get a very good amount of morning sunlight in my room however my tank is positioned so it won't get any direct sunlight.

I have no idea what K's are .

root tabs are a kind of fertilizer, right?

soooooooooo......in your opinion, what kind of plants should I get? what about fertilizer, if any?

An excerpt out of An Owners Guide To A Happy Healthy Pet, The Betta, by Mic and Maddy Hargrove, Wily Publishing, Inc.

Corkscrew tiger val is a beautiful plant from Southeast Asia with lighter and darker bands on the leaves. This hardy and fast-growing species thrives in all kind of water conditions and does not require intense lighting to reach its maximum growth potntial. Cork-skrew tiger val is a perfect plant for the betta aquarium and the beginning hobbyist.

So is this true or false (in your opinion)?

 

[Lateral Line]

In terms of wattage, you actually have quite good light. The "K"'s refer to the spectrum of the light, it's colour. Lamps with low K ratings are more red-pink, 5500K - 6500K is bright daylight colour, higher ratings are more blue. The 5500K - 6500K range covers most of the range absorbed by Chlorophyll, the photosynthetic pigment in plants, (the green stuff).

Some plants absorb nutrients from the water through the leaves, others through their roots. Vallis is a root feeder, so yes, root tabs will benefit them. "Root tabs" is a generic term really, there are lots of types. They are a small pellet of various size which you push into the substrate near the plant. Some people use rabbit droppings as root tabs. Again, you do not need to go mad with these things.

The plant your book extract is probably referring to is Vallisneria spiralis var. ''Tiger''. This is quite an easy plant to grow, however, the "corkscrew" refers to the frequent flower spikes which the plant sends up which are spiral, not the leaves which are straight. Be aware, this plant can reach half a meter in height! I thought you were talking about a Vallis with spiral formed leaves such as Vallisneria americana var. Biwaensis.

It has beautiful twisted leaves, but it needs more light than the other Valisneria species. Other twisted Valisneria are cultivated, so not all twisted Vallisneria are V. americana var. Biwaensis.

In my 40 years experience, I would say without qualification, yes, the forms with spiral leaves are shorter growing and require more light then those with straight leaves but spiral flower spikes.

I would think with that much light you would be able to grow Vallis.

 

[endparenthesis]

I have almost exactly the same specs and my lighting is considered "low light". That's probably only a 14W tube in there isn't it? It's the fixture that's labelled 40W.

 

[buggyboutbettas]

Ohh let me get this right; Vallisneria spiralis var. ''Tiger'' is easy in low-light but could get too big, and V. americana var. Biwaensis needs more light but is shorter and might work better.

Did I get it correct?

 

[buggyboutbettas]

Oh good point, endparenthesis. I never even thought about lookin at what the tube had ) (The hood came with it). Ummm.... let's see..... it says ....... "4...22W".
What does that mean?

FYI - if you guys think that I shouln't mess with the vallis, that's fine. However, if that is the case, what would recommend that is kinda grassy like that?

 

[buggyboutbettas]

Anybody here??

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> Anybody here

Yes.

>>> Did I get it correct?

Yes.

If your lamp is 22Watts, and is a full spectrum, i.e. it doesn't look "pink" or "blue" but white, and it is less then a year old, then I think you'll be okay with the shorter, spiral leafed Vallis.

 

[endparenthesis]

Hmm, I've never seen a 22W 15" bulb... if they exist I really want one.