What Do You Add To Your Planted Tanks?

[freshwaterfishlover]

What do you guys add to your Planted tanks.

I add:
Pottassium
Iron
Excel

I have been using Potassium for a little over a month. I don't see the Pottassium doing anything. I bought a New Bottle today. When it's gone I will stop adding it.
The Iron I have been using for a few weeks and love it. Plants shoot up like Crazy.
Excel used for the first time today so we will see how it works.

 

[nicklfire]

You should really look into EI dosing. It provides your tank with all the nutrients it needs... actually provides more then your tank needs, so your plants never have a deficientcy. The way your doing it is.. just a fert here and there... and probably dosing wrong. Ei's a defined method that provides you with everything you need...

Look into it more if your interested. I can see your really trying to help your tank and that's awesome..

 

[Daveyg1969]

I have been using Interpet 'Flora Boost', and my plants seem to appreciate it.
I like the Interpet range of products, as they seem to do exactly what they say on the tin

 

[Underwurlde]

Plants Require the following 17 elements:
90% of a plant’s bulk is: Oxygen[O] & Hydrogen [H] (Water, H2O) and Carbon [C] <- from the water, but 'C' too low at a typical 3ppm.
Primary Macro-nutrients: Nitrogen [N], Phosphate [P], Potassium [K] <- commonly referred to as 'NPK'
Secondary Macro-Nutrients: Calcium [Ca], Magnesium [Mg], Sulphur
'Trace' ements: Boron , Chlorine [Cl], Nickel [Ni], Copper [Cu], Iron [Fe], Manganese [Mn], Molybdenum [Mo], Zinc [Zn]

Oh, and LIGHT of course.

'Excel' effectively boosts 'C' in the water column.

So, primarily you are lacking many things there, NPK for a start (OK, you are dosing Potassium, K). Iron is plentiful, but naff all else. Wierd... you must be using root tabs as well? Or have a damn good substrate.

Anyway, I use this (currently, I like to 'experiment'):
Dry dosing of NPK. (If you want it in a bottle, use Nutrafin Plant Gro NPK?), SeaChem Flourish for everything else / hard water area / soil substrate.

Andy

 

[mlawson]

I use sort of EI with KPO4, KNO3 and trace elements.

 

[freshwaterfishlover]

I use only the 3 thing listed. My Substrate is oinly gravel

Light
Potassium
Iron
CO2(Excel)

Potassium is doing nothing for the tank. Iron is excellent and I just started using Excel so I can not say.

 

[SuperColey1]

The Excel also provides iron qualities to the water in turning it from ferric state to ferrous so you're gonna have loads iron in there. lol

I add:
N,P,K,Mg in my macro solution
and everything else in my micro (Tropica Plant Nutrition)
+CO2 and light od course

Andy

 

[lljdma06]

The Excel also provides iron qualities to the water in turning it from ferric state to ferrous so you're gonna have loads iron in there. lol

I add:
N,P,K,Mg in my macro solution
and everything else in my micro (Tropica Plant Nutrition)
+CO2 and light od course

Andy

Nothing but fish poop and the occasional rootab when I remember now. When the tanks were younger, I would add more, mostly iron, a good all-purpose, occasionally trace. Oh, and I do inject CO2 to two of my systems, but I've been really lax about that lately with no adverse effects. In all fairness, though, low-light, low-maintenance setups with lush growth are kind of my thing. I should have deficiencies, but again, tell this to my flowering anubias and my monsterous bolbitis ferns. I also have a lot less stems than I used to, again, hate pruning, so I dosed more when I had more stems. When I had a high-tech setup, I used EI. I also use mostly an inert substrate, though in some systems I have laterite mixed in. Most of them are over a year old, though. In the future, I may add some extra laterite, but it's not pressing now.

You asked, there are alternatives to the standard fert regimens, but you have to know which plant species you can get away with being so lax with, and will still thrive.

 

[Dave Spencer]

Potassium is doing nothing for the tank. Iron is excellent and I just started using Excel so I can not say.

What makes you say the above?

I use the dry ferts from AE and dose as per EI on two of my tanks, and at a reduced amount on a third, lower light tank.

Dave.

 

[freshwaterfishlover]

I added Potassium only to the tank for a month amnd the plants looked just like they did before I added Potassium. After adding Iron a few days later My plants grew a Few inches.


Question so you are telling me If I use CO2(Excel) I do not need to add plain Iron?
When I finish this new bottle of Potassium and the Bottle of Iron how would it sound if I try just using Excel and Flourish?

Add Potasium twice a week
Iron once a week
CO2(Excel) Once a week

 

[Dave Spencer]

Dry ferts are the cheapest method (Greg Watson in the US).

What kind of fert regimen you follow will be driven by your light levels which drives nutrient uptake and, as you appear to be doing, by the health of your plants.

Dave.

 

[freshwaterfishlover]

I use no Fertalizer.

 

[Dave Spencer]

I use no Fertalizer.

You started this thread mentioning you add potassium, iron and Excel.

Dave.

 

[lljdma06]

I use no Fertalizer.

You started this thread mentioning you add potassium, iron and Excel.

Dave.

Yeah, now I'm confused too.

 

[freshwaterfishlover]

I add them in the drop form not Substrate form.