Fertalizer???

[Sasha the breen]

Hello
i am going to be transferring all my fish, plants etc to a new tank,So i wss thinking that because the plant liquid food costs about $10.00 i thought about having fetalizer as a substrate(uder the gravel)so i was wondering 3 things
1.Does it affect water quality>?(i dont want to start a min cycle)
2.Do i ever need to change the fertalizer???
3.Do i need to buy a certain type of fertalizer or can it be any garden fertalizer?
Thankyou

 

[babyfish]

You can buy Laterite which is a substrate specially for planted aquariums. It is laden with nutrients for good plant growth. Don't add just any fertilizer to your tank as you will probably get lots of algae

 

[Sasha the breen]

Is the stuff expensive?

 

[Bol]

Laterite is sort of expensive, I guess. See this

Another product many plant people like is Flourite, which you use by itself as a substrate (i.e. no gravel or sand in addition), but it can get pricey, although it doesn't really "wear out", from what I've read.

One thing you may want to consider: substrate fertilizer may not help much if most of your plants are stem plants. Also, if you have fairly low-light, most fertilizers might be unnecessary.

 

[mrV]

1.Does it affect water quality>?(i dont want to start a min cycle)

Of course they do. You add whatever into your tank, it affects somehow your water. But changes are so small that you souldn't be worried about them. If e.g. pH seems to be lower, so, when changing water add small amount af baking soda to raise pH - measure pH before adding that water into your tank!

2.Do i ever need to change the fertalizer???

Do you add fertilizers to house-plants? So yes, bottom ferts are also used in someday and you need to add them more. You can easily use some tablets/pellets (e.g. JBL's 7 balls and you don't need fertilize whole bottom area either.)

3.Do i need to buy a certain type of fertalizer or can it be any garden fertalizer?

Garden ferts contain e.g. nitrogen and phosphates that you don't want to add your tank. Use tank ferts, e.g. Tetra FloraPride=PlantMin

It depends on what kind of plants you have, but other need bottom ferts and almost anyone liquid fert.

Laterite is sort of expensive, I guess.

Buy pure clay

 

[Sasha the breen]

So if i had a layer of clay then gravel,would i have to give me plants liquid fertalizer aswell?can someone give me an link or a product were i dont have to go and buy liquid fertalizer every week!

 

[mrV]

What do you mean by gravel? If you use clay or any other bottom fertizers, you should use sand. Gravel let fertilizers dissolve into water and you need, of course, vacuum gravel too. When you vacuum it, you "suck" those fertilizers away. Sand isn't vacuum ever.

So if i had a layer of clay then gravel,would i have to give me plants liquid fertalizer aswell?

Every plants don't have roots or they don't use so much roots to take fertilizers. So it depends on what kind of plants you have.