Fertalizers?

[KraKen]

I was wondering if I could use lawn/garden fertilizer for my tank or do I have to buy special aquarium ferts?

Also is there a way I could increase the nutritious quality of my sand without switching to a new substrate?

 

[DevUK]

I really don't think lawn ferts would be advisable. We tend to dose Nitrogen and Phosphoros as well as potassium which may be in some ferts (sulphate of pot ash for instance), but generally I think you'll find they'll contain a lot of other chemicals which I don't think would be very good for fish health. I don't think its worth the risk.

As for your sand, you could consider some sort of root tabs under any plants. These are generally slow release capsules that dissolve over time (anything from 2 - 6 months depending on brand) and release nutrients directly to plant roots. Even with a planted substrate in my tank, I still have some of these under my crypts as they are heavey root feeders.

Tropica PN+ root capsules and API root tabs are two common brands.

 

[KraKen]

I don't have fish in my tank at the moments since it's still cycling and some of my plant are getting brown spots and I was wondering if fertilizers would remedy this.

I'll get some of those root tabs, thanks for the info

 

[DevUK]

You could get a specific aquatic fertiliser... Tropica Plant Nutrition+, Seachem Flourish etc. Just dose your tank once a week according to instructions

 

[SuperColey1]

In short the actual answer is Yes you can use garden ferts BUT......

This would of course mean that you will not be able to put livestock in for a long long time.

The initial problem is that Garden Ferts include ammonia as a nutrient which as we know is toxic to fish and other livestock.

The secondary problem is that the majority of garden fertilisers contain some pesticide wether natural or chemical which will not only kill some of the plants but could be toxic to the fish and contaminate the substrate for a long time after.

So in short if you want livestock in there and to be able to grow all plants then you should use the proper aquatic stuff (or the individual compunds that you need)

Andy

 

[nry]

Plants grow badly or discolour for reasons that are not always fertiliser related - light levels, type of plant (many shops sell plants for aquariums thatare not true aquatics and can die quite wuickly under water) etc etc will affect things. If you can post more details of your tank (size, type/wattage of light, type of plants etc) then we may be able to help further.

 

[KraKen]

The plant in question seems to have recovered, the brown spots are gone and it has sent up another flower shoot.