Help With Plant Fertilisers

[KieranBoyne]

Thank you  for all of the help everybody!! I really appreciate it! I've lost count of how many times you lot have saved my backside!

 

[Mamashack]

Does dosing EI ferts really effects inverts?
 
I was planning on adding shrimps and maybe a nerite snail to my high tech nano tank which has co2 and do EI ferts as well.
 
Would like to know how this affected them exactly, links would be good too if you have any.

Unfortunately I have deleted the emails to and from the guy who makes APF ferts and his advice was not to use the product I was referring to for EI since it would mean tripling the daily dose and it does contain trace amounts of copper which at higher dosage is toxic to shrimp etc. 
He also has dry EI products available, however I was referring to the NPK premix product I am using which is safe to use every day and can accommodate fortnightly water changes. 
 
(EDIT: Can't get the quote boxes right but am replying to Ch4rlie's question #10 if it isn't clear)

 

[KieranBoyne]

Oh. I was wondering about that mamashack. Lol

 

[Mamashack]

Thank you Dr Rob!

 

[DrRob]

No worries Mamashack, it's sometimes easier if you turn off the visual editor with the toggle switch at the top left, but do remember to turn it back on again if you want the previous display back.
 
You're in the real of where I like my dry salts. You know exactly what you're giving. A lot of root tab makers will try to put everything in, but not in huge doses. Some of them use the cheaper urea/ammonia based fertilisers, but in the quantities and slow release formats available they're generally no trouble for ammonia levels so long as you don't go crazy on dosing, aquasoils can be worse.
 
Best advice I can give is to try an approach and stick to it for a few weeks and then tweak until you get it correct, but don't be tempted to underdose too heavily as you'll get virtually no results.

 

[Mamashack]

Thanks Dr Rob I'll try that in future
I get where everyone is coming from however I have storage space problems and for now it's easier for me to get the premixed stuff which as I said previously is based on NPK plus trace elements.
I am keeping a close eye on the nitrAte level (which was 5 ppm before dosing) and trying to keep it around 25 ppm and am dosing when it drops to 10 ppm using Salifert test. (Unless anyone suggests a higher safe level for the fish)
I'm not bothered about the shrimp breeding - I have amanos and they need brackish water to develop anyway.
However I have noticed that they seem to be hesitating a bit today and look like they are pondering instead of constantly eating as before. So I'm not dosing Easy Carbo today and I'll see if they perk up and adjust the dose accordingly.
 
Sorry Kieran - hope this hasn't detracted from your original question!

 

[KieranBoyne]

Naa its apsolutely fine Mamashack!! Im learning too so it's awesome!!

 

[DrRob]

Ignore the nitrate levels, if you're dosing for plants and water changing appropriately then it's not really likely to be an issue.

 

[Mamashack]

Thanks Dr Rob I'll try to be braver in future!
I've been told by a reliable source that it's no good adding ferts if there isn't an adequate source of carbon as well. Since I can't afford CO2 canisters and don't have the room for DIY yeast systems I'm sticking with the next best thing - Easy Carbo
The shrimp seem to be fine so as a result of the following email I shall stick to half doses daily and keep an eye on things.
This is the response from Easy Life to my enquiry about it's safety with shrimp and snails:
 
Thank you very much for your interest in our Easy Life products.
It's no problem to use half dosages of EasyCarbo on a daily basis. For a lot of tanks, this dosage already suffices. So if you are comfortable with 1/2 dosage daily, then that's fine.
Half or full dosages of EasyCarbo should be okay with snails and shrimps. But if you have not many plants, then half dosages are enough.
 
Best regards,
Team Easy Life
Easy Life International BV
The Netherlands
 

www.easylife.nl

 

[DrRob]

Simply put, the amount of fertiliser requirement and CO2 requirement is based hugely on the amount of light you provide. Cut the light and the need goes down. We have many people who go for crazy light levels and then wonder why they struggle to keep a tank balanced on a knife edge of the right levels of CO2 and fertilisers, but probably even more so that don't bother with the low levels they actually need because they're scared to dose them, so well done for taking the plunge and remember to not go crazy with the light and you'll do well.

 

[Mamashack]

Have recently reduced from 8 to 7 hrs split into a 4 & 3 hrs session (for my benefit so I get to see the fish when I'm home)
Don't know if it's the reduction in light, addition of ferts and/or carbon or all 3, but the java fern is looking a more healthy green and I'm assuming the tanks are look clearer because the algae is disappearing.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I dose 2 ml/10 gals of Excel into planted tanks with every water change. I have assassins and amanos and neither of them could care less about the Excel.
 
Amano runs his lights for 4 hours at high intensity and another 4 hours at illumination levels.

 

[DrRob]

Indeed, I've not seen a problem with adult shrimp or snails with gluteraldehyde. I do get less shrimplets from my cherries in my treated tank than in my low tech, but there are a number of possible contributing features to that. I've heard anecdotal reports of people noting the same with less adult shrimp resulting from gluteraldehyde tanks than pressurised CO2 tanks but am not running shrimp on my pressurised tank, but that wouldn't be an issues with amanos regardless unless you wanted to have a go at the brackish sets for the shrimplets.

 

[KieranBoyne]

sooo my easylife profito and carbon came today along with my api root tabs.
 
I have a question about the tabs though, it says use one tablet for every 30 square inches of gravel surface, yet it then goes on to say a standard 38l aquarium requires 3 tablets... How does that add up??? I have a 60 litre so how many am I supposed to put in?? I put 3 in but I don't know if that's right or not.. HELP!?

The measurements for my tank is width 60cm, depth 35cm height 30cm

 

[Zikofski]

okay, i used API root tabs, no offence didn't get anything from them >_< but tbh i just checked them in where i had plants, i make out your tank to have 312 square inches so that should be 10 tabs remember you can have a 60L with 312 sq inch or 60L with 100sq inch depends on the floor base and height. regarding the cloudiness you speak about in chat, i don't think that would be caused by your API tabs, unless you have disturbed your substrate, or you crushed up one of your api tabs and its been dug up some how.