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so you want to get your plants growing...

aspen

Active Member
5 Year Member
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toronto, canada
i would urge anyone who wants to grow a planted aquarium, or an indoor or outdoor garden, to read this article, then read it again and put it aside for reading later.

http://www.usu.edu/~cpl/hsapaper.html

this article describes how nutrients are delivered to plants grown hydroponically and gives an insight into exactly what is required to get plants growing like crazy. imo, the big difference between growing plants in an aquarium and hydroponically or in the garden, is the available light. once we put a certain amount of light on the top of our tank, all other factors like available carbon (co2 levels or whatever other carbon source you are using) plus macro and micro nutrients should be blended in proportion to the light source, so the plants use all of the nitrogen and phosphorous produced by the fish plus some.

my strategy for growing plants in an aquarium, is to provide enough light and co2, so that the plants make the water column a 'barren wasteland' for algae growth, ie, the plants should be able to uptake all nutrients out of the water, and thereby starving the algae.

imo, plant growth should be viewed as such: plants are living machines that eat all available nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, plus other micronutrients, to produce foliage. really a plant's job is to produce foliage using available nutrients in the presence of light. we want our plants to consume all nitrates and phosphates produced by the fish. (actually fed TO the fish.) as long as everything is delivered to the plants in such a way that they can consume these things properly, and in the proper balance, the plants will grow and continue to grow, and the algae will not.

this is also why i believe that a fortified substrate is not necessary. plants can be fed with everything they need in the amounts that you want to, using root fert, and light water column fert. by doing things this way, the aquarist has full control over what nutrients the plants are getting, and in the amounts that you want. the single biggest mistake that beginners make, is over- fertilisation. using the proper test kits (ph for co2 calculations, nitrates, phosphates and iron) enable the aquarist to decide exactly what is needed, and what is in excess, and make decisions based on these factors. after your tank has been up and running for a while, the kits become redundant, you will recognise the signs and act accordingly, without the test kits.

and also, never forget that the easiest way to dilute the nitrates or phosphates out of the water column, is to do a simple water change for the times when the plants are not keeping up with the fish load.

please note, that the article calls for ph control. i do not consider this to be a necessary factor in the type of plant growth the average aquarist really needs. while the article states that nutrient uptake is maximised at a lower ph, trying to control the ph at this level without the use of phosphate buffers gets expensive, and is not necessary. trying to run a co2 injected tank without the proper buffers, is a recipe for disaster in the form of a ph crash due to the plants' uptake of carbonates from the water. my resting tapwater ph is 7.8, and my plants will pearl like crazy. a stable ph is beneficial the fish, and imo, the fish should come first in any planted aquarium. there is a median where the plants grow like crazy, and the fish are happy. in fact many who have kept planted fish tanks report, that their planted tanks always have better luck with fish spawning.

please also note, that a lot of nutrients will be stored inside the plant to be used when necessary. using this fact, allows you to add fert once or twice a week, not every day. this will limit the algae's exposure to these nutrients. ime, plants will not show nutrient deficiencies, when fed up to 2 weeks apart, but my choice is to feed bi-weekly, in small amounts. when the plants show deficiencies, raise the fert levels slightly, until the deficiency symptoms subside.

the first and most important step, is to take a sample of your water, and aerate for 24 hours, then test for gh, kh, ph, phosphates nitrates and iron. once you know what nutrients you are adding when you do a water change, (and what is missing), then you will be better able to make fert decisions. also imo, all water changes should be done using aerated tapwater, not straight from the tap. you will likely notice a big difference in how your fish react to water changes when you do them this way. my 'raw' tapwater strips the slime off of my discus. that couldn't be good, imo. with aerated tapwater, i do 75% daily changes to my growout discus, with no ill effects.

good luck, rick
 

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