Micronutrients: plant tabs, powder, or liquid?

[QTOFFER]

Recently the plants in all my low light (1.0 - 1.8 WPG) tanks look - well - tired.

They're growing, but the new growth is a little pale. I notice this expecially on my Amazon swords, but even my Java moss doesn't look as peppy as it once did. My broad leaf Java fern and anubias have very small black spots and holes on the old growth. My research suggests a micronutrient deficiency. I already know that my nitrates are very low (0 - 5 ppm), and I'm getting some reagent grade KNO3 from work to slowly bring it up to 10 ppm. This will also dose some potassium, which also is probably on the low side.

About the micronutrients... I picked up some Jungle plant food tabs (0-0-6) plus iron, no phosphate. Most of them crumbled into powder upon opening the package. :? I inserted an intact one under each of the Amazon swords and planted anubias. They were a pain to work with - they kept floating to the surface and the fish - convinced they were algae wafers - kept trying to dig them out.

But what about the non-planted plants? Will they benefit from the dissolving root tabs at all? Maybe a powdered fert like Plantex, or a liquid fert would be better and easier to dose? Any suggestions or brand preferences?

 

[azn_fishy55]

If you go with root tabs I reccomend Flourish tabs,I use them in my medium lighted tank and the plants are doing very well.I used to does in Flourish but I recently changed to the Kent series.I don't mean Kent Botanica but Pro Plant and Pro Grow.But if you just need micronutrients all you need is Flourish or the Plantex+B.I think the Plantex+B is more effective thought but I have never used it.I am just inferring that it is good because the of positive feed back.HTH

 

[malkore]

If you're only low by 5ppm of NO3, the KNO3 dose won't give you enough potassium.

Root tabs won't help floating plants at all, becauase they don't release their nutrients into the water column like liquid ferts do.

Also, plantex comes dry, but you don't dose it that way. Rather you mix about 1tbsp for every 250mL of water to make a solution that you dose about 5ml of per dosing.

You may be low on trace, but I'm sure potassium is also suffering, and it's the easiest macro to dose because a little too much won't cause algae. Even a lot too much won't cause algae, but may cause calcium uptake problems until K levels receed.

 

[QTOFFER]

Thanks! I'm trying not to turn my aquarium into a chemistry experiment - I do enough of that at work!

Azn_fishy55, I wanted to get the flourish tabs (being more familiar with the brand name), but my lfs only had the Jungle ones. I'm thinking I'll go with the Flourish liquid next time.

Malkore, I can get my hands on some reagent grade K2SO4 and KCl too. I'll be using the link in your sticky to calculate the dosing for it and the nitrate.
The potassium has a slightly higher percentage composition in KCl, so I can dose the same amount of K with less. Other than that, is there any preference for using one over the other (i.e. does it matter whether I'm adding the sulfate or the chloride anion)?

Finally, I just want to clarify this, adding a dose of potassium salt equivalent to 15 ppm at every water change will in no way harm the fish?

Thanks again!

 

[rich311k]

I dose with KCL at 20 ppm and my fish are thriving and show no ill effects.

 

[malkore]

KCl is harder to dissolve...most things I see about it say "heat the water to 180 degrees, then dissolve the KCl and allow it to cool before dosing in the tank"

for that reason, I stick to K2SO4.

And I dose 15ppm after a water change, and usually another 6-10ppm mid week.

 

[crazycat]

If you're only low by 5ppm of NO3, the KNO3 dose won't give you enough potassium.

Root tabs won't help floating plants at all, becauase they don't release their nutrients into the water column like liquid ferts do.

Also, plantex comes dry, but you don't dose it that way. Rather you mix about 1tbsp for every 250mL of water to make a solution that you dose about 5ml of per dosing.

hey malkore,

greg watson's site says to mix 1tbs for every 1/2 litre. i'm assuming a 1/2 litre is 500 ml. but i suck at math... according to your mixing, you are doubling the amount of plantex. do you then dose half the ampunt? or do you double dose cuz it's better for the plants? he says that his mixis weaker than flourish, but not by much...

 

[czcz]

I had been advised that K2SO4 is preferred because of salts formed by KCl, and KCl will soften the water. As long as you do large weekly water changes either is fine -- plants use Cl- as a trace as I understand. KCl can be dissolved in a dosing bottle without heating or dosed dry. It does take time to dissolve but I have never had an animal even pick at it.

With low light, I suggest you do not worry about traces unless there are still problems after bumping up N and dosing K.

 

[malkore]

Crazycat,

I've seen numerous formulas for plantex mixing. I may indeed have listed mine at double the usual. It just means you can dose less solution because its stronger.