Fertilizer Help

[MyanRan]

Hey Everyone,
I have a few questions about how to fertilize my plants right now because I ran into a problem with nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia levels and am now doing daily water changes to sort this out. I test a few hours after every water change to understand where my water quality stands. My aquarium is a 55 gallon corner tank, and has 5 plants in it. I have a rotala indica, anubias frazeri, vallisneria, bacopa caroliniana, and marsilea crenata. I have two T8 Aqua Glo lights in a fixture a couple inches off the surface of the water. I was wondering how I should be fertilizing these plants seeing as though I have these water issues at the moment. I have a bottle of Seachem Flourish and am wondering if this is ok? Any advice here would be much appreciated as I'm in a minor situation.
P.S. Why are my photos upside down?

 

[DanTheGuppyMan]

You should use root tabs and dry ferts plus the daily dose of CO2 if you don't have a system. Seachems Flourish Excel is for the CO2 supplementation, you need a good root tab - I use AquariumPlants.com root tabs (total, iron, and phosphate) and for dry ferts I use PPS-Pro. You can use flourish comprehensive instead of dry ferts but dry ferts would be the best IMO.

 

[MyanRan]

I believe my tank is classified as low-light, is it not? I have been using Flourish Comprehensive as is instructed, to put 5ml in each week. Is this enough for my plants? My rotala indica is still growing, but the top appears a bit yellow. The Vallisneria is growing like crazy though!

 

[Rivercats]

Yes you have a low light tank and therefore do not need CO2 or dry ferts. You have a good fert with Seachem Flourish Comprehensive but the yellowing is an indication of a nutrient deficiency. You should look into getting some API Leaf Zone as it contains potassium and iron. You would use it as directed on the bottle. Also you would use both the Leaf Zone and the Comprehensive weekly.

 

[fort384]

You might find this article useful:
Introduction to Fertilizing the Planted Tank - Aquarium Advice

 

[MyanRan]

Yes, I read through that thread coming to the conclusion that I do not need to use dry frets, nor do I need to supplement CO2. Do I need the extra Potassium and Iron supplements because my Comprehensive doesn't contain enough? I read that it does have Iron and Potassium in it.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Yes, I read through that thread coming to the conclusion that I do not need to use dry frets, nor do I need to supplement CO2. Do I need the extra Potassium and Iron supplements because my Comprehensive doesn't contain enough? I read that it does have Iron and Potassium in it.

I think API leaf zone has potassium and iron in it (dont quote me on that), but pretty sure it does.

 

[fort384]

There are low levels of each in the comprehensive, but I would recommend supplementing with tetra florapride or API Leafzone to get extra K and trace in the water column. For Iron dosing, you can use Seachem Iron to get extra chelated iron in the water. You can also buy a chelated iron test kit if you really want to determine if you are low or not -

Amazon.com: Seachem MultiTest Iron Test Kit: Pet Supplies

Yellowing can be a sign of a few things - but most commonly either a nitrogen or Iron deficiency.

What is your Nitrate testing at? That can help us narrow it down.

 

[MyanRan]

Well, I can tell you right now it isn't a Nitrogen deficiency. My last reading was over 50 mg/L of Nitrate.

 

[fort384]

LOL, yeah definitely not a nitrogen problem

Fe would be my guess. It could be lighting too though. Rotala indica is more of a medium light stem, and 2 t8s on a 55 is pretty low light.

 

[MyanRan]

How would I go about upgrading my lights, and fixture? I want really vibrant plants, and all that good stuff, so I probably should increase my lighting. Can I just put better bulbs in there? Or I probably need a new fixture.

 

[fort384]

You would need a good fixture. A dual t5ho fixture would be a significant upgrade - or you could look into LED fixtures, which would cost more up front...

 

[aqua_chem]

Can you get a close up shot of your rotala? It's hard to tell both from the zoom and from the fact that it's upside down, but you plants don't look yellow so much as orange, which is actually a healthy color for them. I find this odd though, as you don't really have the lights for it, and your nitrates are pretty high.

 

[fort384]

That was my first thought Mark - but at 50ppm Nitrate I would find it hard to believe, especially under T8s. I was thinking orange at first but on closer inspection, it looks more yellow.

 

[MyanRan]

Here are some pictures, the top looks kind of red to be honest. I heard the bottom sides of the leaves are supposed to be pink?

 

[MyanRan]

T5HO

Does anybody have a recommendation of a good T5HO Light Fixture? I would have to change my supplements quite a bit if I changed the lighting, but I know what to do (CO2, PPS-Pro?)

 

[fort384]

LOL that top left pic really looks like healthy indica to me that would be in a medium to high light environment and low nitrates. Mark, I await your explanation

 

[aqua_chem]

Looks pink to me. Is your water super soft?

 

[MyanRan]

Super Soft? My water at the moment has a pH of 8.0. My Ammonia is 0.6 mg/L, my Nitrite is 0.1 mg/L, and my Nitrate is 50 mg/L. I don't do tests of any of the nutrients, such as Iron. Should I be testing those? I usually test my Nitrates and others a few hours after my water change.

 

[aqua_chem]

I wouldn't bother with iron, or any other micronutrient. Maybe nitrate, or phosphate if you take a particular interest in it for whatever reason.


Fort: I don't know. I wasn't paying attention during "Why are my plants awesome?" day in planted tank school.