Planting media

[Betta keeper]

Hey

My swords are looking pretty sad, and I thought it might help to pot them into a nutrient rich medium

My substrate is pool filter sand and I can't always keep up on the root tabs because of transportation issues(I can't order online)

I dose excel, but every one knows swords are root feeders :/

Aside from the swords, my ludwiga is rotting up the stems, and I don't know why

What's good to pot them into?

 

[flchamp89]

Did you already try root tabs. Stems will like them too.

 

[Fresh2o]

Potting soil capped with sand should work. In small clay pots (or any container, really).

 

[Bert2oo1]

I feel the "root feeder" thing is a myth to be honest. That's why Api sells root tabs and preaches root feeding. Swords can grow fine with column dosing. Your deficient in something. Most likely trace elements or nitrogen.
Do you dose flourish aswell?
And flourish trace?

If not it's worth getting a bottle of each and dosing to recommended or half dose of your not heavily planted.

You can also make your own tabs if you want with capsule cartridges and miricle grow fertilizers

 

[Betta keeper]

I'm not heavily planted, just some ludwiga, wisteria, a java fern and a couple of swords

I wanted plants but I'm not exactly a green thumb lol

Here's everything I currently use in my tank

Normally I also have API root tabs but I ran out and money has been tight

 

[Betta keeper]

Is miracle grow safe?

 

[skrapeNKA]

Miracle Grow is not aquarium safe.

Flourish Iron might be worth a shot, and it also might help to pull the sword 'up' a bit, so the top of the root crown is showing above the sand. I haven't added any root tabs since moving tanks a month or so ago and my sword is still sprouting leaves every week

 

[Bert2oo1]

Yea I'd say your lacking in multiple ferts. You need to get a bottle of trace and a bottle of flourish. Excel will increase the uptake of the plants so they will dry out on nutrients really fast.

Or a cheaper option is drys salts to PPS pro or EI method. A quick Google search will give you a heap of info on these dosings.

It uses chelated micro nutrients (trace elements like iron,zinc,boron etc) and macro nutrients (nitrogen, phosphate, magnesium etc)

Dry salts can be brought by the pound/kg for very little expense (about the price of a seachem bottle) and last you years.

 

[Autumnsky]

Miracle Grow Organic (MGO) is supposed to be good.

A few years ago I bought some but never used it because I decided I did not want to chance having the dirt coming through a cap and messing things up as I usually move things around quite a bit. MGO can leach some ammonia, but it would maybe not too bad as it would be in small amounts in root ball. Just have to test it for awhile to make sure. Dirt will get into the white sand and drive you insane, even if you aren't OCD.

Also check around if anyone have used it.

 

[nirbhao]

MGO can leach some ammonia, but it would maybe not too bad as it would be in small amounts in root ball.

Huh. I used it in my DIY root tabs. I'll have to check my levels more closely. I had not read that.

 

[Betta keeper]

When you say drys salts, are you referring to aquarium salts? And are they ok for my pleco? I have read that pleco has a pretty low salt tolerance

Yes, I recall having an issue with ammonia in a tank that I tried with dirt. I set it all up and only a couple of days later it stunk. I had mineralized outside dirt......never do that again lol

 

[Bert2oo1]

When you say drys salts, are you referring to aquarium salts? And are they ok for my pleco? I have read that pleco has a pretty low salt tolerance

Yes, I recall having an issue with ammonia in a tank that I tried with dirt. I set it all up and only a couple of days later it stunk. I had mineralized outside dirt......never do that again lol

I mean dry salt fertilisers like kno3, potassium sulphate etc. if you google PPS pro or EI dosing you will know what Im talking about. It's dry salt forms of nitrogen, phosphate, magnesium etc

 

[Autumnsky]

Huh. I used it in my DIY root tabs. I'll have to check my levels more closely. I had not read that.

Tiny amounts in a root cap shouldn't be enough to give concern. Think OMG as the substrate for an entire tank...that it has nutrients added to it (i.e. Miracle Grows claim to fame) make it a candidate for leaching ammonia.

**Same with all the substrates, it would reason too that even the ones made of naturally rich soil baked into balls could have a small amount initially. I would always make sure to test after adding or using a brand new substrate touted for planted tank growing.

Not necessary for sand or substrate (bagged aquarium) gravel, or like the CaribSea Naturals which tell you they will not effect your hardness.

The thing with Ammazonia is they say can leach for a few weeks, but my nearby hobbyist friend used it and at testing it every few days and each week he did pwc, 6 weeks it was still leaching at a level not safe for shrimp, but it was ready after that. Would likely not harm fish at 5-6 weeks, especially using prime water conditioner. But if using it for delicate inverts (highly line bred shrimp let's say) or fish, you want to be sure to test and wait.

On the flip side, it seems perfect for doing a fishless cycle, ready supply of ammonia!!!

 

[freash.water]

That is an iron deficiency, most of the time if a leaf turns yellow ish it is an iron deficiency, you can use root tabs or an all in one fertilizer. With Seachem you have to buy iron, excel, and trace this adds up to 30 dollars and may last you 2 months. I would recommend Easy green.

 

[freash.water]

Also you need to have trace, if you decide on buying seachem, it has most of the micro and macro nutrients.

 

[Betta keeper]

I'll run the Seachem line then

I have good experience with them anyway

I do want to use a root tab, but the API ones leave my sand looking red a couple of days after putting them in....first time it happened I thought it was a new algae but it is literally every time I add root tabs

 

[freash.water]

I use the seachem tabs, and they work great! I have lots of growth!

 

[Betta keeper]

Thanks I'll try those

 

[freash.water]

Also you can use an all in one fertilizer "so you don't have to buy root tabs and regular fertilizers". I will recommend h20 plants all in one fertilizer or aquarium coop fertilizer "easy green"

 

[Bert2oo1]

Also you can use an all in one fertilizer "so you don't have to buy root tabs and regular fertilizers". I will recommend h20 plants all in one fertilizer or aquarium coop fertilizer "easy green"

I don't recommend this, fertilisers that contain both micro and macro nutrients counter act against each other. Certain macro and micro nutrients will actually mix together to make a completely different chemical compound that is useless for your aquarium