Do I need more/different fert?

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Kellie

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Oct 9, 2012
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Location
Westlake, OH
Earlier this week I added a nice watersprite to my 36G tank and also 3 banana plants. I already had 4 crypts, 2 anubis, 8ish java fern, and some anachris. Everything has been thriving with the exception of the anachris, I think it gets bothered too much from the fish, keeps breaking apart floating around then getting stuck to the filter intake, it doesn't look dead but in my 10G tank its REALLY thriving so I can definitly tell a difference that its not doing as well as it could. Some of the java fern has had some leaf wilting but for each leaf that dies two more seem to start growing from the bottom.

As previously advised on here I've been dosing Seachem Flourish 1-2 times a week in conjunction with my PWCs. Yesterday when I did my weekly water test I came up with a big fat 0 for Nitrates (amonia and nitrite 0 also). This has never happened since the tank was cycled. The nitrates had been sitting around 5 before water changes. I haven't been doing any more PWCs then normal. I'm just wondering if the plants are using up all the nitrate if I should start either dosing more of the Flourish or add another fert into the mix as well? Tank is low tech. Fish stock is 5 harlequin rasboras, 2 espei rasboras, 6 panda cories (3 are itty bitty babies, 3 full grown adults) 5 black phantom tetras, and 2 rams (both young). I was prepared to do larger water changes after adding the rams because I know they can be sensitive to nitrate, but with nitrate at 0 I fear the plants might be going hungry.

Thanks for any and all advice!
 
The easiest way would be to get a bottle of flourish nitrogen and then dose accordingly to maintain a low nitrate level. Once you get comfortable with that it'll be more economical to move to dry ferts, but in that size tank one bottle of flourish nitrogen should last quite a long time.
 
The easiest way would be to get a bottle of flourish nitrogen and then dose accordingly to maintain a low nitrate level. Once you get comfortable with that it'll be more economical to move to dry ferts, but in that size tank one bottle of flourish nitrogen should last quite a long time.


Thanks, should I dose this at the same time as the flourish or alternate them?
 
They have dosing directions on the bottles. Generally though in a low light tank you'd want to dose flourish comprehensive once a week after water change, and excel daily as it breaks down within 24 hrs.
 
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