low tech ferts?

[amphilophus]

I was hoping that someone could help me with what fertalizers would be helpfull in my tank? I am setting up a 55 gallon it will have 2.3 watts per gallon what types of fertalizers do i need? I was going to add c02 and still might down the raod but I figure before I start spending alot of money on it I better see if I can be succesfull plus I am sort of affraid of killing all my fish with the co2. so what ferts should I dose? thanks.

[Wasserpest]

2.3 W/gal is not really low tech, I'd think that you would be more successful with CO2 here.

Regarding fertilizers, I would start off with some iron/trace mix. Have an eye on Nitrates, shouldn't zero out completely (plants won't like that). Add some Potassium if you notice deficiencies, and perhaps Phosphate if there is none in your tap water and you don't feed much.

[amphilophus]

thanks for the response. well the light I have is a 4x65 so I cant really go any lower on the lighting I will just be running two of the bulbs. I will see what gappens. thanks.

[Naja002]

2.3 W/gal is not really low tech,

That really depends on the lighting setup itself. Quality light and reflectors sitting right on top of the tank may or may not cause the plants to Respond in a Low-Tech way. But 2.3wpg of standard shoplights hanging 8" above the tank--would certainly cause the plants to "Respond" in a Low-Tech way.....

This is the same problem we are running into on the Define Low-Tech Thread....1.5-2wpg is a guideline--that's all. So, 2.3wpg isn't necessarily--Not--Low-Tech.

If we start "Dismissing" people like this:

1) This "Low-Tech Forum" is going to be a failure.
and
2) We are all going to miss out on that "Gray Area" sitting between Low-Tech and High-Tech.

[shaggathai]

I have a 55g tank with 2x65 watts also, and am holding off on co2 for the same reasons as you. I'm using Excel as my carbon source, started out dosing flourish as the only fertilizer, and a few weeks ago also started adding flourish trace and iron. I will probably never have to dose nitrates as it's pretty well stocked with fish plus my well water has nitrates (a big reason I started planting my tanks!). I'm very pleased with the growth in it and my 10g planted tank, and doing it this way has been easy and uncomplicated.

[Wasserpest]

Originally Posted by Naja002

If we start "Dismissing" people like this:

1) This "Low-Tech Forum" is going to be a failure.
and
2) We are all going to miss out on that "Gray Area" sitting between Low-Tech and High-Tech.

I did not mean to dismiss people in any way. Sorry if it came across like this.

Just pointing out that usually 2.3W/gal over a 55gal setup will run better with CO2.

[GulfCoastAquarian]

In many cases, I think it's a smart idea to start simple at first, without the complex CO2 systems. It will give you a chance to familiarize yourself with the many nutrients you'll need to take into consideration once you add CO2 and turn on the second pair of bulbs.

For now, read up on nitrates (NO3) and phosphates (PO4) and their recommended ratios. Buy a good NO3 and PO4 test kit and some stump remover (KNO3). You shouldn't need to add phosphates, but if you do - Fleet Enema is the way to go. That should give you plenty of ammo to give the search button a good workout for now.

For micronutrients - there are dozens of good brands. Just about any fish store carries Seachem's Flourish line. I've been using it for years.