[zoea]

I have a 125 gallon aquarium and have been looking for a cheap fertilizer. It is heavily planted with a professional co2 setup. I need a fertilizer that doesn't have copper because I have 21 nerite snails and can't afford to lose them. i am currently using seachem excel and its quite expensive. I would prefer to use a liquid fertilizer because I can easily inject it into my roots in the sand with a syringe. Also interested in dry ferts, whichever is cheaper and wont hurt my fish and snails. Suggestions?

 

[kevmo911]

For substrate fertilizer, buy root tabs or make your own with gelatin capsules and osmocote plus.

Price-wise, dry fertilizers are a fraction of the cost of liquid ferts, but slightly more work. Check the Sponsors section here, and/or do a search for "fertilizer" in the Swap N Shop.

 

[dniel]

My vote goes for dry ferts! Price-per-dose for dry ferts is a fraction of the cost for the liquid ferts. Requires a bit of calculation though...If you really prefer liquid application to the roots, you can get dry ferts, measure & mix your own solution, and store many ready-to-use liquid doses in a bottle.

 

[KevinC]

And don't worry about copper. The tiny bit that is in trace element fertilizers is a necessary trace element - for fish, snails, inverts, and plants. Diluting it with 125 gallons of water makes it way too little to be toxic. Especially with regular water changes.