[Milkman]

What would you guys recommend? I have a planted tank but the substrate seems to have been exhausted now and the plant growth is slowing right down. I heard trimming will encourage dense growth but I like the Jungle look, it's mainly the vallisneria which I would like to bring back. It used to grow around 2ft long before in the same tank.

I have dry ferts (N, P, K and Trace) - About 500g of each, which I don't actually use. Should I start using it or do you think I should try something else? I also don't have any CO2 as I have neither the time nor the money. I have liquid carbon but I don't use it as it melts vallis.

 

[Raymond S.]

IMO root tabs are way too expensive. The Osmocote+ capsules seem to be talked about in a good way. People seem to like them and they are not expensive.
But I don't understand why you would buy dry ferts and just not use them.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...697-dry-dosing-nutrient-solution-recipes.html
It requires a digital scale to use this way of using the ferts. But once mixed you
just measure out the correct amount. Granted it's an almost every day issue to
dose them. I use less per dose and less doses per week because I don't do injected CO2
and this is designed for that. So I dose 3ml of each of the Macros and Micros and
I just dose them each twice a week instead of three times a week.
Adding a dose takes about one min or just a bit more.

 

[Willcooper]

I would say since you weren't using nutrients before and your substrate seems depleted and you liked the before growth I would go with root tabs. You can buy them commercially or buy osmocot+ and gel capsules and take the 5 min to fill up a dozen at a time. Replace the tabs every 2-3 months. That would be the easiest thing to do based on how you have been running the tank.

 

[thedood]

If you like Take a look at the growth on my 75g in my sig, the last two pics I posted. Thats 3 weeks after placing some tabs near the swords and a few amongst the dwarf sag carpet. I bought o+ and filled the gel caps myself. I think I put in a total of 10 tabs. I cut the end off of a syringe, place the caps in the syringe, pushed the syringe into the substrate and inject the tab. Easy peasy. I got the syringes free of charge from Walgreens.