[sonby101]

I'm not very familiar with Micro, and macro fertilizing, and can someone please explain the very basics of fertilizing aquatic plants?

 

[Hoppy]

Plants need (N)Nitrogen, (P)Phosphorous, (K)Potassium, and several other elements, but in extremely small amounts. The first three are called "macro" nutrients, and the last are called "micro" nutrients, or trace elements. The easy way to dose these nutrients is to dose potassium nitrate, for potassium and nitrogen, and mono potassium phosphate, for phosphorus and a tiny bit of potassium. Then add a "trace element mix" such as Flourish or CSM+B, and you are providing all of the nutrients plants need.

Plants need carbon more than any other nutrient, but that is rarely considered to be a fertilizer, since terrestrial plants use atmospheric carbon dioxide for carbon. We inject carbon dioxide into the water to provide the carbon.

There are a few elements that are in almost all tap water, like calcium and magnesium, which plants need small amounts of too. If your tap water is very soft, containing very little of either of those, you can use a GH builder, like Seachem Equilibrium, to provide that for the plants.

 

[sonby101]

Do you reccomend any specific fertilizers I will need for a high/medium light 29 gallon tank set-up. It will have CO2, and I know I will have to balance all of this out or I'll get a massive algae break-out. What would you reccomend be a good fert regime?

 

[PHalas]

Read all the sticky's @ the top of this section & here http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/ or here http://www.bestaquariumregulator.com/ferts.htm
is where you can get ferts from.

 

[sonby101]

Thanks

 

[bradac56]

It depends on if you want to go with easy pre-mixed commercial ferts or dry mix your own powders to save a ton of money.

The basics of dry diy powders is:

KN03
KH2P04
K2SO4
Trace (CSM+B)

Optional but good stuff:
GH booster (only used after a large WC)
Iron Chelate 10% (if you need extra iron for finicky plants)

You can get those from the two websites that PHalas listed.

If you want to go with a commercial system pfertz.com has a nice easy to use system called "The High-Tech Solution" that's dead simple to use (one pump per 10gal). Seachem also has a good system but requires a few more bottles and more knowledge but works just as well.

- Brad

 

[wkndracer]

A great place to start

He has his own style of writing The information is all there in plain and direct fashion. Rex put alot of time into helping folks starting out with solid basics of keeping plants and fish when he put his site together.

http://rexgrigg.com/