[stephanie]

I recently renovated my 46 gallon bowfront aquarium into a planted tank. I'm growing Anubias, assorted Crypts, amazon swords, java ferns on driftwood, water wisteria, ludwigia, and some bacopa. I have Seachem flourite as my substrate. I'm not sure on the lighting (it's second hand) but it's a single bulb.

I have been using API Leaf Zone weekly and API CO2 booster daily, but I've been reading on other fertilizers and Osmocote Plus keeps coming up. I haven't seen it for sale anywhere here (Canada) and I'm wondering if there are any alternatives.

I picked up some Miracle-Gro Shake and Feed for my outdoor plant use but I'm wondering if it's safe for plant and fish use in an aquarium.

Below are the compounds listed for the Miracle-Gro:
Nitrogen 12%
Phosphate 4%
Potash 8%
Calcium 1.5%
Magnesium 1.4%
Sulfur 4.2%
Copper 0.05%
Iron 0.9%
Manganese 0.35%
Zinc 0.1%

Has anyone used this kind of fertilizer or has any advice or whether or not it's safe? Thanks a bunch for your help!

 

[Nlewis]

There are members here that sell the osmocote roots tabs, look in the classified section. You could also purchase it from eBay or Amazon if need be.

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

HI stephanie,

Welcome to TPT! Glad you joined us!

Unfortunately the nutrients in most terrestrial plant fertilizers are not suitable for aquatic plants, and especially for the fish in the tanks. For example the nitrogen sources in the Shake and Feed are urea and ammonium nitrate, both are toxic to fish. The Osmocote can be used cautiously because the fertilizer is encapsulated into little time-release beads and the fertilizer is placed several inches into the substrate so the toxins are not circulated in the tank water.

 

[stephanie]

Seattle_Aquarist,

Thank you for the informative answer! I'll continue using what I have with the API stuff and I'll see if I can find the Osmocote online somewhere.

 

[Fish Em]

I have used miracle gro product that you asked about. I think it is similar to the osmocote in that it is slow release. I had really good results with my aquarium plants in combination with topsoil capped with sand. My fish and shrimp were just fine and even some fertilizer beads came out of the substrate. I only used maybe half a teaspoon per tank every 5 months. I stopped using it when I redid my tank after I moved because I am experimenting with new stuff.

 

[theatermusic87]

For what it's worth the ratios on those ferts look pretty decent, the problem would be how much to dose, what the dose consists of (i.e where the nitrogen, potash, phosphorus, etc come from) and what they use for a binder/slow release agent. If you were to try it I would recommend using a plant only tank, and see how it works before moving on to a tank with fish. And for sure test for amonia, nitrite, nitrate etc and see if your filter can keep up with it