# help, is this fertilizer safe for aquariums??



## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

heres pictures, it doesnt say anything about not being safe for fish or animals but it also doesnt say that its intended for use with them... i noticed .05% copper but thats a pretty trace ammount and its chelated which should make it less bioavailable for animals if im not mistaken...
anyone know for sure? i alrdy put a pinch in this morning but it didnt really raise my nitrate reading, no negative side effects on stock either but i wanted to ask here to make sure..., it is a 10 gallon tank with 2x 15 watt CFL lights and some java fern/xmas moss and java moss, a sponge filter, ~30 red cherry shrimps and a l144 pleco


















thanks for your help!


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## katienaha (May 9, 2010)

terrestrial fertilizers need to be mixed with clay, dried, and poked deep into the substrate. they generally release ammonia, so please do an ammonia test asap.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

just tested all parameters
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate ~4


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## katienaha (May 9, 2010)

sweet. glad you didnt get ammonia from that dose. but if you can do try to use terrestrial ferts under the substrate. clay helps them slowly release.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

i just wanted to get the yellowing of my plants back to green it seemed to do the trick but il pick up some proper fertz this weekend i think, thanks
which would u recommend btw? i dont wanna spend too much tbh


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## katienaha (May 9, 2010)

plantedtanks.com is the place to go. dry ferts, and you mix them yourself. anything liquid that is comercially available is full of water, and you pay for it, because water is heavy to ship.


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## ncutler (Apr 26, 2010)

If you don't go the dry ferts route, Tailored Aquatics has a line of liquid fertilizers. I believe April sells it - it's made by Brad in Duncan. You can take a look at his section here, since he's a sponsor.

I should note: all dry ferts that I've found for Iron use EPTA, this will only last in the tank for a day or 2. I know that Tailored Aquatics Iron used DPTA which will last a lot longer. You might be able to find dry versions, but I haven't.


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## Johnnyfishtanks (Apr 21, 2010)

Mferko said:


> i just wanted to get the yellowing of my plants back to green it seemed to do the trick but il pick up some proper fertz this weekend i think, thanks
> which would u recommend btw? i dont wanna spend too much tbh


Tim from aquaflora hooked me up really cheap and ferts will last a year


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Very high in phosphates. Are you injecting CO2? If not, between the ammonia and phosphates, you're going to have an algal bloom soon.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

i stopped adding that stuff and just put in the fluorish excel and fluorish trace elements, the bulbs are now 2x 13W 6500K daylight
im getting a couple mountain fan shrimps hoping that will keep the algae out of the water column (and i like watching them) and i have tonnes of other red cherry shrimps and some little l144 plecos to keep the surface algae in check

does this sound ok? any other suggestions? im still learning how to take care of planted setups i plan to move to a 20G long over the xmas holidays.

cheers


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## katienaha (May 9, 2010)

youre on the right track. ill add to the phosphate issue though - i had too much phosphates and i got a black beard algae bloom. almost nothing reliably eats that nasty stuff, and I ended up having to take a blow torch to anything coated in it to kill the stuff. effective, but i see bits of it in my gravel still...


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## EDGE (Aug 24, 2010)

Know this is an older post. 

You have to convert the elements into the one we typically use in aquarium to figure out exactly what ratio the ferts are.

i.e. K2O to K
P2O5 to PO4
N to NO3

As well, need to know what form of N the product provides. ammonium and nitrate are the 2 common one used in making fertilizer. Best to get a hold of the company and see if they will disclosed what form of N they contain. usually N% is a combination of both ammonium and nitrate. nitrate for instant use and ammonium for slower use.


EDTA chelating agent works up 6 pH.
DPTA chelating agent works up to 7 pH

You can buy DPTA Iron at an agricultural supplier. They come in 5lb and 25 lb bag which will last a long time. Now.. mixing with other chemicals to get the 'micro nutrients' is a job and a half. The other product comes anywhere from 10lb to 50lb. i.e. boron. To get the % of micro element composition, a lot of the measuring is done at 0.1 to 0.01 gram.

On a side note, I used ammonium base formula in the emersed setup to help acidify the tank.


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