# Best Fertilizer



## Thomas (Nov 8, 2005)

Hi

I have got the Greenline Pre Set 700, a few moss ball and some Java Fern and Java Moss. What fertilizer would you recommend?

I have got some tablet I can insert into the gravel. I have also got Flourish Excel. Do I need something else? Should I get other Flourish series products?


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

You don't need fertilizer with those plants. The excel will be a plus, but isn't necessary.


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## Thomas (Nov 8, 2005)

Perhaps I did not express clearly? The pre-set 700 includes the following. And I actually got a few more others from LFS.

10 X Micro Sag
3 X Dwarf Chain Sword
2 X Dwarf Sag.
Mid-ground
5 X Bacopa Baby Tears
5 X Cryptocoryne Wendtti
1 X Narrow Sword
5 X Myacca Fluviatillis
5 X Creeping Jenny
Background
5 X Hygro Poysperma
5 X Straight Vallis
5 X Egeria Densa
5 X Ludwigia

Will Excel itself enough? Or is it better to get some more? I attach a photo here to some roughly the plants in my tank.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Need tank specs.


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## Thomas (Nov 8, 2005)

tank specs? Do you mean this: 180 litre (Juwel). Arcadic original and Powerglo tubes 30 W each. 2 reflectors. With DIY CO2.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Ph, GH, and Kh would have been helpful also 
180 litres is ~46 gallons U.S. 60 watts is a little on the thin side for some of those plants. I would get either Tropica's Mastergrow (if you can find it) or Seachem's Flourish. That will take care most of your needs. I perfer Tropica's Mastergrow myself but they are both great products.


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## DavidDoyle (Jan 18, 2005)

BigAls has Mastergrow (which I also prefer) and the Flourish line. Heavens to Murgatroid but Simpte and I agree yet again- you need more light for a few of those plants. Where he and I will disagree is I believe swords and crypts do best when given gravel ferts several times/year. I have always used Jobes Spike (Fern&Palm are best, Houseplant next best).


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## Thomas (Nov 8, 2005)

Thanks. If I am to use Flourish line, doesn't it mean I need several of them? It appears that they have different ingredient for each product ... magnisum, calcium ...  ... just check the web I suppose I can get the "Flourish" and it will contain a variety of nutrients for plant :?


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

The Flourish line was designed to be used together, but you can use some and not others with success. You are looking for 3 basics tenants for fertilizing. Macros (what plants use the most and include Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium), micros (lot of them here Boron, Calcium, Chloride, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Sulfur, and Zinc. Tropica Mastergrow has a nice amount of them), and Carbon (needed for energy). Your plant uptake will depend on how much you really need to add. Higher light tanks with co2 injection require the addition of macros while lower light tanks will get what they need from fishwaste and excess food.


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

Does Activated Carbon take out the ferts????


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Activated carbon will remove trace elemnts.


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## cheseboy (Aug 5, 2005)

Yes, It takes out some elements of the fertilizer. If your really serious about plants I woulden't use activated carbon.


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

How long is carbon activateds??


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Depends on whats its filtering, quality of carbon, and amount of carbon. Usually a cpl of months. Afterwards, quality carbon will become a great bacterial medium. Cheaper carbon can leach back into the water.


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## Thomas (Nov 8, 2005)

There is no need to put carbon in the tank anyway, unless you want to remove medication. As far as I know carbon will leach back what it has absorbed in the water after 4-6 weeks. First time I heard of quality carbon, perhaps really expensive then.


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

Okay the only reason i have it is because its in the filter already..


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

http://www.hallman.org/filter/carbon.html


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## Thomas (Nov 8, 2005)

Fishboy93 said:


> Okay the only reason i have it is because its in the filter already..


What tank have you got?

Mine is Juwel Rio 180. It also has a carbon sponge in the filter housing. Most people, including me, just ditch it after using it for the initial 4-6 weeks. I never put in another one. :roll:


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

I have a 29 gallon with a top fin 30 and whenever i buy the cartridges they have carbon.....


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Just rinse the cartridges off. No need to replace them until they fall apart. Or you can gut them, buy poly fiber and rubberband it onto the frame.


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