# fert question



## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

So I decided to use miracle grow for my tank now that I got a co2 setup going, but my question is how much miracle grow per gallon of water? I bought 18-18-21 mix.


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## girth vader (Apr 24, 2006)

miracle-gro in a planted aquarium- This is a bad idea, since most terrestial plant fertilziers contain high levels of phosphates. In additon, many of them contain their nitrogen in the form of urea, which is essentially ammonia. And in a tank that contains fish, urea or ammonia is toxic. I've tested miracle-grow in an uninhabited 10g tank, and adding just 5ml of the liquid to the 10g resulting in ammonia levels off the chart for my ammonia test. The same hold true for many hydroponics fertilziers. I would suggest that you never add any fertilziers to your tank unless you are sure you know what it contains.

food for thought.....


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

See that's what I thought but then I had a few people on her tell me to use that instead of the plant flourish stuff I buy at the petstore said it works as good but a lot cheaper, maybe I won't use it.


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## girth vader (Apr 24, 2006)

I have had planted tanks for 20 years, and I wouldn't EVER dream about using anything other then the dry ferts I buy and mix myself. But not everyone likes the hassle, so they buy seachem products. True they are expensive but this isn't an inexpensive hobby....light and CO2 are more important then ferts anyhow. That said, I dose my tanks....

I take my advice from Tom Barr and a few other plant guys that I have befriended over the years. Shortcuts always end badly in one way or another....

It's your tank and your choice, I just strongly oppose the idea of Miracle grow.


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

Ya I've been useing some stuff from the petstore but I don't gravel back my tank anymore so there's a lot of pop in there and I figure that's fertilizer, and the gravel still looks good cause the fish keep the top clean, and I got good lighting and CO2, but since I started useing nutrafin plant grow I havnt seen any difference in plant growth, that's why I was going to try miracle grow, but now I might just say screw useing anything since it don't seem to do much, I think I expect to much, my plants where growing just fine before adding the CO2 and the plant grow, the only thing that made a noticeable difference in plant growth was upgrading the lights.


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## girth vader (Apr 24, 2006)

good. Lighting is the key, everything else is a luxury or additive...


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

Damn my auto spell on my cellphone ment to say gravel vacuum* and poop* not pop Damn that phone always trying to predict what I'm saying, like it knows me..... Pssshh!


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