Hi there, this is my first post, but I have been reading and gathering information for several weeks as I set up my tank. I have a 38 gallon bowfront which is 30" long x 24" tall. Lit with a Finnex Planted+ 24/7 in 24/7 mode for now. Substrate is 15 lbs Floramax, 15 lbs eco-complete and river pebbles 3" deep in back to just 1.5" in front. I planted a large order of mostly fast growing, low to medium light plants including Anubias nana, jungle val, cabomba, hornwort, java fern, wisteria, mexican oak and a few others. I put a few root tabs in various places and purchased the dry fertilizers recommended for the low tech setup: Equilibrium, K2SO4 and KNO3. My question is, when should I start the fertilization routine? I read that somewhere to wait a month. Does this sound about right? BTW, there is still one plastic plant in my tank, the tall red, until the others start to grow and fill in.
Newly planted tank, question about fertilzing
- Thread starter Derby
- Start date
Since your substrate is not as nutrient-rich like say, ADA Aquasoil, you could begin adding ferts a week or so after adding plants. Just give the plants to settle down before you feed them. The 'wait a month' deal is mostly for Aquasoil because it leaches a lot of ammonia during that time and you won't need to add more nitrates on top of that.
Wait till the Nitrate level plummet to under 10ppm.
With the root tabs in there you may not have to add ferts till June. Some people claim that the root tabs plus ferts cause weird things to happen to plants such as crinkled leaves. I myself have noticed this.
With the root tabs in there you may not have to add ferts till June. Some people claim that the root tabs plus ferts cause weird things to happen to plants such as crinkled leaves. I myself have noticed this.