# ferts from start



## Fred13 (5 Jan 2018)

Hello,

I am preparing my fert schedule as i am preparing to startup my tank.

I am going to use tropica specialized fert at least for the initial stages. I am thinking of starting ferts since day 3 because i will have lots of 1-2 grow plants. My substrate is tropica plant growth capped with 4-5 cms of quartz gravel.
So, tropica suggests 5 ml per 50 liters. My tank is 250.
Shall i divide this dose and dose daily?
25ml/7= 3,5ml each day
or should i use the half dose because its a new tank?
12ml/7=1,7ml each day?

I think i should start fertilizing since day 3 because of the 1-2 grow which dont have the neccesary energy to delay ferts.

What you think?


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## ceg4048 (5 Jan 2018)

Fred13 said:


> What you think?



Hi,
    I think you are overthinking it. 1-2 Grow plants are no different than any other so they do not require any special procedure. 
Dose at whatever level and frequency that you find convenient. Start the dosing whenever you want. The plants really will not care. 

Cheers,


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## Fred13 (5 Jan 2018)

ceg4048 said:


> Hi,
> I think you are overthinking it. 1-2 Grow plants are no different than any other so they do not require any special procedure.
> Dose at whatever level and frequency that you find convenient. Start the dosing whenever you want. The plants really will not care.
> 
> Cheers,



Τhank you ceg ,

I thought that 1-2 grow plants need something more because of their nature but if you say i would be fine.
I am afraid about fertilization and algae issues when i am dosing from the start. I guess i should start with minimum dosing because plants arent acclimatized yet.


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## ceg4048 (6 Jan 2018)

Fred13 said:


> Τhank you ceg ,
> 
> I thought that 1-2 grow plants need something more because of their nature but if you say i would be fine.
> I am afraid about fertilization and algae issues when i am dosing from the start. I guess i should start with minimum dosing because plants arent acclimatized yet.


Hi Fred,
            No, 1-2 Grow plants are not zombies from another world or anything like that. They are just tissue samples taken from regular plants, which are then cleaned, sterilized and propagated in a Petri dish. The advantage is that because they are grown in sterilized condition, there is no risk of their coming to you with hidden snail eggs or with pathogens and so forth. Once you put them in your tank however, they are subject to whatever nasties that are already in your tank.

Another important issue that you'll need to learn is that algae do not care about how much fertilization you put in the tank. Algal blooms occur as a direct result of poor implementation of light, CO2 and due to poor maintenance. Algae are a result of unhealthy plants and one of the main reason for poor plant health is because hobbyists neglect to fertilize the plants. Nutrients do not cause algae. Lack of nutrients causes algae.

When the plants come to you from the nursery, they have built up a reserve of nutrition which becomes depleted over time. Again, it is your choice if you prefer to wait, but if you wait, then you should wait for the right reasons, not because you are afraid of nutrients, which is the worst possible reason.

Cheers,


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## Fred13 (6 Jan 2018)

ceg4048 said:


> Hi Fred,
> No, 1-2 Grow plants are not zombies from another world or anything like that. They are just tissue samples taken from regular plants, which are then cleaned, sterilized and propagated in a Petri dish. The advantage is that because they are grown in sterilized condition, there is no risk of their coming to you with hidden snail eggs or with pathogens and so forth. Once you put them in your tank however, they are subject to whatever nasties that are already in your tank.
> 
> Another important issue that you'll need to learn is that algae do not care about how much fertilization you put in the tank. Algal blooms occur as a direct result of poor implementation of light, CO2 and due to poor maintenance. Algae are a result of unhealthy plants and one of the main reason for poor plant health is because hobbyists neglect to fertilize the plants. Nutrients do not cause algae. Lack of nutrients causes algae.
> ...


Couldn't be more helpful, thank you Ceg!

As for 1-2 grow nature i mean that they dont have the reserve of nutrition like the classic potted plants. This is my speculation.
Could you please tell me several reasons that someone should wait before dosing? I am talking always for new established tanks.

Thank you!


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## Tim Harrison (6 Jan 2018)

I don't think there are any really legitimate reasons.
As far as I know just the usual hokum; inorganic nutrients cause algae.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (6 Jan 2018)

Would the only difference in treating plants grown in gel be to keep the lights low for the few first weeks? I'm thinking they've lived in a very co2 rich environment upto being submerged so you don't want to push them too hard with lighting until they have got used to submerged life where co2 isn't as plenty.


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## ceg4048 (6 Jan 2018)

Fred13 said:


> Could you please tell me several reasons that someone should wait before dosing? I am talking always for new established tanks.


Hi Fred,
             Apart from nutrient paranoia, as Tim mentions, if you start the tank with a new batch of highly enriched sediment, such as ADA Amazonia then there is no pressing reason to dose from Day 1. The Amazonia is so rich in nutrients that it leaches them into the water column, so the plants can feed from both the substrate as well as from the water column.



AverageWhiteBloke said:


> Would the only difference in treating plants grown in gel be to keep the lights low for the few first weeks? I'm thinking they've lived in a very co2 rich environment upto being submerged so you don't want to push them too hard with lighting until they have got used to submerged life where co2 isn't as plenty.


Well, the same is true of any other plant grown in the nursery. The air that we breate is CO2 rich (400 ppm) so there is little difference. In fact keeping the lighting subdued when the plants are first placed in the tank should be standard procedure regardless of their origin.

Cheers,


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## AverageWhiteBloke (6 Jan 2018)

I was thinking that Clive, I was more meaning compared to plants that have came from somewhere ready submerged and even possibly co2 enriched like from someone else tank. Totally agree though about ramping up lighting gradually over time on newly planted setups. Lot of people just want to get growing and thinking pounding plants with light is going to get things off to a good start where the exact opposite is true. Causes more problems if anything forcing growth when the plants haven't had time to adjust to their new conditions. Plants grown in gel have almost never lived in water as opposed to already submersed plants so I was suggesting these would take a bit longer to settle while they adapt.


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## Fred13 (8 Jan 2018)

i am going with a dirt setup. Tropica plant growth. This isnt like soil amazonia and others so i guess i need to start ferts for it in order to leech them and make them available for the plants. This is the right thing if i am understanding well how tropicas substrate works.


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