# What ferts would you recommend?



## Palm Tree (10 Apr 2012)

Tank is  200x50x70 so about 700l but there is a built in filter box on either side so I measured it wilthout filters and its 180x50x70 and 630l. Either way what ferts would you recommend for a tank full of java fern with moderate lighting (either 120w or 240w of t8 lights). I plan to add crinium thaianium? ,anubias , vall's  (which i'll place root tabs underneath) and mabey some floating plants.
Any help is appriciated,
 Harvey


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## Iain Sutherland (10 Apr 2012)

for a tank of that size dry ferts will be your best/cheapest bet.  Check out the sponsors on the board index. If you buy from fluidsensor first time round they come in nice air tight tubs rather than messy bags


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## Matt Warner (10 Apr 2012)

I would definitely use dry ferts in that size tank. You can either use the EI dosing regime or make up an all in one feet mix.


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## darren636 (10 Apr 2012)

feet mix!!! is that with extra sock fluff?


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## Matt Warner (10 Apr 2012)

That is correct, just put your old smelly socks in water for a few hours and then feed you plants!


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## spyder (10 Apr 2012)

Dry ferts on that volume unless you want to pay through your teeth for water and shipping water!


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## Palm Tree (11 Apr 2012)

What dry ferts would you suggest? I dont really want to dose nitrates as my tapwater contains too much of them already, this is a water report of my postcode-  http://www.stwater.co.uk/category/536?postcode=tf74ht&btnWaterQualitySubmit=


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## spyder (11 Apr 2012)

Link wouldn't open for me. But still.

As you want to go with low - moderate lighting I'll presume you wont be adding any co2. You could use half dose of EI and work from there. You could skip out the KNo3 if you wish and trust your water but I guess it could fluctuate.

An excess of nutrients is not a bad thing unless you are keeping ultra sensitive critters. It's when the required nutrients are not available that the problems start really showing up.


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## Palm Tree (11 Apr 2012)

spyder said:
			
		

> Link wouldn't open for me. But still.
> 
> As you want to go with low - moderate lighting I'll presume you wont be adding any co2. You could use half dose of EI and work from there. You could skip out the KNo3 if you wish and trust your water but I guess it could fluctuate.
> 
> An excess of nutrients is not a bad thing unless you are keeping ultra sensitive critters. It's when the required nutrients are not available that the problems start really showing up.



The link was the water quality report for my area, it said I have hard water, pH of 7.47, nitrate at 38.08 mg/l, iron at 10.25 micrograms per litre. One of the reasons I dont want to dose nitrates is that im only going with lowlight plants and low light intensity so I dont think the plants will use up the nutrients so even with 50% weekly waterchanges nitrates will build up.


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## spyder (11 Apr 2012)

Yes it opened in the end.

I'm at a loss, you could try any off the shelf ferts tbh.

As your worried about nitrate build up you would dilute this with your 50% weekly water changes, even though it's not considered essential for low energy tanks and more suited to high enrgy, co2 supplimented tanks.

Bottom line is, don't fear nitrates, fear ammonia and nitrites instead.


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## Palm Tree (11 Apr 2012)

spyder said:
			
		

> Yes it opened in the end.
> 
> I'm at a loss, you could try any off the shelf ferts tbh.
> 
> ...


I know I could try any off the shelf ferts but alot of these offer poor value for money compared to buying the chemials and if I started getting nitate defficiany I could always add extra nitrate. I'll see how the plants go without ferts and in a month or two i'll go to half EI dosing.


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## spyder (12 Apr 2012)

You could always try a dirt tank, capped soil substrate, unless your already running.

Troi had a thread and a web page about it. No dosing, low light, low maintenance. Might be worth a peek.


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## Palm Tree (12 Apr 2012)

spyder said:
			
		

> You could always try a dirt tank, capped soil substrate, unless your already running.
> 
> Troi had a thread and a web page about it. No dosing, low light, low maintenance. Might be worth a peek.


Java fern will be the main plant so I dont think a soil capped substrate would be beneficial


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## darren636 (12 Apr 2012)

how do you think the plants will go without food?


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## Palm Tree (12 Apr 2012)

darren636 said:
			
		

> how do you think the plants will go without food?


I don't know yet i'll see how they go with just the nutrients from the fish waste and tapwater.


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