zozo
Member
The difference in aquarium (suitable) fertilizer (if fish are added) and regular fertilizer for emersed growth is mainly the nitrogene source.
If we use dry salts we add for example KNO3, plants can take up NO3 readily from the water as food source.. Regular fertilizers can use NH4+ as nitrogine source from Ureum and Ammonium which is toxic for our lifestock in high concentration. For us this nitrogen source first needs to be biologicaly converted in the substrate or in our case also the filter into the less toxic N# molecule.
Not saying regular fertilizers are absolutely unsuitable for aquarium with lifestock but you are definitively at risk and on the edge of killing things if it accumulates into toxic levels. Depending on your stocking levels a tank produces already it's own share of ammonium, than adding extra is not always a good idea without controling very closely what you are doing and knowing what and how much you are excactly adding.
Amazing tanks? I do not know, i'm not the experienced scaper with several awsome price worthy showcase layouts per year. But i'm very keen on keeping it long term healthy as far as possible seen from every aspect. That's most important to me personaly. If it looks good is a mater of taste. Only have 2 aquarium journals i realy need to update a lot more often. Both are still running strong, got a 3th one without lifestock to experiment with i actualy never show, nothing special going on.
