# houseplant fertilizer?



## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

Dear all,

I have a 100 Litre aquarium which is planted with a variety of Cryptocoryne species (all other plants are kicked out). There are also fish in the aquarium: about 50 _Ameca splendens_ of various ages.

In this aquarium some species and varieties do really well (_wendtii_ "Lucanas Red", an unidentified _wendtii_-variety, _affinis_,_ spiralis/albida_, _ciliata _and a "probably _balansae_"), some hang on (_walkeri_, _beckettii_, _wendtii _"Tropica") and others do very poorly and are on the edge of dying (_parva_, _x wilissii_). I was expecting such variation and plan to continue with the best growing ones and test further species under my aquarium-conditions.

Because of the fast growth of some varieties, I feel that some fertilizing is needed (the bottom consists of pure sand and gravel only, with some decaying fish-excrements). I am therefore regularly adding an aquarium plant fertilizer. However, this fertilizer is mainly consisting of minerals and trace-elements, no phosphate or nitrate. I think that for the plants it would be good to add also these, in the form of some houseplant fertilizer. The problem is that high doses of phosphate or nitrate can both trigger algae growth (now hardly any, but note that these fish eat almost any kind of algae) and be toxic for the fish. How can I determine a "happy balance" between fertilizing the plants and not poisoning the fish? Does anyone actually use houseplant fertilizer in aquariums?

Kind regards to all, 
Paul Veenvliet


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Paul Veenvliet,

I see this is your first post....welcome to APC!

Many members use bulk dry fertilizer like potassium nitrate (KNO3) and monopotassium phosphate (KH2PO4) as the sources for the macro elements needed by our plants. They are inexpensive and available in bulk at hydroponic stores. 

There are also some members that use houseplant fertilizer such as plant spikes or Osmocote Plus (time release fertilizer) successfully. I'm sure others will add their experiences.....I am glad you joined us!


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## Chuukus (Sep 24, 2009)

I think cryptocorynes would appreciate ferts at there roots rather than in the water column.

Even better at both places. I can reccomend Pferts Root tabs. These have worked great for me. I use omsocoat also but I havent used it long enough to say its good or not.

A nutrient rich substrate will always help when growing cryptocorynes submersed. At least the crypts your growing.


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## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

My collection is mainly what I can get in aquariumshops over here (Slovenia, Europe), which is plants produced by Tropica and Las Lucanas. I found also some with a firm-name "Anubias", but can't find this firm on internet and the identifications seem less certain, of this firm I have only a "_becketii_", of which I think that it's more likely a _wendtii_-variety. Added to this "shop-collection" I have _affinis _(no longer in general trade, but after many years of no seeing it, I got it from two independent hobbyists in a few weeks time), and two plants from a thermal spring in Austria (a _wendtii_-variety and a plant which looks liks _usteriana_ in the stream, but more like _balansae_ in my aquarium) and a red-green "probably-_wendtii_", which I bought some 10 years ago. I am experimenting with emersed growing with the latter one, and had it almost flowering: just before flowering the spathes died. I think that the air was slightly too dry (in my aquarium-cover ...). Pity, because I would like to know if i am correct about the species ... I did not mention all my plants in my earlier mail because I have a second aquarium with Crypto's as well 

Basically I am experimenting with what I can get here, and gradually adding species when I am lucky to get them somewhere. I am specially interested in _Cryptocoryne_ because they were my first aquarium plants and because many are endemic to small areas and are (potentially) threatened. I think that the hobby can do both good and bad here, good=serve as a backup collection for rare species, bad=stimulating overcollecting for trade. So while I really like to get more species, I don't want to buy wild-collected plants. Also, I concentrate on species which might stand my well/tap-water (pH 8, kH 12).


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi

You might want to check out the European Crypt. Seminar next weekend in Copenhagen.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/cryptocorynes/73065-ecs-2010-baby-yeah.html

It's only about 1100 km.......


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## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

I am aware that this meeting will be there, but will not be able to attend. To the distance you should add some 600 km more ... highways are not straight over here 

Actually, I have a (long) wish-list, but I also have enough plants to look after already. It is definately fun to get new species but the real challenge is to keep growing the same species in the long term. If someone offers me some surplus crypts which might stay alive in my aquaria, I will no say no though ...


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## WeedCali (Mar 6, 2010)

Osmocote+ is not recommended because it has copper in it. so if you have any inverts or plan to get some, dont use it, use the regular kind. if you dont have inverts i guess you can but i wouldnt anyway.

also, id love to see this all-crypt tank. got any pics?


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

Terrestrial plant fertilizers are wholly inappropriate: they almost always contrain ammonia, which is great if you're growing them emersed, but in an aquarium is a) toxic to fish and b) promotes algae. You can buy aquarium fertilizers but they're about 100X as much as making your own. Here's the recipe I've used for ages: http://aquaria.net/articles/plants/fertsols/


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## WeedCali (Mar 6, 2010)

People have been using Osmocote since the 80s with great sucess. i see no problem with using it.


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## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

I hope the links works: this is how my aquarium looks right now:

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquarium-pictures/showimage.php?i=6920&original=1&c=1

In my view, aquariums are always in development, never "finished". I try to maintain some medium between organising the plants so that I know what is what and where (I do keep track of plant and variety-names) and allowing plants to grow naturally. So there is an "uncertain balansae" sprouting unexpectedly in the foreground (right), but I will let it be for a while. If it becomes very dominant in the view, I might replant it. I can hardly wait for the "bright green bunch" on the right to develop further: the aquarium will then look more balanced (this is mainly what they sell as "spiralis/albida" from nursery Las Lucanas). Ciliata is on the left behind corner: I restarted this plant from small ones after I noticed how big it can become (in my other, smaller aquarium - where it was misplaced and outshadowed everything else). Affinis is probably too much on the foreground but I was so happy when I re-obtained it after some 25 years that I really wanted to see every new leaf developing, hence the place close to the front window. So it is something between a "landscape-aquarium" and a "plant-nut-collection".

Some further notes on the aquarium: 
The stones are natural rivers stones, selected for similar, dark colours. They rest on flat stones (not visible on the photo and hardly visible in real life), which in turn are placed on styropor (which is entirely invisible, also in real life) so that these heavy stones don't press on the bottom glass in a very uneven way. The sand is natural river sand, from the same river as the stones. Some algae grow on the stones: I think that this is lovely and creates a more natural look, after all, most stones in nature are partially covered with algae.

There are a few snails as well (American ramshown, Helisoma sp.), which are OK to me, but I keep the numbers low since I found that they sometimes bite holes in developing C. affinis leaves (remarkable: not in other crypts). Two nerites are still surviving: one "from the shop" and a very rare local Theodoxes danubialis (hatched in the aquarium, but sadly the lone last survivor). I am not sure if i should try again with this species: conditions in the aquarium are certainly better than they were before but I don't like the idea of obtaining some only to watch them die out gradually.

Good observers might further discover an algae-eater, Gyrinocheilus aymonieri, on the photo: there are in fact 3 of these guys in the aquarium (at least 2 are guys, I keep hoping that the third one is a girl and not a suppressed guy ...). In agression they can cope with the Ameca, in fact, the algae-eaters are dominant without being in the way. I forgot to mention them in the former mail because I admit paying more attention to the Ameca-bunch.


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## WeedCali (Mar 6, 2010)

That looks awesome! is that C. Balansae in the back? im trying to get ahold of some.


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## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

maybe, that is, the whole tall-light green bunch consists of 2 species. Lower, but more dense is spiralis/albida (partly planted some 5 months ago and still in transition to fully submersed leaves). 

Sticking out and on te photo much more obvious is something that looks like balansae, but i am not 100% certain what it really is. This is because I got it from a thermal stream, where (because of a hot spring) the water stays 24-25 degrees all year round in the upper part. This particular crypt grows in some large groups downstream at a temperature of about 15-20 degrees centigrade and develops over 4 cm broad leaves there (looks like usteriana then). In my aquarium the same plants develop the typical narrow balansae leaves. It must be something that is introduced to the stream (by aquarists) some decades ago, when I look at the size of the clusters of dense growth. Therefore it may be a plant that is not readily available in trade right now. On the other hand, it may be very common balansae "green" as well. In the stream all plants grow submersed and i didn't find any spathes. I am still planning to buy a "normal" balansae and plant it next to it, to see if i notice any differences at all.


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## JERP (Feb 4, 2003)

I've used high quality orchid fertilizers with some success. Make sure the nitrate source is not ammonia or urea based. Also, some terrestrial ferts dye the water.


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## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

I visited a lfs today where I hadn't been for a while. In that time they started to sell aquarium plant fertilizer from Tropica, in two varieties (with and without N and P). I decided to try the version with N and P for a while. Thanks for the replies on my question!


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