# Bone Meal



## donh1298 (Aug 4, 2011)

I need to add some phosphorus to help defeat an algae bloom. I have medium light and DIY CO2 running at 1 bps. GSA is taking a pretty good hold on the tank. It's covering the front glass and starting to completely cover my driftwood. 

I saw bone meal at Walmart tonight. Will this work? And, if so, will it hurt the fish in the tank? If so, what amount would you use? If ordering PO4 is safer, I'll order that. Just wondering about the bone meal. 

Thanks,

Don


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## donh1298 (Aug 4, 2011)

Anybody?


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## donh1298 (Aug 4, 2011)

So...nobody on this forum knows anything about bone meal and whether it can be used in aquariums or not? Seemed like a pretty friendly place before I joined.


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## Silvering (Jun 10, 2011)

I did a quick search for you (I'm thinking of adding some P to my tank too, so I figured I could use the info myself) and it looks like bone meal is only used very sparingly as a soil additive to NPTs. I think as a fertilizer, people either order dry ferts or use Fleet Enema. My current strategy is to feed my fish more, if that doesn't work in a couple of weeks, then I'll think about getting a specific P additive. HTH


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## JoeRoun (Nov 10, 2008)

donh1298 said:


> Seemed like a pretty friendly place before I joined.


So that's what happened!

I use bone meal in substrates and pots, never water column dosing, don't know if it is bad or not.

Maybe try asking on TBR :wacko:

As Silvering mentioned for phosphorus try Fleet enemas.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

It seems like it's been a pretty busy summer. Sorry you haven't had enough replies. Sometimes when people don't know they just don't respond.

I've not heard of using bone meal. Wikipedia says "Research in the 1980s found that many bone meal preparations were contaminated with lead and other toxic metals, and it is no longer recommended as a calcium source." You wouldn't want that in your tank. Also I wonder if you really want more Ca in your tank too?

There are lots of places to get ferts. For phosphates in powder form, most people use KH2PO4. I get mine at greenleafaquariums.com. As it comes, you can actually dry dose right into your tank OR mix up in water and dose that way. I've also heard of people using Fleets Enema. It's certainly cheap enough at the places online. I'd be leery of getting other additives or contaminates in products not made for aquariums, unless proved ok by other hobbyists. Below is a link to a thread about online suppliers of ferts.
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/fertilizing/79189-dry-ferts-suppliers.html


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## donh1298 (Aug 4, 2011)

Good morning. Sorry I got snippy. That is really not like me to do so. 

@Silvering
Thanks for the reply. I couldn't remember if Phosphorus was what people were using enemas for or not. 

@Joeroun
Thanks. Everyone actually seems very cordial. Just got a little frustrated. 

@TexGal
Thanks so much for the reply. Once again, I apologize for being snippy. I agree on using aquarium only products. It was one of those things I saw and wondered if, like the enema, was something that could be used. 

I have a big GSA outbreak. I also have a few Java Ferns that have very dark (almost black) veins. Should I dose the entire enema at once?


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## JoeRoun (Nov 10, 2008)

I don’t know that I am the best one to answer, to attack GSA I would use Fleet enemas, about 6-ml/10-gal.

Do large water change 50-70% and remove as much GSA as you can, toothbrush is good for this.

Mix some of the enemas juice and wipe down all the glass down to the substrate. and any hardscape you can

Then correct whatever problem caused outbreak

I don't believe in Mazdakism


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Not that I understand these things but......

Thanks for the post. Honestly, you may not want to increase the Phosphorous dosing just yet. Have you tested your nitrates lately? We recommend running a phosphorous level from 0.15-1.0 mg/L in a planted tank. Phosphates and nitrates are the two main contributors to unwanted algae growth, especially if your plants are not utilizing them quickly enough and they are present in excess, in turn feeding the algae. Phosphates are not toxic to fish, but again, you want to be very careful when increasing the amount so you do not increase your algae growth. I would first recommend doing more frequent water changes, cutting back your light cycle to maybe 8 hours a day, and be very conscious about how much you are feeding your fish. Also, how much Flourish are you dosing? Flourish contains some organics and if dosed too often can cause algae to grow. If you are dosing the Flourish twice a week, you may want to cut back to only once a week. I hope this information helps!

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...-dosing-seachem-phosphorus-control-algae.html


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## JoeRoun (Nov 10, 2008)

i think i just remembered why i don't post here...

I don't believe in Jainism


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## donh1298 (Aug 4, 2011)

BruceF said:


> Not that I understand these things but......
> 
> Thanks for the post. Honestly, you may not want to increase the Phosphorous dosing just yet. Have you tested your nitrates lately? We recommend running a phosphorous level from 0.15-1.0 mg/L in a planted tank. Phosphates and nitrates are the two main contributors to unwanted algae growth, especially if your plants are not utilizing them quickly enough and they are present in excess, in turn feeding the algae. Phosphates are not toxic to fish, but again, you want to be very careful when increasing the amount so you do not increase your algae growth. I would first recommend doing more frequent water changes, cutting back your light cycle to maybe 8 hours a day, and be very conscious about how much you are feeding your fish. Also, how much Flourish are you dosing? Flourish contains some organics and if dosed too often can cause algae to grow. If you are dosing the Flourish twice a week, you may want to cut back to only once a week. I hope this information helps!
> 
> http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...-dosing-seachem-phosphorus-control-algae.html


Thanks for the info Bruce! My nitrates run consistently in the 5 ppm range. I think this tank has several problems. I have been dosing Floursh twice. I'll cut that back. I also think I have a magnesium deficiency. All of my java fern has really dark veins. It almost makes it look like a different plant. My H. difformis and swords are growing out of the tank. In fact, everything is growing well except one crypt. A lot of my leaves are getting a dark reddish-brown edge to them. I've also got a Hygrophila with holes and looking like it is being eaten. I've attached photos below.


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## Silvering (Jun 10, 2011)

Dunno about the java fern, I've only just started keeping it, but the crypt may actually be responding to your lighting levels - mine went from this when I planted it to this after it had settled in. I'm given to understand that the coloration is normal. Somebody with more experience will have to chime in for the holes, they don't look quite like the K deficiency holes I got when my tank was new.

You should post a full tank shot too!


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## donh1298 (Aug 4, 2011)

Silvering said:


> You should post a full tank shot too!


Ok. Here you go. The layout of the plants is not how I would normally do it. I shifted them to see if I could make sure everybody was getting enough light.

Don


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