# ferts



## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

what the best combo of ferts to use i was thinking of getting Greg Watson's. dippy recommeded in one of his posts. i use flourish right now. i have mostly amazon swords the picture shows all my plants. just wondering what everyone thinks is best to use and what i need to use. also do u buy Greg Watson by the pound if so how many pounds should i get ?
















thanks in advance
dark FrOsT


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

I would only buy greg watsons ferts if I was going to have a planted tank for at least a year or 2.
THe reason I recommend his stuff is because of cost long term. It is much cheaper to use than Flourish, although Fourish has supreme products.


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## Vinny19 (Jul 16, 2006)

i heard fertz are overrated and its just a wast of money...i may be wrong too


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

> i heard fertz are overrated and its just a wast of money...i may be wrong too


ya, I think you are wrong. But that depends on how well you run your planted tank, and how much light you have over it.


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## Round Head (Sep 26, 2005)

I just received 4 pounds of each of the G. Watson stuff.
Very easy to mix and use. Thanks Dippy.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Round Head said:


> I just received 4 pounds of each of the G. Watson stuff.
> Very easy to mix and use. Thanks Dippy.










you're set for the next 5 years LOL


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## flashover00 (Oct 19, 2006)

i use nothing but flourish products and they work really well. IMO ferts are a necessity and you wont see any amazing or even good growth without them. Sure, your plants may survive, but they wont literally flourish. 
Main drawback = cost
I would only go with the G watson mixtures if you plan on getting into it more and have more than a few planted tanks.


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## LGHT (Nov 9, 2005)

been using GW ferts for a while and they can get expensive if you don't monitor and adjust how much you use. I used to use too much of this and too much of that, but eventually came to an exact amount of how much to use. Now I get 3" of growth a week on most plants!


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## Round Head (Sep 26, 2005)

LGHT said:


> been using GW ferts for a while and they can get expensive if you don't monitor and adjust how much you use. I used to use too much of this and too much of that, but eventually came to an exact amount of how much to use. Now I get 3" of growth a week on most plants!


Would you mind sharing with us about your tank and your fertilization schedule?


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

cool thanks for all the help, im planing to add a lot more plants then i have and i also plan on keeping it for longer then 2 years









the GW ferts appealed to me casue it lasts long and is cheaper the flourish. i do 2 water changes a week 30-50 % each time and i use flourish seachem (think thats wat its called) 3 cap fulls each change.

in the future i want to add floating plants, different swords and a couple others.

if you need anymore info on my tank just ask and ill be more then happy to share ... i want to start using ferts so my tank will be all set for all the new plants i want and then maybe one day ill invest in a co2 if need be but from wat i heard good lights and good ferts are the best way to get started


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## flashover00 (Oct 19, 2006)

dark FrOsT said:


> in the future i want to add floating plants, different swords and a couple others.
> 
> if you need anymore info on my tank just ask and ill be more then happy to share ... i want to start using ferts so my tank will be all set for all the new plants i want and then maybe one day ill invest in a co2 if need be but from wat i heard good lights and good ferts are the best way to get started


Floating plants are a pain....i added a few a while ago and they grew like crazy and hogged all the light from the rest of the tank....beware man

Swords are some of my favorite plants....they're simple and easy, but they give the tank a great look. My 75 is almost entirely swords and i love it.

On a side note...i let my lotus grow out and "allowed" the offshoots to hit the surface....so now i have 3 or 4 massive leafs floating like lilly pads. Talk about a cool surface plant and hogging light!!! If it flowers this week ill keep them if not im chopping away


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## LGHT (Nov 9, 2005)

Round Head said:


> been using GW ferts for a while and they can get expensive if you don't monitor and adjust how much you use. I used to use too much of this and too much of that, but eventually came to an exact amount of how much to use. Now I get 3" of growth a week on most plants!


Would you mind sharing with us about your tank and your fertilization schedule?








[/quote]

everyone goes with the EI method. Here is a good link. there are smaller easier to use charts, but it's better to understand what your doing and why and not just blindly dose based on tank size. I have some tanks I dose with more iron because of sepcific plants so it's never a 1 size fit all solution.

EI METHOD


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

cool thanks that was a good read


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