Forget Chemicals and Fertilizers. . .
A common question amongst hobbyists is how to get faster, denser growth from their freshwater planted aquariums.
Inevitably chemicals come up. Which to use, how much, when, what time of day, with how much light, in conjunction with this or that. . . It’s enough to make your head spin.
What I always say is this: Chemicals only make things more complicated in an aquarium. (Note: They are also in direct opposition to the main principle for keeping your tank happy and healthy: the K.I.S.S. principle.)
So how do you get faster, denser growth sans the chemicals?
Two ways: by using the proper lighting and by injecting CO2 into the water.
Aquarium Lighting: Watts Per Gallon
In my opinion, lighting is pretty cut and dry, although plant enthusiasts will debate spectrum and bulb type and other things I won’t get into here.
To me, its all about watts per gallon.
* F0r low light plants, I suggest no less than 3 watts per gallon.
* F0r high light plants, I suggest no less than 8 watts per gallon.
Remember, this is to achieve steady, dense growth.
Creating an Aquarium CO2 Injector
The best fertilizer for your plants is CO2. Here’s how a quick how to on creating a cheap, reusable, environmentally friendly CO2 bottle for your tank.
* plastic 2 liter bottle
* couple yards of plastic aquarium hose
* packet of yeast
* sugar
* warm water
Fill the 2 liter bottle 3/4 way with warm water (not hot). Add yeast and a few tablespoons of sugar.
Cut a hole in cap of 2 liter bottle to attach the hose.
Close the lid with hose attached (make sure hose is not closed by the hole being too small on the cap).
Place 2 liter bottle behind aquarium and place hose in the bottom of tank. Use the suction cup fasteners if you have them.
Watch as small bubbles of naturally produced c02 pour from your bottle.
Just pour out contents of bottle and refill as the yeast produces less CO2 over time.
Be sure to keep your lights on while this is in your tank. When the plants are not in photosynthesis (converting light energy into chemical energy) they will not absorb the CO2 and it will leave you tank with zero oxygen, hence killing your fish.
Other than that, this is 100% safe for your tank.
No chemicals please. There are always natural ways to improve your tank and they typically work a lot better than chemicals.
(This how to was a reply I posted on Yahoo! Answers.)
One Last Thing. . .
The only thing I would recommend testing occasionally is the iron levels in the tank.
As the plants grow, they will use more and more iron from the substrate.
After you’ve achieved the full growth, you may find the tank is becoming deficient in iron. If your iron levels crash, so will your plants.
Just go to your LFS and grab some iron, read the instructions and use sparingly.
Remember, keep it simple!
Hope this helps and if you have any questions, let me know in comments section.
To simple aquarium building,
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