# What is the cheapest liquid (fish safe) fert for plants?



## AquaNekoMobile (Feb 26, 2010)

Got a 10gal. Plants are ...well the surviving ones are:

-J.fern winderlov
-J.fern
-Flame moss
-J.Moss
-Hydrophilla pamella something I think. (like 1/2" - 3in sizing)
-Bacopa something (like 1/2" stick outs)
-Crypto wendtii
-driftwood in tank

Lighting: 2 x 13W 6500k CFL @ 10-15hrs on
Temp: 25C
pH: 7.4
Gh: 120
Kh: 120
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: ~5

Livestock:
5 x z.danios
A few RCS (only one visiable baby shrimplet)
A few ramhorn snails
A otocat

Dosing with EXCEL at 3-5mL every other day. So far BBA is ~95% gone and plants are reacting nice. Well the j.fern is perking up now.

1. I wanna know what is the cheapest liquid fert that works without paying something like high priced as Seachems stuff?

I have the following PlantProd items at home:

http://www.plant-prod.ca/product_e.php?id=352&category=78 10-52-10
http://www.plant-prod.ca/product_e.php?id=350&category=78 20-20-20 (IIRC I have this)
http://www.plant-prod.ca/product_e.php?id=354&category=78 15-15-30

Copper appears to be 0.05% in each product.

2. Can I use those items in very -VERY- diluted doses? IIRC there are micro-nutrients or trace in each product.

3. Also another question I've got a lot of gift cards for Walmart. Are there ANY plant ferts in the fish section of Wallys? I'd rather use the cards IMHO.

4. Curious but if I had a grow out tank with -NO- livestock and just plants and EXCEL doses can I use those Plant Prod products then later rinse out the tank and plants when they reached desired results and stock the plants and tank with livestock? Any possible effects on the plants coming out of such ferts?

5. How long can ferts store for? Like long term storage (in general)? And say with the 3 items I listed above?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

I am not sure but I would say leaf zone is probably one of the cheapest. Walmart sold it at one time not sure if they still do. I dose it in my 10s and it seems ok.


----------



## coldmantis (Apr 5, 2010)

3. walmart does not sell plant ferts


----------



## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

AquaNekoMobile said:


> 1. I wanna know what is the cheapest liquid fert that works without paying something like high priced as Seachems stuff?


The cheapest is to buy bulk chemicals, and mix your own liquid stocks.



AquaNekoMobile said:


> 2. Can I use those items in very -VERY- diluted doses? IIRC there are micro-nutrients or trace in each product.


I would not recommend terrestrial fertilizers, as they will inevitably contain nitrogen in the form of urea.



AquaNekoMobile said:


> 3. Also another question I've got a lot of gift cards for Walmart. Are there ANY plant ferts in the fish section of Wallys? I'd rather use the cards IMHO.


Unfamiliar with this.



AquaNekoMobile said:


> 4. Curious but if I had a grow out tank with -NO- livestock and just plants and EXCEL doses can I use those Plant Prod products then later rinse out the tank and plants when they reached desired results and stock the plants and tank with livestock? Any possible effects on the plants coming out of such ferts?


Using those fertilizers will likely start algae blooms instead. If you can manage to get terrestrial fertilizers to work, and then decide to stock the aquarium later with livestock, however, you should have no problem.

Effects of the plants would be minimal, as long as you keep fertilizing them in the newly stocked aquarium. If not, then it would be like moving the plants from a high nutrient environment to a low nutrient environment (expect melting, general dying back, slowed growth, etc)



AquaNekoMobile said:


> 5. How long can ferts store for? Like long term storage (in general)? And say with the 3 items I listed above?


Dry, indefinitely. Liquid, depends. Macronutrients can generally store for awhile. Micronutrients, unless have some kind of mold inhibitor (hydrochloric acid, glutaraldehyde, etc) will tend to go moldy after about a month, if kept at room temperature.


----------

