Nature Aquarium Fertilization
There are various products available for adding nutrients to a planted tank, but adding nutrients can affect the condition of aquatic plants and an aquarium adversely unless a truly necessary nutrient is added when it is needed. This article discusses how to select and use a suitable fertilizer depending on the condition of an aquarium.
Necessary nutrients for aquatic plants
Aquatic plants absorb necessary nutrients through the surfaces of their leaves and from their roots. The three major nutrients that plants need in large amounts are nitrogen, phosphate and potassium. In an aquarium, nitrogen and phosphate are supplied rather excessively from fish waste, uneaten food, and dead leaves, and therefore it is often not necessary to add them. On the other hand, potassium tends to run short and therefore needs to be replenished. There are other nutrients that aquatic plants need. Although iron and other trace elements are required in small amounts, deficiencies of these cause plants to grow poorly. Leaves may bleach or turn yellow, or the plants become stunted and weak.
Removing excessive nutrients
Excessive nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphate, are not completely absorbed by aquatic plants and remain in water. Various algae use them and proliferate in the aquarium. The excess nutrients need to be removed to prevent algae from developing. The easiest way to accomplish this is to do water changes. Adding necessary nutrients after removing excess nutrients is the key to proper fertilization of a planted aquarium.
Potassium shortage
Potassium has important functions in the body of a plant such as facilitating protein synthesis. Deficiency of it causes photosynthesis to become sluggish, and leaves may bleach. Although potassium is an extremely important nutrient for maintaining a planted aquarium, it tends to run short since its supply in an aquarium is very limited. Therefore potassium needs to be added continually. Brighty K allows us to add potassium easily. Adding a proper amount daily enables us to grow healthy aquatic plants over a long time. Since Brighty K also neutralizes chlorine in tap water, it is great for water changes in a planted aquarium.
Adding nutrients based on the condition of an aquarium
The condition of an aquarium varies from aquarium to aquarium. The amount of nutrients to be added depends on the condition of an aquarium. Let us examine how it should be determined.
Selecting a regimen by aquarium stage
Let us examine the condition in three steps based on the amount of time passed since the initial set up of an aquarium.
1. A newly set up aquarium
Plants that are purchased for a newly set-up planted aquarium are often emersed grown plants, and they tend to lose lower leaves. Even if they have submersed grown leaves, their lower leaves may melt due to a change in the water quality. This causes the nitrogen content of the water to rise considerably. If its filter is also newly set up, the condition of microorganisms in the filter is not adequate yet to purify the water, and therefore the water quality is not stable. Newly planted aquatic plants do not start growing and absorbing nutrients right away. All these factors create a condition in which algae develop easily. It is necessary to remove excessive nitrogen through water changes to resolve this situation. Diligent water changes supplement the lack of filtering capacity. It is important to encourage plant growth and let the plants take up nutrients in order to create the condition under which algae cannot grow well. Green Brighty STEP1 is a liquid fertilizer suitable for this period. It is a well balanced mix of various trace elements required for the development of new shoots and roots. It encourages the development of healthy new shoots. It can be added without fear of inducing algae since it does not contain nitrogen, phosphate, or potassium.
2. An aquarium with vigorously growing aquatic plants
If an aquarium is maintained well after setting it up, the water quality stabilizes in one to three months, and aquatic plants will grow densely. In such an aquarium, aquatic plants grow fast and run out of trace elements resulting in bleaching of leaves. Therefore one must be careful to replenish these trace elements. Green Brighty STEP2 is a fertilizer intended for this period. It allows you to replenish trace elements easily. Since it is fortified with iron in particular in a form that is readily absorbed by aquatic plants, it is quite suitable for the aquarium where aquatic plants are growing fast, and it prevents bleaching of leaves. This product does not contain nitrogen, phosphate, or potassium either.
3. An aquarium more than one year old
In an aquarium that has been set up for a long time, the growth of aquatic plants slows due to declining conditions such as a hardening substrate. An aquarium in such a condition, which may be considered a sign of aging of a planted aquarium, can be rejuvenated by invigorating aquatic plants and enjoyed over a long time. Green Brighty STEP3 is used for such a case. It replenishes iron, various other trace elements essential for physiological responses, and potassium, and thus revitalizes aquatic plants. It does not contain nitrogen and phosphate.
Selecting by plant type
Different plants have different growth speeds, and their nutrient uptake differs depending on their growth speed as well. Their growth speed also changes with the condition of aquarium environment. Let’s look at the different ways fertilizers are used to accommodate them.
1. An aquarium with a lot of light-loving, fast-growing aquatic plants
Heliophytic plants that love a bright environment grow fast and absorb a lot of nutrients proportionately. In an aquarium planted with a lot of these plants, nitrogen and phosphate, which tend to be excessive in other aquariums, become depleted. Nitrogen and phosphate can also become deficient if the number of fish is small in comparison to the volume of aquatic plants, or when an aquarium has been set up for a long time and the nutrients in Power Sand in the substrate are depleted. Under such conditions aquatic plants cannot grow, and the symptoms of deficiency such as bleaching leaves show up. Green Brighty Special LIGHTS (for heliophytic aquatic plants) is a general fertilizer that contains nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and various trace elements. It is suitable for an aquarium in which aquatic plants are growing densely and nutrients tend to be depleted fast.
2. An aquarium with slow-growing aquatic plants
Aquatic plants that can be grown without a very strong light, such as Anubias, ferns, and Cryptocoryne, grow gradually, and it takes time for them to become dense. The substrate tends to get old and harden from oxidation over time. This often causes root rot and hinders the growth of plants. Green Brighty Special SHADE is a general fertilizer that contains nitrogen, phosphate, and trace elements and supplies effectively the nutrients that sciophytic aquatic plants require.
3. An aquarium with aquatic plants with strong root systems
Echinodorus and Cryptocoryne are the type of plants that grow by spreading strong roots in the substrate. When setting the substrate, Power Sand is laid as a base fertilizer to supply nutrients to aquatic plants continuously. This is especially effective for aquatic plants with strong root systems. However, the nutrients become depleted over time as these aquatic plants grow steadily. The nutrients must be added before it runs out. Iron Bottom and Multi Bottom are handy for this purpose. These stick type solid fertilizers can be inserted into the substrate easily. We recommend applying them in a half to one year after setting up an aquarium.
A convenient dispenser bottle
It is not a good idea to add a week’s worth of liquid fertilizer once a week to replenish necessary nutrients to aquatic plants. It is important that a necessary nutrient always exist in the amount required without excess. If a lot of it is added at once, the excess will be used by algae. It would be ideal to add a small amount of necessary nutrients continuously. More practically, one can add daily the amount of nutrients that aquatic plants absorb in one day. The dispenser bottle of the Brighty series is handy for this task. The daily dosage in milliliters is displayed on each bottle of Brighty series fertilizer. This is only a guideline for a standard planted aquarium. The actual dosage varies depending on the volume of aquatic plants and their growth condition (See the instructions provided with each product.) The bottle dispenses approximately 1 ml each time the pump is depressed. The desired amount of fertilizer is added by simply counting the number of depressions. This enables you to add the right amount of fertilizer without excess or deficiency and prevents algae development caused by excess nutrient addition. It is important to add a fertilizer regularly every day while monitoring the condition of aquatic plants.Deep sea water
Deep sea water is very pure and rich in various minerals. Deep sea water has attracted a lot of attention in recent years and it is utilized widely by the fishery industry and various other fields. Green Brighty STEP1, STEP2, STEP3, Special LIGHT, and Special SHADE contain deep sea water that was pumped up from the Sado Strait in Niigata prefecture. It is rich in minerals and therefore very effective for growing aquatic plants.
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