Jarek's Underwater Life

Thanks to the new light the plants grow fast. In May, I started observing deformation of some plants’ leaves. NO₃ was low. On May 6th, I bought a fertilizer providing nitrogen: Seachem Nitrogen. This fertilizer is different from the other brands for providing nitrogen in two forms. I wanted to give it a try. First, I used the recommended dosage of 2,5 ml twice a week.

The photo shows the water tests’ results from May 9th: The NO₃ is below the level of measurability, the phosphorus is 0.5 mg/L and the iron is 0.5 mg/L.

Then I changed the nitrogen fertilizer’s dosage to 5ml, sometimes 10 ml. At the same time, I moved to the Seachem brand in terms of the phosphorus, potassium and complex fertilizers. The potassium and phosphorus dosages are same as the Easy Life’s. As their prices are twice as high, there is not such a big advantage of their use. When I ran out of the phosphorus and potassium, I ordered Easy Life Fosfo and Kalium again.

Perhaps the Seachem Flourish fertilizer provides the iron differently and is more concentrated. I supply it twice a week: 5 ml compared to 15 ml when using Easy Life Profito. Therefore, this fertilizer seems to be more economical.

After a while, I measured the NO₃ and it is still unmeasurable; the phosphorus and iron got lower. The Seachem Nitrogen fertilizer seems to be beneficial for the plants. Nevertheless, it is not cheap. I’ve created a comparison of the annual consumption for each fertilizer using my aquarium’s conditions. I always consider the largest package that would last no longer than one year.

The situation with the nitrogen fertilizer is not that clear because the Seachem provides nitrogen in two forms. My experience up to now is only with Seachem Nitrogen. Regarding low values of iron, I bought Seachem Iron and started dosing it.