What fertilizers are needed for aquarium plants

Beautiful fish and other inhabitants of the underwater world will catch the eye of any guest. To keep the aquarium always clean and pleasing with its beauty, careful care of plants and animals is necessary.

Aquarium algae is good for the “home underwater world”. They serve:

• food and shelter for the inhabitants;
• a source of oxygen production;
• to reduce the degree of concentration of ammonia;
• decoration.

When choosing aquarium plants, it is better to give preference to simple and unpretentious ones. They require less care and can survive if they make mistakes.

Essential elements for plant perfection

Aquarium plants, in order not to wither and wither, require additional nutrients. Phosphorus, potassium, sodium, iron, zinc and other elements are needed for growth and functioning.

For the tone of aquarium plantings, nitrogen is important, which is involved in the creation of proteins in the green world. The yellowness of the leaves and their dropping, the cessation of growth indicates a lack of nitrogen. Here it is necessary to use nitrate feeding or ammonia derivatives. If only nitrogen fertilization is introduced into the aquarium water, then it should be carried out daily and in small quantities. But you should be aware that a high concentration of nitrogen in water can affect the condition of fish and animals.

The next important element that plants need in large doses is phosphorus. The lack of phosphorus is evidenced by darkened young leaves, the formation of brown spots, twisting of plants. To eliminate the cause of the disease in aquarium plantings, it is necessary to consume salts, which include calcium, potassium and magnesium. The most common feeding is superphosphate... In addition, you can start to make complex dressings, which include phosphorus.

Another important element that affects the life of plants is potassium. The substance has a great influence on the synthesis of carbohydrates, on enzymatic processes. Most often, potassium enters the water by adding mixed fertilizer for the aquarium, but with a large lack of an element - expressed by the formation of yellow and brown spots on the plants - potassium phosphate can be used.

When choosing aquarium fertilizers, they take into account some of the nuances:

• the amount of greenery;
• concentration of carbon dioxide;
• lighting level;
• temperature regime of water.

According to the consistency, fertilizers for the aquarium are divided into solid and liquid. Solids are formed into granules or tablets, which must be mixed with the soil.

Over time, the substances in the granules get into the water and nourish the roots and leaves of plants. When liquid fertilizer is added to water, the assimilation of substances is carried out only by the leaves.

Perfect food

Making fertilizers for aquarium plants with your own hands is not difficult even for a novice aquarist. Pigeon droppings are considered effective and free feeding, which can be collected anywhere. The droppings must be dried, then fill a small bag of nylon with it and fix it on the roots of plants before planting in the ground.

The best food for aquarium plantings is DIY fertilizers. Top dressing, which contains macronutrients, is quite easy to make. To create fertilizer for an aquarium on the basis of a phosphate concentrate, 72 g of potassium is required to be stirred in 1 liter of warm water. To prepare a nitrate solution, you need to take 60 g of potassium nitrate per 1 liter of warm water. The prepared solutions are poured in only once based on the calculation of 1 ml per 100 l of aquarium water.A potassium solution is prepared from 110 g of potassium salt per 1 liter of water. The dose of such a concentrate can be increased to 10 ml.

The optimal solution is the preparation of a concentrate from several substances. The complex solution is prepared in the following stages:

• in 700 ml of hot boiled water, add 10 g of magnesium and iron sulfate, 30 g of citric acid and 0.5 g of copper and zinc sulfate;
• mix the ingredients and let it brew for about 1 hour;
• add 4 vessels to the prepared solution cytovite and ferovit, 2 vessels of vitamin B12, boric acid, potassium sulfate and sulfuric acid, 0.3 g, 9 g and 20 ml, respectively;
• bring the solution to 1 liter by adding boiled water.

The prepared solution is used in 1 ml per 50 l of water.

They make liquid fertilizers on their own by buying a mixture in the form of chelates, endowed with trace elements. To prepare top dressing, take 9 g of chelate and add to 150 g of water. Add potassium sulfate, potassium nitrate and magnesium sulfate to the resulting concentrate, 14 g, 6 g and 33 g, respectively. Mix all ingredients thoroughly and add water until 300 g of feeding is obtained. Liquid dressings are used to feed plantings that do not have roots. Homemade fertilizers for aquarium plants are cheaper and more practical.

Current rules for feeding

Principles for the correct use of feeding:

• the first portions of fertilizers are applied in a reduced dose from the recommended rate;
• excessive feeding rates will lead to uncontrolled plant growth;
• fertilizer efficiency depends on lighting, temperature and other factors;
• dressing rich in microelements is best used in the morning hours, and with macronutrients - in the evening;
• fertilizers for an aquarium, which include potassium, are not applied at the initial stage of creating an aquarium;
• the effect of the applied fertilizers is observed after 10 days.

If fertilizers are used wisely for the aquarium, the plant world will be properly nourished and delighted with its grace and beauty.