Using Plant Fertilizers With Shrimp

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Offline Vanadia

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Using Plant Fertilizers with Shrimp
« on: September 28, 2021, 08:59:50 PM »
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I am having alot of trouble keeping plants alive in my 105 litre. I am considering adding some plant food/fertilizer, however I am concerned about it harming my wood shrimp. Are there any plant fertilizers which are safe to use with shrimp?

Offline Sue

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Re: Using Plant Fertilizers with Shrimp
« Reply #1 on: September 28, 2021, 09:45:02 PM »
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I use Seachem Flourish Comprehensive Supplement in my shrimp tank (red cherry shrimps) and they do not appear to suffer any adverse effects.
A lot of people worry about copper in the list of fertiliser ingredients but it is there in such small amounts it won't harm invertebrates.

Offline Vanadia

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Re: Using Plant Fertilizers with Shrimp
« Reply #2 on: September 28, 2021, 09:57:05 PM »
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Thanks, I will buy some Seachem Flourish then  :)

Offline Sue

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Re: Using Plant Fertilizers with Shrimp
« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2021, 08:01:43 AM »
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Make sure it the Comprehensive Supplement For The Planted Tank one as Seachem make a number of products with the word Flourish in the name. Because most of my plants are slow growers I use just under half the dose rate on the bottle.

I also use Seachem Flourish root tabs for root feeding plants (in my case that's crypts)

Offline Vanadia

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Re: Using Plant Fertilizers with Shrimp
« Reply #4 on: September 29, 2021, 09:45:40 AM »
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I bought Seachem Flourish Comprehensive Supplement for the Planted Aquarium, 250 ml.

I had no idea about root feeding plants! After some quick Google research, I think one of the plants in my aquarium, Echinodorus, could be a root feeding plant. I will see how my plants get on with the liquid Flourish first and if needed, I will try the tabs too. 

Offline Sue

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Re: Using Plant Fertilizers with Shrimp
« Reply #5 on: September 29, 2021, 10:00:28 AM »
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Echinodorus are indeed root feeders. Root tabs are pushed into the substrate near the plant roots and replaced every few months - the instructions will say how often.
Some brands release fertiliser into the water column, but the Seachem ones don't. And there are some cheap tabs which release not very nice things, I read of one which released nitrite and killed shrimps  :o

Offline Matt

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Re: Using Plant Fertilizers with Shrimp
« Reply #6 on: October 07, 2021, 07:18:15 AM »
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If you do decide to give root tabs a go - In terms of water safety Tropicas root tabs are possibly the best their nutrients are released via bacterial breakdown rather than leaching quickly into the water column.

Offline Vanadia

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Re: Using Plant Fertilizers with Shrimp
« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2022, 09:22:02 PM »
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I have been using liquid Flourish for a few months now, and the plants have been growing so well, especially the Echinodorus  :)

Offline adiv

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Re: Using Plant Fertilizers with Shrimp
« Reply #8 on: February 21, 2023, 10:42:57 PM »
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please don't put chemicals in your tanks.
if you want your plants to flourish, use DAYLIGHT Fluorescent Tube Lights, 2 if possible. the fish poo and uneaten food is all the Fertilizer that is needed, you don't find any chemicals in the water where the fish come from.
years ago when i used to breed all types of fish and crayfish, i used to supply the local fish shops with plants and also used to grow xxxx all with daylight tubes. as far as i am concerned led light is cheap and pathetic, most commercial plant growers use tubes, some small time xxxx growers use electric guzzling hid etc.
plenty of white light, plenty of fish food and 10% water change every week and your plants will shoot up.

Offline Matt

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Re: Using Plant Fertilizers with Shrimp
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2023, 05:38:31 PM »
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Really interesting to hear your thoughts on this @adiv

In some respects it probably goes against the grain of common knowledge BUT to be clear that’s not me rejecting what you have said in any way. I think you make some very sound points…. but I wanted to understand your approach more :)

Firstly the importance of lighting - something I have no basis to make comment on really but it would be nice to think the more expensive recently available LEDs that Aquascapers with high input systems swear by would be able to replicate natural sunlight/plant requirements. But regardless I can’t really comment on good lighting as I’ve only experience with the cheaper end of LEDs.  It does make me wonder if you ever had much issue with algae if potentially any nutrients might have been in excess of short supply.  Indeed if you grew plants submerged when you were supplying them to local shops?

I’m with you on the plenty of fish / food feeding the plants alongside water changes especially for micronutrients. However I was also under the impression the balance for potassium was more likely to be exported by plants in higher quantities than inputted through fish/food/water changes. Interested in your thoughts on this too :)

Hoping for an open conversation here I do want to be really clear I’m not disputing your methods - they clearly worked. I’m quite passionate about making growing plants simple for people but have found some don’t have success and and some do - often when approaches are similar - and I have never really found the answer… apart from one thought about some peoples tap water being more suited to plant growth than others - I believe MD Fish Tanks did some research int his water and basically found it to be ideal (I’ll dig it out if interested). And not one additional thought… lighting may be the key :)

Offline adiv

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Re: Using Plant Fertilizers with Shrimp
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2023, 11:56:40 PM »
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hello matt, thanks for your reply, it is good to talk, discuss and debate, that is how we learn.

in the old days, i used to also grow some naughty stuff and had great success out of the water as well as in with the daylight tubes. a couple of years ago i had another go in a small way but this time i bought a reasonable size led light that was more expensive than what most normal every day fish keepers would pay for their led tank lights, and the results were a bit disappointing, slower growth and weaker smaller fruit. this perplexed me a bit so i researched a bit and it seemed to boil down to cost. i needed a much more powerful and expensive led light, more than i could afford. i think it is all about penetration. (my tank is 24 inches high, a bit of a pain because being only a short ass, i my shoulders get wet doing anything on the bottom of the tank) maybe the leds that can be submerged might help out with that. when i had my at-home tanks, (not the 20 fry-raising tanks) i was lucky that here in plymouth (liskeard now) there was a warehouse that sold old and disused commercial stuff and i bought old floro units with the tubes in. i replaced the tubes with daylight ones.
i have always looked upon algae as a bonus i suppose because i have always had algae eaters of some sort and a good supply of single-sided razor blades. (needed for when i cut laminated glass) now with over 200 shrimp in the tank, a plec, 2 otos and about a dozen assassins, algae is a real bonus because i often don't feed anything for a few days and it is great to see loads of shrimp munching on algae all over the glass.
i used to make nice deep hoods out of ply to house the floro units and i stained the hoods with linseed oil, brings out all of the grain.
anyway, like everything else tank lighting is a matter of choice but for someone with plant growing probs it is well worth trying daylight tubes.
word of warning, if you use linseed oil wash your hands before going to the pub because it makes beer go flat  :cheers: that was one of the first things they used to teach you when becoming a glazier.
     

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