Do I need to add ferts to a shrimp only tank

Hi,

Still fairly new to the community, have a cycled 3 month old tank with 8 adult shrimp and about 50 babies.

My plants are growing but some don't look great. Also struggling with algae still.

Do I need to add any extra ferts? I am using tropica aqua soil only. Will that leech enough nutrients for my plants?

I have monte carlo, anubias nana, java fern, moss and crypts.

Thanks!

 

Do you have a lot of plants? If the tank is heavily planted maybe, but if you just have a few of those plants you shouldn’t have to. I know the Java fern and moss, the Anubias, and the crypts do fine without ferts. I have never heard of Monte Carlo plant, so I can’t help with that. I do have the rest though. Hey shrimp barely have a bio load so depending on how many shrimp you have vs. how many plants you may need ferts to get enough nutrients to every plant.

 

If I remember correctly, Monte Carlo is a high light plant, while the others are low light, to medium.

What kind of light do you have?

As for the nutrients, I would get some all in one ferts like Easy Green or Niloc G. (Seachem has more customization, but you have to buy this and that bottle to get this or that nutrient. It isn't a bad thing, but the initial cost is higher than a true all in one.)

If you really want to got crazy with the chemistry, you can save a lot by getting dry ferts (aka salts), but you have to measure it out into a bottle, or dry dose.

 

Eventually when the nutrients run out in the soil you will need extra nutrient doses. For Monte Carlo to carpet without co2 (difficult, not impossible) you will need a quality aquarium light as well as decent substrate fertilization to grow well. The shrimp alone will not supply all the nutrients your plants need to truly thrive, so I personally recommend picking up and all in one fert to go in your tank. Don't worry, there are many fertilizers that are completely shrimp safe, and I in fact own shrimp myself and can confirm this.

As for the nutrients, I would get some all in one ferts like Easy Green or Niloc G. (Seachem has more customization, but you have to buy this and that bottle to get this or that nutrient. It isn't a bad thing, but the initial cost is higher than a true all in one.)

I agree with Sanderguy777 for these fertilizer recommendations, it is much easier to do it this way and for fact the Easy Green is shrimp safe. I believe that NilocG Thrive is also shrimp safe as well.

 

Thank you all, mega helpful!

If I remember correctly, Monte Carlo is a high light plant, while the others are low light, to medium.

What kind of light do you have?

As for the nutrients, I would get some all in one ferts like Easy Green or Niloc G. (Seachem has more customization, but you have to buy this and that bottle to get this or that nutrient. It isn't a bad thing, but the initial cost is higher than a true all in one.)

If you really want to got crazy with the chemistry, you can save a lot by getting dry ferts (aka salts), but you have to measure it out into a bottle, or dry dose.

I have a dennerle 35L nano cube with the supplied 5W light.

See here- Dennerle Scapers Tank 35L LED Complete Set - Pro Shrimp UK

I only have about 6 hours of light atm to try combat some algae I'm battling!