Why not dose once per week?

[Fishowner24]

I just had a quick question. Why don't people dose only once per week? What I mean is like with people who make their own ferts with salts. I know there is things like easy green that get dosed weekly but for people who dose just salts a I people either doing PPS or EI. Why not make it simple and dose just once weekly? Thanks!

 

[SparkyJones]

I think for most people it's a case of too much of a good thing is a bad thing and just doing what they need to do whenever it needs to be done gets better results than tossing in on a schedule. I'd also think like easygreen it's sort of a slower availability, where using NPK in salt forms are basically immediately available.

 

[Fishfur]

The short version is that with a lot of tanks the plants are growing fast enough that dosing weekly wouldn’t keep up an adequate supply of nutrients.

There is also much to be said for the ‘frequent small meals’ approach.

 

[Fishowner24]

The short version is that with a lot of tanks the plants are growing fast enough that dosing weekly wouldn’t keep up an adequate supply of nutrients.

There is also much to be said for the ‘frequent small meals’ approach.

Oh ok I see thanks! I dose salts. Only micronutrients and k2so4. I only mainly have crypts. Would dosing once after I clean my tanks be fine? I am getting some algae on the leaves but idk if this is why. Thanks!

 

[70iselin]

How often should you dose?

 

[BlackOsprey]

Crypts are mainly root-feeders and would probably benefit a lot more from root tabs in the substrate.

Algae on the leaves usually indicates an excess of light, nutrients, or both that aren't being taken up by other plants. Algae is more likely to appear on the leaves of slow growers such as crypts, even when they are relatively healthy.

You can address this by adjusting your fertilizer dosage and lighting intensity/time. You can also address this by adding other plants, usually faster-growing ones that can take up nutrients.

 

[70iselin]

Which plants are fast growers that you suggest? i am having the same issues

 

[BlackOsprey]

Pearlweed
Guppy grass
salvinia or other small floating plants
water wisteria

Personally I like pearlweed and salvinia the best. Pearlweed is a very attractive stem plant that doesn't always melt at the base and float off like guppy grass or wisteria. Salvinia is like duckweed but larger, so it's less messy.

Salvinia and floating plants are especially good at this because they devour nutrients and shade the rest of the tank. Light and nutrients are both decreased.

Slower growers can have similar effect but you will need more of them. Most of my tanks are kept in balance by heaps and heaps of subwassertang. Not a fast grower, but it's steady and hardy. I could probably fill a 5g bucket with the amount I have in all the tanks.

 

[Mudminnow]

I imagine (but truly have no idea if this is correct) that my plants might prefer a more stable environment (nutrient wise). Therefore, I've typically dosed a little every day verses dosing a bit more once a week. Admittedly though, I've dosed my smaller tanks once a week (because daily doses would be awkwardly small), and I haven't really noticed a difference in plant health.

Also, I like feeding my plants when I feed my fish--it helps me remember.

 

[Fishfur]

I imagine (but truly have no idea if this is correct) that my plants might prefer a more stable environment (nutrient wise). Therefore, I've typically dosed a little every day verses dosing a bit more once a week. Admittedly though, I've dosed my smaller tanks once a week (because daily doses would be awkwardly small), and I haven't really noticed a difference in plant health.

Also, I like feeding my plants when I feed my fish--it helps me remember.

A little trick you could use to make daily dosing work for even very small tanks would be to dilute the fertilizer so that a dose is larger, making measuring easier.

I also use 1 ml syringes, which make it pretty easy to measure extremely small doses.

 

[Fishowner24]

How often should you dose?

I am not sure. I think EI is like 3 times a week but I am not sure

 

[Fishowner24]

Crypts are mainly root-feeders and would probably benefit a lot more from root tabs in the substrate.

Algae on the leaves usually indicates an excess of light, nutrients, or both that aren't being taken up by other plants. Algae is more likely to appear on the leaves of slow growers such as crypts, even when they are relatively healthy.

You can address this by adjusting your fertilizer dosage and lighting intensity/time. You can also address this by adding other plants, usually faster-growing ones that can take up nutrients.

Yeah I add root tabs once every couple months. For crypts should I do more than that? I don’t think I have adjusted fertilizer in so long and there has been no algae. I think I may have adjusted the lighting slightly and maybe that was enough to throw it off. I will try turning the lights back like 30 mins and see if that helps. Thanks!

I imagine (but truly have no idea if this is correct) that my plants might prefer a more stable environment (nutrient wise). Therefore, I've typically dosed a little every day verses dosing a bit more once a week. Admittedly though, I've dosed my smaller tanks once a week (because daily doses would be awkwardly small), and I haven't really noticed a difference in plant health.

Also, I like feeding my plants when I feed my fish--it helps me remember.

Okay thanks. That’s a smart tip!

 

[_Fried_Bettas_]

It is my understanding that in tanks without CO2, weekly is generally sufficient. If you have mostly crypts, this is even more the case as they draw very few nutrients out of the water. It is amazing how much low-light plants can consume. My 9-gallon tank with only java moss, anubias, and java ferns has been zeroing out my nitrates created from a betta, mystery snail, and nerite snail, plus 20 ppm nitrates in weekly 25% water changes. This is 62% stocking according to Aqadvisor.