hey all

I have read through Jum Kelly's excellant piece titled 'How to Grow
Beautiful Aquarium Plants on a Student Budget' and want to get my hands on
some fertilizer tabs, does anyone know a UK online shop where I can buy some
or even from a garden centre chain perhaps?
Also, any brand name recommendations would be welcome.

Many thanks in advance

Steve Page

On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 01:01:34 +0100, "TwoBells"
wrote:

hey all

I have read through Jum Kelly's excellant piece titled 'How to Grow
Beautiful Aquarium Plants on a Student Budget' and want to get my hands on
some fertilizer tabs, does anyone know a UK online shop where I can buy some
or even from a garden centre chain perhaps?
Also, any brand name recommendations would be welcome.

Many thanks in advance

Steve Page

Most tabs I've seen are intended for root growth (high Nitrogen, low
everything else? Does that sound right?) and I was never really blown
away.

Root Tabs are one brand we often carry which are really only good for
root growth - sorry I don't recall the manufacturer.

Hagen also makes fert "sticks" that you bury in the substrate - they
go by the name Nutrafin Max Plant Spikes I believe, and come 6 to a
pack. They run around $8CDN. Warning: They contain a pair bit of PO4
and a few people have reported algae breakouts when using them.

I bought a couple of loose tabs by the name of Terropur - I don't know
who makes them but I'm sure they're European. I want to say Tetra but
I can't be certain as I bought mine in bulk.

We also just brought in a new brand of tabs whose name eludes me atm.
Something like "Plant Tabs" (clever, eh?) and I think they are made by
Aquatronics. They have surprisingly high levels of nutrients and are a
very small pill. We have them in a box of 50 for around $10CDN.

This is not a direct answer to your question but...
I have read people use successfully fertilizer sticks used for potted
plants. A quarter of a stick pushed in the substrate between the roots
should do it and not raise nitrates or phosphates too much. I have not used
them yet as I have made my own substrate the last time I set up an aquarium.
I plan to rebuild it however and this time I will use sand only and these
sticks.
As for the Jum Kelly's piece you have mentioned, where can I read it? Was
it posted somewhere?

Best regards,
Primoz



"TwoBells" wrote in message
news:ditxc.551$Fo5.288@newsfe3-gui...
hey all

I have read through Jum Kelly's excellant piece titled 'How to Grow
Beautiful Aquarium Plants on a Student Budget' and want to get my hands on
some fertilizer tabs, does anyone know a UK online shop where I can buy
some
or even from a garden centre chain perhaps?
Also, any brand name recommendations would be welcome.

Many thanks in advance

Steve Page

I have just found Jim Kelly's piece in the archives. For those of you who
have not read it yet but want to, here is the link:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...&th=be87e99f9e
d9f5f1&seekm=3g28ui%24ov4%40mark.ucdavis.edu#link1

Primoz


"Moses KA" wrote in message
...
This is not a direct answer to your question but...
I have read people use successfully fertilizer sticks used for potted
plants. A quarter of a stick pushed in the substrate between the roots
should do it and not raise nitrates or phosphates too much. I have not
used
them yet as I have made my own substrate the last time I set up an
aquarium.
I plan to rebuild it however and this time I will use sand only and these
sticks.
As for the Jum Kelly's piece you have mentioned, where can I read it? Was
it posted somewhere?

Best regards,
Primoz



"TwoBells" wrote in message
news:ditxc.551$Fo5.288@newsfe3-gui...
hey all

I have read through Jum Kelly's excellant piece titled 'How to Grow
Beautiful Aquarium Plants on a Student Budget' and want to get my hands
on
some fertilizer tabs, does anyone know a UK online shop where I can buy
some
or even from a garden centre chain perhaps?
Also, any brand name recommendations would be welcome.

Many thanks in advance

Steve Page

I can't answer your question, but I am be able to offer you an alternative.

The absolute 'cheapest' set up I had used 4 good full shovels of soil,
straight out of the garden (2" in the tank). A few more full shovels of
pea gravel/drain rock (the stuff found around household window wells,
weeping tiles or under downspouts from the eaves) and finally a bucket
of sand from the playground nearby.

The soil provided more than enough nutrients for about 1 1/2 years,
before I started having to add fertilizer

This was back when I was a starving student, and it worked great.

*sift and clean the sand and gravel thoroughly first*

I should mention that the soil and drain rock did cost me a couple of
bucks - I paid for the batteries for the flashlight, that I used while
digging in the neighbors yard.

TwoBells wrote:
hey all

I have read through Jum Kelly's excellant piece titled 'How to Grow
Beautiful Aquarium Plants on a Student Budget' and want to get my hands on
some fertilizer tabs, does anyone know a UK online shop where I can buy some
or even from a garden centre chain perhaps?
Also, any brand name recommendations would be welcome.

Many thanks in advance

Steve Page

"TwoBells" wrote in message
news:ditxc.551$Fo5.288@newsfe3-gui...
hey all

I have read through Jum Kelly's excellant piece titled 'How to Grow
Beautiful Aquarium Plants on a Student Budget' and want to get my hands on
some fertilizer tabs, does anyone know a UK online shop where I can buy
some
or even from a garden centre chain perhaps?
Also, any brand name recommendations would be welcome.

Many thanks in advance

Steve Page




many people use "Jobes" plant tabs usually the one recommended for ferns
however I have used others. They do work well on plants like Amazon Swords.
One tab should be broken into 3 pieces with one small piece buried deep in
the substrate near the roots. A word of caution on all these tabs, keep them
below the substrate. Be careful if you are vacuuming not to dislodge them as
they normally contain a considerable amount of P04 and you will get an algae
bloom.

Rick

That link is a older article Primoz.

Check this link out:

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/kelly-intro.html

regards

Steve Page



"Moses KA" wrote in message
...
This is not a direct answer to your question but...
I have read people use successfully fertilizer sticks used for potted
plants. A quarter of a stick pushed in the substrate between the roots
should do it and not raise nitrates or phosphates too much. I have not
used
them yet as I have made my own substrate the last time I set up an
aquarium.
I plan to rebuild it however and this time I will use sand only and these
sticks.
As for the Jum Kelly's piece you have mentioned, where can I read it? Was
it posted somewhere?

Best regards,
Primoz



"TwoBells" wrote in message
news:ditxc.551$Fo5.288@newsfe3-gui...
hey all

I have read through Jum Kelly's excellant piece titled 'How to Grow
Beautiful Aquarium Plants on a Student Budget' and want to get my hands
on
some fertilizer tabs, does anyone know a UK online shop where I can buy
some
or even from a garden centre chain perhaps?
Also, any brand name recommendations would be welcome.

Many thanks in advance

Steve Page