Do you fertilize your plants?

[lucida]

Do you actually use fertiliser on your plants, or is it more of a need-to-use situation ?

[Riotstorm]

I have one tank where I do use fertilizer, and that's because the water's extremely soft with hardly any nutrients. My needier plants in the 75 gallon would actually get these holes in their leaves from deficiencies if I didn't add fertilizer. The other two tanks, though, I don't bother with fertilizer - the plants seem to thrive just fine on fish waste and light, so I figure why overdo it.

[infold]

My tanks are small, so I'm cautious about adding anything that could disrupt the water and stress my fish - I'd rather keep things simple and stable for them.

[boomer]

I use plant fertilizer sparingly, just enough to meet my plants' needs. infold's right, it's best to keep additives to a minimum since they all end up inside the fish.

[orchid]

I've opted for a straightforward approach with my plant care - I use an all-in-one liquid fertilizer, specifically ThriveC, and supplement with Flourish Root tabs.

[fineman]

I add Seachem comprehensive fertilizer every now and then. My anubias and hygrophiia difformis get by just fine without it, though.

[cavallo]

I've had great success with those substrate tablets that release fertilizer slowly - just place them near your plants or space them out when setting up a new tank. No sudden spikes, just a gentle supply of nutrients that lasts a while.

[boomer]

I've had great success with those substrate tablets that release fertilizer slowly - just place them near your plants or space them out when setting up a new tank. No sudden spikes, just a gentle supply of nutrients that lasts a while.

I concur, Flourish Tabs are great for substrate-rooted plants - they're not much help for floating or non-substrate rooted ones, though. Seachem's claim that the nutrients aren't released into the water column until they're taken up by the plants is spot on. This approach prevents an increase in nutrients in the water column, which in turn doesn't give algae an advantage and keeps it out of your fish.

Replenishing the tabs every 3-4 months ensures your rooted plants receive a consistent nutrient supply. I've found API tabs to be less effective and more of a hassle compared to Seachem Flourish Tabs. Years ago, I used to use Nutrafin's Plant Gro Sticks, a substrate fert that needed replacing once a year - my swords grew like crazy with those. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find them online for years, so I'm assuming they're no longer available. Flourish Tabs are a suitable substitute, though.