Who Gives A Fish Forums

Can sand provide food for plants?

Nutty, sand itself doesn't provide much in terms of nutrients for plants. It'll hold the roots and any solids like fish waste, which can offer some nutrients, especially for aquatic plants in aquariums. However, most of the time, plants need nutrients to be dissolved or suspended in the water.

I'm talking about in a water tank, specifically an aquarium.

When you've got sand or gravel at the bottom of the tank, you're going to need to add some fertiliser to give your plants the nutrients they need.

For plants that absorb nutrients through their roots, like Amazon sword plants and cryptocorynes, you'll want to use fertiliser tablets in the substrate. These plants rely heavily on the nutrients in the substrate to thrive.

On the other hand, plants that feed through their leaves will benefit more from liquid fertiliser added directly to the water. This is particularly true for plants that grow as stems, which tend to absorb most of their nutrients from the water column.

What fertiliser tablets should be used for root-feeding plants like amazon sword plants and cryptocorynes?
What type of liquid fertiliser is recommended for plants that absorb nutrients through their leaves, like the ones that grow on stems?