Joseph Elliott Posted July 4, 2008 Report Share Posted July 4, 2008 So now that my fish decided to go on a permanent vacation whats the best way to keep my plants alive until i decide what kind of fish I want to replace them with? i'm using Tropica liquid ferts but I doubt that they are enough to sustain the plants without fish - nitrogen etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted July 4, 2008 Report Share Posted July 4, 2008 It depends on the plants' growth rate and how long you'll be without fish. If you have many fast growers (eg. stem plants) and you'll be without fish for a while, you should probably add an NPK type fertilizer. A few slower growing plants (eg. java fern) should be fine for a longer period without anything. Are there any dead fish still in the tank? You could just leave them in there as a nutrient source. Are you going to do anything to keep the tank cycled while there are no fish? If you're going to be adding anything like fish food, a bit of ammonia, a piece of shrimp, etc. to keep the tank cycled, then the plants will be able to benefit from it too. However, if you have enough healthy plants, cycling isn't really a concern since they'll take care of any NH3/NH4 once the new fish are added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbot Posted July 4, 2008 Report Share Posted July 4, 2008 So now that my fish decided to go on a permanent vacation whats the best way to keep my plants alive until i decide what kind of fish I want to replace them with? i'm using Tropica liquid ferts but I doubt that they are enough to sustain the plants without fish - nitrogen etc. N, P and K ferts and a good micro nutrient formula will keep your plants going strong without (and with!) fish. CO2 or Excel will also help. Check out Greg Watson for good deals on dry ferts that will last you years: http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/Store.php..... Pfertz has also started shipping to Canada: http://www.pfertz.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Elliott Posted July 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2008 Currently there are tiger lotus, anubias nana, osiris swords, and creeping jenny. The only occupant of the tank is my last remaining giraffe chiclid but he's still small and I'm not sure he will provide enough for the plants. I'm already using CO2 so thats not a problem. Basically I want to try to keep the tank growing strong while I decide what fish I want next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted July 5, 2008 Report Share Posted July 5, 2008 If you're not going to be moving the plants for a few months, you could stick some chunks of Jobe's Fert Spikes for Ferns & Palms beside each plant. Push the chunk right to the bottom of the substrate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Elliott Posted July 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Thanks I'll try that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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