The Grass Doctor

Can someone tell me about liquid fertilizer for my tank?

I have plants in my tank. They are just in black gravel and they keep dying. Can I keep them alive with liquid fertilizer? Thanks. Carrie

Public Comments

1. It's most likely a light issue, standard hoods do not put out enough light for a large portion of aquatic plants. 3 watts per gallon is recommended for most plants and the standard hood for a 29 gallon holds one 20 watt bulb, less than 1 watt per gallon. Check your bulb wattage against your tank size. There ARE low light plants, but sometimes they're hard to find in certain locations.
2. live plants definitely need fertilizer ... you can get stuff to stick in the substrate or a liquid you pour in ... i use a product called Flourish ... it is a liquid and i use it weekly after every water change ... plants can grow in gravel ... if you have a standard canopy on your tank and have never upgraded the bulb i would assume you have a low light tank ... so get plants that are for low light such as swords, crypts, anubias, some ferns ... i have a low light tank with some moss growing too ... and make sure you have good water quality to start with and they will help with water quality in the future ... still do weekly water changes though :O)