API Leaf Zone

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littletankbigworld

Superstar Fish
#1
Aug 16, 2009
1,318
0
0
SW Pennsylvania
#1
I went to Petsmart and they didn't have Excel so I got API Leaf Zone. I've never used fertilizer before, so I have several noob questions.
1.) Do you have any experience with Leaf Zone vs. Excel?
2.) The bottle says to dose 5 mL per 10 gallons. Are doses usually for a moderately planted tank or for any type of tank? I cut the dose in half since I only have one plant in my 29 gallon. Is this okay?
3.) I know that some aquatic soils will retain dosed nutrients. Will sand retain any nutrients, whether short term or long term?
4.) How long will it be before I see results?

I'm doing a little bit of experiment with my tank. I'm attempting to rid it of algae and at the same time create an environment for plants. Root tabs, better lighting, and DIY CO2 will come later. I'd just like to see how fertilizing goes. I understand that sometimes simply fertilizer will not do too much and a combination is needed.
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#2
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#2
The dosage in the directions on the bottle is way more that you personally need. they assume your aquarium is CHOCK FULL of plants and so they suggest that dosage. I say 1/4 of that is enough for one plant =/
 

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OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#3
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#3
littletankbigworld said:
1.) Do you have any experience with Leaf Zone vs. Excel?
Click to expand...
Leaf Zone is a fertilizer that supplies iron and potassium via transport in the leaves of plants. Excel is a carbon source. All plants need all three elements to grow.

littletankbigworld said:
2.) The bottle says to dose 5 mL per 10 gallons. Are doses usually for a moderately planted tank or for any type of tank? I cut the dose in half since I only have one plant in my 29 gallon. Is this okay?
Click to expand...
If this is the sword plant, it will benefit more from a root tab fertilizer as they mainly feed from their roots.

littletankbigworld said:
I'm doing a little bit of experiment with my tank. I'm attempting to rid it of algae and at the same time create an environment for plants. Root tabs, better lighting, and DIY CO2 will come later. I'd just like to see how fertilizing goes. I understand that sometimes simply fertilizer will not do too much and a combination is needed.
Click to expand...
Growing plants requires a balance in lights, fertilzer, and CO2. If you add more of one without more of the others, increased algae is often the result. I don't think you'll be able to rid you tank of algae by increasing the fertilizer in the water.
 

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blue_ram

Large Fish
#4
Jun 21, 2008
516
0
0
Florida
#4
OrangeCones said:
If this is the sword plant, it will benefit more from a root tab fertilizer as they mainly feed from their roots.
Click to expand...
If your swords have been mistreated and are showing yellow or transparent leaves, Leaf Zone will perk them up and turn them back green within a day or 2. IMHO this is the only benefit of this product. Root tabs sometimes take awhile for the plants roots to find them which can lead to leaf loss or even plant loss fi the plant has gone to far.

Would the combination oif Excel and Leaf Zone without a more diverse fertilizer promote algae?

Which Root Tabs do you use, I have been using the API root tabs and am not satisfied with them, might be because I used pool filter sand as the substrate (fish love it, plants hate it).
 

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littletankbigworld

Superstar Fish
#5
Aug 16, 2009
1,318
0
0
SW Pennsylvania
#5
The sword plant is looking a bit perkier already. I'm aware that a balance is needed, but I'd like to do an experiment. If I get more algae, it doesn't really matter, and maybe my mom will allow me to buy the new light fixture/add DIY CO2 when she sees the algae increase. I already have soooo much algae and I know this might sound a bit odd, but any more algae wouldn't really matter all that much. If the algae levels stay the same or go down, that's fine as well.

I don't use root tabs yet, blue_ram, but as to which brand to buy, that is a good question...
 

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