SUIKEI DATA FILE

SUIKEI vol.001

SUIKEI vol.006

Gallery01

Solving a chronic nutritional deficiency through the skillful use of a liquid fertilizer

When you maintain an aquatic plant layout in a small aquarium for a long time, you will eventually see a variation in the growth of aquatic plants. This is especially evident in a layout mainly composed of heliophytic plants. I suppose that many of you readers wondered about that. There are various factors, such as a weakening plant body through trimming, CO2 concentration, filter condition, and the light level, but the main reason is most likely a nutritional deficiency that is typical of a small aquarium due to the water and substrate volume. When the aquarium is newly set up, aquatic plants grow well, thanks to the nutrients that leach into the water column from the substrate. However, heliophytic plants, typified by stem plants, absorb all the nutrients, and the aquarium often suffers from chronic nutritional deficiency by the time it starts to look its best for the first time. Power Sand is often not used in the substrate of a small aquarium since a small aquarium is not built with long term maintenance in mind. Additionally, a layout with a split substrate with cosmetic sand can result in a nutritional deficiency since the amount of Aqua Soil is relatively small. Large Pearl Grass in this layout with cosmetic sand tended to suffer from the nutritional deficiency. Its growth rate and the color of its leaves were both poor. Larger than normal amounts of ECA and Green Gain were added in addition to the usual regimen of Brighty K and Green Brighty series additives to encourage its growth. On the other hand, Bolbitis and Anubias in the family of sciophytic plants were fine despite the deficient nutritional condition. This aquascape demonstrated the different nutrient demands of different types of aquatic plants. An aquascape in a small aquarium has a relatively shorter life than that in a large aquarium. Although people tend to add a relatively small amount of liquid fertilizer to a small aquarium for fear of algae, adding liquid fertilizers skillfully every day is the key to resolving the chronic nutritional deficiency problem in a small aquarium.