FAQ

That depends of course on the container size – ok, you would have thought so too… 🙂

So, first of all – our FERMENDO fertilizer is really high in dosage compared to many other water plant fertilizers available on the market. Right from the start we didn’t think it made sense to pack and sell an unnecessary amount of water. The high dosage reduces packaging and weight and thus also shipping costs. Last but not least, parcel carriers and, of course, customers are happy about less weight during transport…

Now to the question, how much fertilizer do I order for my needs?

Our FERMENDO BASIS-Fertilizer is dosed with 10 ml per 100 litres of aquarium water, or 1 ml per 10 litres.
One 1 L-bottle is sufficient for 10,000 L aquarium water. 
If, for example, you have a 100 L tank and fertilise after a weekly partial water change of approx. 30% according to instructions, you can manage 100 weeks with your 1,000 ml bottle. That would be almost 2 years… Ok, no problem, the fertilizer will last for a long time. In this case, however, it would perhaps make more sense to order a smaller bottle, e.g. 500 ml (with the 100 L-bowl, therefore about 50 weeks, i.e. just under a year).

This calculation then also relativizes the price, of which one or the other will think first, oh, but that is much more expensive than the products of the competitors… :-).

The FERMENDO DAY is again more highly dosed: 1 ml per 100 litres of AQ water.
DAY is designed as a daily fertilizer. So you could add approx. 1 ml DAY daily to your 100 L-bowl and get by with a 250 ml-bottle for about 250 days…

Here are some basic informations about water fertilization in relative brevity. Who likes it more fully, please follow the links below.

Why fertilize?

Basically, our central European waters differ significantly most of the ones in which most aquatic plants used as aquarium plants are native. The composition is i.d.R. so that not all important trace elements are present in the required quantities, so it is relatively quickly without the supply of a water plant fertilizer to an insufficient supply.

Poor plant growth goes hand in hand here often with excessive growth of algae. This is because algae as “low” water plants survive on less trace elements as “higher” water plants and so with trace element deficiency have a competitive advantage over the actual vegetation.

Here helps only consistent weekly partial water changes and targeted fertilization with iron and trace element fertilizers (for detailed information see here.)

What fertilize?

Ultimately, are based fertilizer on plant nutrition has long been known media used depending on the application (whether used in agriculture and horticulture NPK fertilizer or fertilizer used in horticulture and other crops) are composed very differently. together you besides minerals and trace elements, a relatively high content of nitrogen and phosphate.

The “normal” planted community tank, however, is mostly already in sufficient quantity, if not supplied even abound with these two elements.
The main source of this is the fish feed, which is at least partially supplied via the detour of the animal to water plants. These elements are therefore in water plant fertilizers for aquarium usually not necessary (except plants are heavily dominated, fish aquariums poor). However, the other necessary trace elements are very often lack Substances which should be supplied in addition in order to achieve a stable, strong plant growth and to obtain (for detailed information see here).
Good water plant fertilizer for community tanks such as the Fermendo system are therefore free of nitrogen and phosphorus.

Attend on?

• The nitrate levels should between management measures (water bills) falling continuously.
• The phosphate levels should also between the nursing measures (water bills) falling continuously.
• Decreasing values of nitrate and nitrogen indicate that the nutrients supplied are consumed by aquatic plants.
• The iron value should not fall below 0.1 mg / l fall (before the water change) ideally, slightly higher rates after fertilization are not detrimental to the system.

Why should we fertilize?

How differs the aquarium water from natural water bodies?

How is a water plant fertilizer composed?

What is the nutritional needs of aquatic plants and what is the correct dosage?

Despite the fundamental insights in plant nutrition and plant physiology, we are in the hunting and the problem that we can not predict the actual need for trace elements of an aquarium. There are several reasons:

1. Still largely missing knowledge of the specific requirement of individual water plants </ strong>
There are few published data on crop volumes and fertilizer needs of individual water plant species (Kasselmann 1999). This is probably mainly because the research of plant nutrition is concentrated on major crops.

2. Complex interactions of various aquatic plants in the aquarium
However, much more important are the interactions of a mixed culture of aquatic plants (and microbes and animals) in the aquarium itself. It is then that complex systems with nutrients to (and light) competing species. The topped up to “macronutrients” such as nitrogen and phosphate on the fish food, the lighting, the carbon dioxide supply and water quality of the water change play a role and are not precisely predictable.

3. Water tests
nother important point is the availability of sufficient quality water testing. Except for test kits for iron and copper, and the macronutrients nitrate and phosphate hardly aquaristischer manufacturer has more kits in its program. In this respect, the aquarium if it is not to other products such as the highly recommended tests of Macherey-Nagel GmbH & amp. Co. KG in Düren recourse, “usual” in the available in the pet trade tests and be watchful eye instructed.

Therefore, in principle, all dosing information to consider (any manufacturer) as a guideline. To illustrate this point, one of the test for the aquarium Fermendo fertilizer is briefly described below:

description of the test tank for Fermendo fertilizer:
Volume 1,600 l gross real about 1,400 l.
Lighting 2 x 250 W HQI, lighting time 12 hours a day, plus some strong lateral sunlight.
Type: rainbow fish, sucking loaches, some armored catfish, Otocinclus 85, some Hara hara. Overall rather low stocking.
Strong planting dominant Vallisneria gigantea, Vallisneria spiralis, Crinum thaianum and Hygrophila polysperma, additionally about 3/4 of the soil with Cryptocoryne x willisii, Cryptocoryne becketii, Cryptocoryne planted wendtii (different versions), Cryptocoryne parva, various Echinodorus, Anubias and Microsorium (on Root).

Moderate supply of carbon dioxide (about 60 bubbles / minute, thus avoiding biogenic decalcification V. A. by Vallisnerien), introduced over a 30 cm long flippers.
Water values: GH 17, KH 9 (somewhat variable), pH 8.5, nitrate fluctuates on average between 25 and 40 mg / l, tendency between water changes sinking, phosphate 0.1 to 0.25 mg / l wavering.
Weekly water change about 25% of output water 50 mg / l nitrate and more than 2 mg / l phosphate.
This aquarium has been fertilized by the beginning of the test phase with a pure iron fertilizer and held the ferrous value from about 0.1 mg / l. After the beginning of fertilization with iron Fermendo the figures have been daily measured, thereby estimating the growth benefits of aquatic plants and adjusted the dosage accordingly.

Result:
In the given circumstances, the fertilization was continuously raised to 5 times the amount of the average recommended dose of Fermendo in daily dosing to a stable iron level of 0.1 – to provide 0.25 mg / l permanently between water changes. The nitrate and phosphate levels fall between the water changes, indicating a total of consuming nutrient conditions. The growth performance of aquatic plants is more difficult to assess (measure), roughly the growth performance increased by about 30% since the beginning of fertilization. Symptoms of deficiency to the aquatic plants are not available.

Overall, one can obtain also available in pet shops water test interpretations and assessments of nutrient requirements of an aquarium, despite all the limitations of the measurement results:

1. The nitrate levels should between management measures (water bills) falling continuously.

2. The phosphate levels should also between the nursing measures (water changes) decline steadily.
Both (decreasing) values indicate that the aquarium is located in a total nutrient-sapping state, that that adequate nutrients are consumed by the activity of the water plant and the biogeochemical cycles in simple terms as a largely closed and are working perfectly to evaluate.

3. The iron value should not fall below 0.1 mg / l (in each case before the water change) ideally, slightly higher rates after fertilization are not detrimental to the system.
Interestingly, playing under such conditions also still “fairly high” values for nitrate (in the test pool of 25-40 mg / l) no role in relation to the growth of algae, this basin is largely free of algae (of course, who grew up eating fish to be considered). The high amount of light with some direct lateral incidence of sunlight is unable to cause visible algae growth.

References:
Kasselmann, C. (1999): Aquarienpflanzen. – 2. edition Stuttgart (Ulmer)

Ultimately, are based fertilizer on plant nutrition has long been known nutrient solutions. Depending on the purpose (whether used in agriculture and horticulture NPK fertilizer or fertilizer used in horticulture and other crops), however, they are composed very differently. Their common characteristic is that they have the task of ensuring a continuous supply of the necessary nutrients. Already in 1840 showed the Giessen chemist Justus v. Liebig (1803-1873) in his work “The Organic Chemistry in its Application to Agriculture and Physiology” the importance of the mineral components, resulting from the decay of plant and animal residues. He came to the conclusion that the plants find the components of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen in abundance, so that the supply of these substances is superfluous by fertilization. KARL SPRENGEL provided further evidence that certain, though extremely small amounts of mineral components for the life and prosperity of plants are equally important.

The first synthetic nutrient solution was produced by J. v. SACHS ago in collaboration with the chemist J. A. STÖCKHARDT. It contains up to 1000 ml of water: 1 g of potassium nitrate, 0.5 g of calcium sulphate, 0.4 g of magnesium sulfate, 0.5 g calcium hydrogen phosphate, and a trace of iron (III) chloride.
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The aquarium habitat differs in two points very clearly from natural waters:

1.    Water volume
The available water volume is based still considerably lower than in natural waters on the amount of manicured organisms (microbes, plants, animals). Each of these organisms takes substances from the water and are on the other hand again materials to the water. Also the added fish feed and its compounds are considered. This is very easily unequal distributions in the distribution of nutrients to be trace elements that plants need especially decrease most rapidly, and to increase especially the values for nitrate and phosphate.
A constant supply of trace elements for aquatic plants then no longer guaranteed.

2.    Water exchange
The second important difference is that the water continuously in natural water exchange. This of course is not “fresh” water within the meaning of tap water, but even back to biologically “processed” and “purified” water. Importantly, two factors are: 1. The removal of excess nutrient salts and 2. the continuous replenishment of the necessary trace elements. Both are given in principle in natural waters intact, this shall apply both to rivers as well as lakes (the latter in conjunction with the volume of water).

Ultimately, the continuity of the nutrients and trace elements is the most important, to be observed for the aquarists point so that fluctuations in the supply of water plants do not occur, or to move within narrow limits. The ideal aquarium would therefore be a flow tank with a continuous water exchange and in addition a continuous supply of all necessary trace elements by means of metering pumps.

This sophisticated technology is known in the reef aquarium with highly consumptive of trace elements coral dominated aquariums for quite some time and is more and more on the care and propagation demanding coral species, especially by hard corals.
In freshwater aquariums, the situation is basically similar, but take water plants slight variations in the continuous supply of nutrients less evil than hard coral species in seawater. Nevertheless, the general rule is the more often an exchange of water and more continuously, the supply of trace elements, the more secure the success in the culture and care of aquatic plants.

How is a water plant fertilizer composed?

Our central European water differs in its composition often significantly from tropical waters. However, it should be noted that there is not the central European water, but depending on the region partly significant differences in the hardness and composition exist. Some generalizations can be stated, however, that Central European waters have an increased amount of calcium and magnesium, potassium often, however, is present only in small amounts. Of the plant trace elements are unneeded very often in water or only in trace amounts, which are quickly consumed the Aquarium of the aquatic plants.

For this reason, in planted tanks need to make an additional supply of trace elements needed to achieve a strong, healthy plant growth while preventing unwanted emergence of algae.

The run-in phase of an aquarium
After setting up an aquarium, it is found in most cases that initially aquatic plants grow very vigorously and make a vital impression. Depending on the device (for example, with additional ground), sand used and the output water, this phase can no feeding quite up to 4 months, sometimes longer be. Regular weekly water changes may extend this phase.
Later it will be noted, however, that first very demanding plants like Haarnixe (Cabomba caroliniana) or the Small Ambulie ( Limnophila sessiliflora </ em>) do not grow as well and make an ailing impression , By then, the time is reached, where the water changes and the fish feed is no longer any trace elements needed by the plants are supplied to the aquarium in sufficient quantity.

Fertilize on algae problems?
it does not begin at this time with an additional fertilization of the aquarium, is the emergence of algae, especially beard, brush and thread algae, preprogrammed downright. This “lower” plants are namely in contrast to the “higher” water plants able to manage with less trace elements and then use holes made in the nutrient supply to permanently establish itself in the aquarium. (more…)