Nathan Hill checks out this new range of aquarium plant fertilisers.
An interesting collection of fertilisers from Eastern Europe, the Aqua-art range covers most bases. The selection even includes a 'Carbo' product, basically a source of carbon in the form of gluaretaldehyde for those that don’t have any access to CO2.
Some products are targeted, such as the Pro Ferro+ (iron) and Pro K (potassium), while others are a blend.
There’s a mixture to promote green plant growth and another for red. There’s also a classic mix, including manganese, copper, zinc, boron, magnesium and more.
Having played with these liquids for a few weeks, I’m seeing growth in some areas, although some of my plants seem to be a little slower — such as Hemianthus and Hydrocotyle.
The dose rates are not the easiest to follow and this is down to translations on the packets. Although a rate is given, say 1ml (which equates to a pump of the nozzle) for 30 or 40 litres, frequency is not mentioned on all products. Am I adding daily? Every 14 years? I’m in the dark.
Further ambiguity comes from Aqua-art’s own website, where it suggests the tinkering up or down of doses to suit individual tanks, without offering anything formulaic. I suspect we have an excellent product that may be let down by vague instructions in some cases.
Where based on daily dosages, the smaller bottles won’t go too far, although larger bottles are apparently on the way.
Currently the 100ml format is the standard, but 500ml sizes will be following. My 30 l/6.6 gal trial tank has rapidly gobbled up the bottles, although in fairness I might be overdosing some. I really don’t know for sure...
Prices: 100ml bottles range from £2.97 to £4.05, depending on the product. Available from plantedtanks.co.uk.
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