Best fertilizer

[Chiclid addict]

So j know this is a aquarium coop forum and I’ve heard many many good things but is is worth 2x the price over things like api leaf zone also in some of the 1 star reviews on easy green it says It has little to no one phosphate is this true 

[Rob E.]

I think that you are asking the right questions in regards to fertilizers.  I'm still an amateur at keeping aquarium plants, and I remember trying to make sense out of all the option awhile back myself.  

Easy green is more concentrated than api leaf zone. A 16oz bottle of api leaf zone cost about $7 and treats 1000 gallons. Easy green is $20 for 16.9oz but treats 5000 gallons, so the cost comparison is more like $35 to $20.

Leaf zone contains only iron and potassium, where easy green has all the essential nutrients. Whether they are in the correct proportions Is beyond my understanding,  but when compared to the other fertilizer brands, easy green at least seems reasonable.  

Everyone has a different tank with different needs so I would encourage you to keep asking questions to find out what suits your purpose.  Easy green is good for most tanks, (moderately stocked/moderately planted).  

 

 

[Isaac M]

Hello @Angelfishlover, I do not have a bottle of API Leaf Zone so going based off of what I see on their website and pictures, API Leaf Zone is a fertilizer with Potassium and Iron Only while Easy Green is an all-in-one fertilizer (has nitrogen, potassium, phosphate, iron and other micronutrients).

According to dosing instructions for API Leaf Zone, you must dose 5mL per 10 gallons for 3% potassium and .1% Iron.

According to dosing instructions for Easy Green, you must dose 1mL per 10 gallons for 9.21% potassium and .13% Iron. Additionally, you also get the benefit of the nitrogen, phosphate and micronutrients from Easy Green that you do not get from API Leaf Zone. 

If we compare both 16oz bottles of both products, Easy Green is twice the price but is much more concentrated and has more variety of nutrients. For example, dosing 5mL per 10 gallons versus dosing 1mL per 10 gallons already makes Easy Green last 5 times longer as you will run out of API Leaf zone 5 times faster. Additionally, Easy Green at 9.21% potassium gives you 3 times more potassium than API Leaf Zone at 3% potassium. So not only will you run out of API Leaf Zone 5 times faster, but you also get a third of the potassium Easy Green would provide. For Iron, they are similar per each instructed dose except that Easy Green will last 5 times longer. 

As for phosphate, API Leaf Zone does not show that it provides any. For Easy Green, it provides 0.46% for 1mL per 10 gallons which translates to about 0.12 ppm. Typically recommended levels of phosphate for a planted aquarium is 0.15 ppm to 1.0 ppm. Easy Green provides a little less than the minimum recommended dosage for phosphate but most water supplies used for aquariums already have phosphate in it and most fish keepers feed some form of fish flake food that adds additional phosphates to the aquarium. Phosphate deficiencies are not very common as a result unless phosphates are being filtered out on purpose with filter media or ro/di systems. 

I hope that helps! 

[lefty o]

the easy green is a good all around, cover most of the bases fertilizer, which to me makes it good.  leafzone is one of my long time staples in my aquariums, and it is mostly an iron supplement  but when needed its good stuff. sadly there is no one perfect fert for aquarium plants. the easy green does a pretty good job as an all around, and it is not prohibitively expensive. like most anything else, find what works for you in your tank, and stick with it.

[sudofish]

I think it's good but I admit I don't have any first hand experience with a different one. The only thing I'll say is you can't follow the dosing instructions if you want to maintain the recommended 20-50 ppm of nitrate. The one pump per 10 gallons just won't be near enough to do that.

[lefty o]

On 6/27/2021 at 10:01 AM, sudofish said:

I think it's good but I admit I don't have any first hand experience with a different one. The only thing I'll say is you can't follow the dosing instructions if you want to maintain the recommended 20-50 ppm of nitrate. The one pump per 10 gallons just won't be near enough to do that.

depends on how heavily planted your tank is. if billy bob has one plant in his tank, and you have 30, its going to require different dosing.

[tonyjuliano]

The evaluation of effective fertilization methods are subject to a great amount personal opinion, frequently coupled with little scientific analysis, IMO.

The generally accepted consensus is to try to attain a nitrate level of anywhere between 10-50 ppm (while maintaining zero levels of ammonia & nitrite). 

I’ve found, in most cases, there are a few problems associated with trying to achieve this while using an “all in one” solution.  

I do not think it’s possible to utilize most all in one fertilizers and maintain required levels of potassium and iron without “over-dosing” nitrogen, which results in very high nitrate levels (plus ammonia buildup if your biological filter is not adequate) which necessitates frequent water changes.

In my experience, a targeted approach has always been necessary.

I test water parameters twice a week.  If these tests show inadequate nitrate levels, I supplement with nitrogen to attain a reading of 25 ppm.  I also test for iron, potassium & phosphate and add the required amounts of each (frequently with the iron & potassium, much less with phosphorus) to suit.

I also add micronutrients, via Seachem Trace, on a daily basis.

A good all in one fertilizer will produce adequate results if your plant population is of the “less demanding” variety, and you are will to commit to the water changes necessary to limit nitrate levels while providing adequate potassium and iron.

in this regard, the easy green product does provide some amount all macro requirement (nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, iron), unlike leaf zone which only supplements potassium and iron (this product assumes your fish will supply all the nitrogen you need), it just may not supply them in optimum proportions.

Not everyone is looking for “optimum” when it comes to plants, I know, and “adequate” is more than acceptable, unless you desire to keep more challenging plants and/or reduce water changes.

Edited June 27, 2021 by tonyjuliano

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

I prefer just dosing the easy green and not worrying about it personally. I believe it covers quite alot of plant needs and treats a ton of gallons per bottle. I have never had an issue with the easy green and always have better plant look and growth using it than not using it. 

[Patrick_G]

I’ve gotten into the habit of dosing Leaf Zone alongside Easy Green. It seems like my Java Ferns like the extra potassium. 

[tonyjuliano]

On 6/27/2021 at 8:55 PM, Patrick_G said:

It seems like my Java Ferns like the extra potassium. 

Potassium is another reason that “all in one” solutions sometimes fail.

Sodium is a limiting factor in potassium uptake by plants.

Sodium concentration in tap water usually ranges from 5 to 50 ppm (I’ve seen it as high as 100 ppm!) but potassium content is usually MUCH less.

In the planted aquarium potassium content should be at least equal to sodium content or higher.  Dosing enough all in one fertilizer to address this will certainly result in “overdosing” of other components, Nitrogen especially, in many cases.

Edited June 28, 2021 by tonyjuliano

[Phantom240]

Easy Green is a great value for most planted tank owners. If you're a supernerd, and going all-in on your planted tank, you'll be testing for nitrate, phosphate, iron, etc. at least once a week, running CO2 most likely, and mixing your own fertilizer blend from dry ingredients. I do both... my living room tank gets dry ferts, while my pea puffer tank and girlfriends betta get Easy Green. Why? Because dry ferts are WAY more cost effective and can be mixed and tailored to your specific needs. My main tank gets overfed (sorry, I just hate the thought of the cories going hungry because of the school of "swimming stomach" guppies and fiesty tetras), so nitrates are never in short supply. Even with CO2 and trying hard to balance the rest of the necessary nutrients and their expected uptake, it's definitely not just a shake and squirt affair like Easy Green is... but on the other side of that coin, I'm finally getting some nice dense growth. 

[Chris45]

Unfortunately I don't have access to easy green (Australia). I have a pretty heavily planted 75g tank, understocked.

Is there a similar product to easy green that I could grab from amazon or ebay etc?

[Patrick_G]

I’ve heard good reviews of this one. 
Thrive+ All in One Liquid Aquarium Fertilizer – 500ml Highly Concentrated Solution – Nutrient-Rich Aquatic Plant Food – Convenient Usage – Effective Results https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M20WCI5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_9026STTPM0DEDNJFG18F?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Mmiller2001]

The best fertilizers are dry fertilizers because in 5 minutes, you can create any all-in-one fertilizer, at a fraction of the cost.

Edited September 28, 2021 by Mmiller2001

[ARMYVET]

On 9/28/2021 at 1:24 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

The best fertilizers are dry fertilizers because in 5 minutes, you can create any all-in-one fertilizer, on the market, at a fraction of the cost.

Could you explain how to do that? 

[Mmiller2001]

On 9/28/2021 at 11:43 AM, ARMYVET said:

Could you explain how to do that? 

https://www.2hraquarist.com/blogs/fertilize-planted-tank/mixing-dry-aquarium-fertilisers

[FrozenFins]

On 9/28/2021 at 12:24 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

The best fertilizers are dry fertilizers because in 5 minutes, you can create any all-in-one fertilizer, at a fraction of the cost.

a local hobbyist to me has a business for aquatic plants. He's where I get most of my plants. He has is own dry fertilizer as well, I have to say that I have been very impressed by it. Its quite cheep, and you can choose the kind of bottle you want it in. So I would agree, that dry fertilizer is the way to go.