43 Plant Survival: Nutrients
Description
This article is from the Aquaria: Plants FAQ, by multiple authors.
43 Plant Survival: Nutrients
Beyond the "building blocks of life" provided by water and CO2
(oxygen, hydrogen and carbon), two other important nutrients are
required: nitrogen and potassium. Nitrogen is usually available in
sufficient quantities from fish waste in the form of ammonium (NH4+).
Most plants will prefer ammonium but some will use the end product of
the nitrification cycle, nitrate (NO3-). Ammonium is the preferred
source since it takes less energy to use that form of nitrogen. A good
test for ammonium levels is to monitor nitrates. If the nitrates are 0
ppm, you know that all the nitrogen is being used. This may indicate
that some plants are starving for nitrogen. It also might indicate
that a perfect balance has been achieved, but that is unlikely.
Potassium (K+) is also usually available from fish food.
Unfortunately, potassium is difficult to measure in the water. If
there are enough nitrates, there is usually enough potassium. Some
fertilizers contain additional potassium and can be used to be on the
safe side.
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