I have a power compact light, homemade Co2 generator and gravel I have been told that I can use miracle grow to help my plants but I am not sure if it would kill my fish. If you would like to make your own Co2 generator go to youtube
Not a good idea. Miracle Grow is made for terrestrial plants, so it has nitrate and phosphate to promote their growth. In an aquarium, these will promote not only plant growth, but algae growth.
There’s already a source for nitrate and phosphate in your tank. It’s your fish and their wastes. So all your plants really need is a source of things like iron and trace minerals. That’s what the aquatic fertilizers contain [check the labels]. And unless you have high lighting [more than 4-5 watts per gallon] or very demanding plants, you probably don’t absolutely need to have a CO2. If you don’t have it regulated correctly, it can kill your fish too. Remember, they need to breathe O2, and CO2 competes with it because water can only hold so much dissolved gasses. And plants only need the CO2 during the day when undergoing photosynthesis.
ADDED I should also mention that Miracle Grow as in the potting soil/garden soil has peat in it if I remember right, and that will lower the pH in the tank, and leach tannins making your water look brown.
Hey Joshua,
I’d use aquarium plant fertilizers such as those offered by Seachem. Some regular fertilizers will increase ammonia because they use ammonia as an ingredient, and that would be harmful for fish.
Happy growing,
David
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Never tried Miracle Grow in an aquarium setup before. I think that it would work, but I have not heard anything about using it with fishes.
I’ve made a Co2 reactor and yeast sugar mix, but the results wasn’t what i expected.
The problem with the DIY reactor is that it is very difficult to control and the amount of Co2 isn’t much if you use 1-2- or 3 (2 liter) bottles.
The DIY Co2 method worked good for me for about 5 days. After that, I gave up planted aquarium.
I will probably do plants again but with more money and time.
Use SeaChem Flourite / Flourish. It provides a good substrate and worth the money.
http://www.seachem.com/Products/Gravel.html
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Not a good idea. Miracle Grow is made for terrestrial plants, so it has nitrate and phosphate to promote their growth. In an aquarium, these will promote not only plant growth, but algae growth.
There’s already a source for nitrate and phosphate in your tank. It’s your fish and their wastes. So all your plants really need is a source of things like iron and trace minerals. That’s what the aquatic fertilizers contain [check the labels]. And unless you have high lighting [more than 4-5 watts per gallon] or very demanding plants, you probably don’t absolutely need to have a CO2. If you don’t have it regulated correctly, it can kill your fish too. Remember, they need to breathe O2, and CO2 competes with it because water can only hold so much dissolved gasses. And plants only need the CO2 during the day when undergoing photosynthesis.
ADDED I should also mention that Miracle Grow as in the potting soil/garden soil has peat in it if I remember right, and that will lower the pH in the tank, and leach tannins making your water look brown.
References :
No!! Too much nitrogen, Ammonia, and Phosphates!! Use the Seachem fertilizer spikes, Flourite gravel substrate, laterlite clay, and lightly use liquid fertilizers if desired, but gravel bed supplements are the best,
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NO NO NO never use anything in an aquarium that isn’t intended for an aquarium. Miracle Grow contains fertilizers and even the organic fertilizers aren’t intended for fish tanks.
I once put a big chunk of rose quartz in my planted tank (after sterilizing it) and within minutes my fishes went nuts. It had something to do with altering the pH level of the water. It became acidic and was "burning" the fish.
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multiple experiences
I highly don’t reccomend that you use Miracle grow as a substrate.
if you wan’t fertilizer, get the kinds MADE for the aquarium plants
it is something about normal fertilizer/soil that will harm the water’s ecosytem,
here is a good gravel like substance for plants
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4882
I am the owner os a 29 gallon, and I will soon upgrade to a 55 gallon!
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I have been using miracle gro the blue powder for 6 months now in my 10 gallon tank with 6 platys and 7 danios and i have different mosses and amazon sword plants. I love using miracle gro. Since i started using it i have seen a huge increase in plant growth so much that i have to start a bigger tank now. For my 10 gallon tank i put 1/2 teaspoon in a small soda bottle not the 2 liter size the one smaller than that. I fill the soda bottle and dump it in the tank. I dont use CO2 or fertilizers just miracle gro. And i havent lost a fish yet.
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Personal Experiance