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re:Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #5

>From: Chuck Lawson <clawson at onramp_net>
>Date: Thu, 12 Oct 1995 00:30:41 -0500
>Subject: Fertilizer (was re: New Plant Tank advice)
>
>>"shaji (s.) bhaskar" <bhaskar at bnr_ca> wrote: 
>
>>Also, I seem to be getting some conflicting messages. The Dupla
>>regimen (CO2 injection, fast-growing plants, MH lighting, etc.) is a
>>tool to get faster growth, and if you use it, you will most likely
>>have a high-maintenance tank.  Why then would you look for a
>>"low-maintenance" fertilizer?
>
>Generally, I figure if I'm short on time in a given week, the pruning can
>wait without too much damage - on the other hand, I don't want to be tied
>into a daily (or similar) fertilization plan - some days it just won't get
>done, and I figure that missing fertilization will have more impact than
>missing trimming plants.  This is also the justification for the CO2 - pH
>controller: I like DIY, and do a fair amount of it, but anything I can 
>put on autopilot has time advantages, and frees me up to do any of the 50
>other things I should be doing at any given time :-)

Daily dosing with fertilizers is probably the least time-consuming of
the chores involved in keeping a plant tank.  It takes only an
additional half-minute to add the fertilizer while you are feeding
your fish. (Or do you have that part automated as well?  If so, you
you could look into automating fertilization.) Missing an occasional
day will not matter.

But honestly, I still have this nagging feeling that you are seriously
under-estimating the effort that is needed to keep a Dupla-style tank
going.

Good luck,
Shaji