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pharmaceuticals as water additives



This has probably been covered before, but I couldn't find any earlier
discussions.  From my very rudimentary knowledge it seems that, other
than CO2 and light, the biggest limiting factors in aquarium plant
growth are iron and potassium. First question: is that more or less
correct?  Second question: assuming it is correct, wouldn't I be able
to improve growth of most common aquarium plants by adding these two
ingredients by adding human dietary supplements designed to provide
these ingredients?  I'm thinking specifically of potassium gluconate
and ferrous sulfate.  Finally, since I am "flying blind" (that is
without the help of any test kits) how would I determine what amounts
to add to my fairly innocuous mid-continent river-derived tap water?

Altho I'm most interested in discusion of these questions in the
abstract, here, FWIW, are the stats on my only currently active tank:
standard 29 gallon, moderate fish load, moderate-heavy plant load, two
HO 30" 30W Daylight flourescent bulbs on 12 hours/day, and a fair
amount of sunlight.  I have virtually no algae, no signs of plant
deterioration (altho the older leaves on broad-leaved plants get
"lacey"), and slow plant growth, except for some val that seems to be
running amok.  My substrate is common mostly clay dirt, no
fertilizers, and I have not been adding anything to the water column.
Thanks,
Lewis