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Re: sources of nitrate-bloodmeal?
On Sat, 11 Dec 1999, Sylvia wrote:
> This is the wrong time of year to be looking for nitrate of soda, or sodium
> nitrate, or plain old nitrogen. It's a fertilizer that stores bring in for
> the spring growing season.
nitrate of soda and sodium nitrate are the same thing. Plain old nitrogen
is the most common gas in the air you breath -- it isn't available to
plants. You might look for stump remover (potassium nitrate). Stump
remover isn't sold as fertilizer, so maybe it isn't so seasonal.
> The closest thing I could find was bloodmeal,
> rated at something like 12-0-0. I'm sure there's more in there than nitrogen,
> and I'd bet the plants would love it--but is it in any way detrimental to the
> fish or other occupants? Anybody ever tried this?
Bloodmeal is dried and powdered blood. I've used it in my garden, but
never in my tanks. It contains no nitrate. The nitrogen is in proteins
and other biochemicals. The biochemicals have to be decomposed (usually
by bacteria) to produce ammonia and other things before the nitrogen is
available to plants. Your fish might like it if they can get to it before
it dissolves into the water, otherwise, I think it'll foul your tank.
Roger Miller