44 Plant Survival: Trace Elements
Description
This article is from the Aquaria: Plants FAQ, by multiple authors.
44 Plant Survival: Trace Elements
Trace elements are those things required in very small quantities yet
are still vital to plant growth. These are taken in by the plant in
ion form. The more important trace elements are sulfur (SO4--),
calcium (Ca++), phosphorus (HPO4--/H2PO4-), magnesium (Mg++) and iron
(Fe++).
Sulfur, calcium and magnesium are usually found in tap water. If the
water has too little general hardness (< 3 degrees dH), calcium and/or
magnesium may be in short supply. This can be remedied by adding
calcium and magnesium sulfate in small quantities.
Phosphorus can be measured in the water and should be present in
quantities less than 0.2 ppm of phosphate. If the nitrates are OK,
phosphorus levels are usually also OK.
Iron may be present in tap water in the correct ionic state (Fe++) but
will quickly oxidize to a form unusable by plants. To prevent this,
chelated iron mixtures can be used. The chelator prevents the iron
from oxidizing and makes it easy for the plants to assimilate. The
iron concentration should be less than 0.2 ppm.
Other trace elements are needed in extremely small quantities and can
usually be provided in fish food or specialized trace element
formulations. Note that some of these elements are toxic in anything
but trace amounts so the addition of trace elements should be done
very carefully.
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