SIX STEPS T0 A BEAUTIFUL PLANT TANK
1. Maintain Carbonate Hardness (Alkalinity or kH) levels at a minimum 40 to 60ppm. This is easily tested with the Carbonate Hardness Test Kit, and adjusted with kH-Up tablets. This product is an excellent buffer to increase and maintain pH levels. Water with low Carbonate Hardness levels tend to have a low, unstable pH value. When you add kH-Up tablets, the pH will rise naturally. Do not be alarmed, as this is brought about by Carbonates, so the resulting pH levels are safe, even for all soft water species. Carbonate Hardness is advantageous as the Carbonates are used by plants instead of Carbon Dioxide, so there is no need for expensive CO₂ systems. Indeed, in our experience, plants actually grow better using this method than with pH controllers that deliver Carbon Dioxide!

2. Add Aquasonic's Basic-Gro. This adds the essential nutrients and elements that the plants need. Many of these are included as a chelated form, so that nutrients, such as Iron, are not lost due to naturally occurring biological processes. Basic-Gro is added only during water changes, as it establishes a nutrient base.

3. Add Aquasonic's Daily-Gro. This product replaces volatile nutrients as they are used by the plants, or lost due to biological processes, such as assimilation by the biological filter. Dosing of Daily-Gro is as easy as feeding your fish, and encourages very lush growth. When used together, Basic-Gro and Daily-Gro have been described as the unbeatable combination!

4. Light the aquarium for at least 14 hours per day. This should be done using a timer, to provide a regular photo period. The most cost effective way of doing this is with a fluorescent light tube.

5. Always use a light tube that is designed for growing plants. Most of these tubes have a useable life of 12 months. After this time, they cease to produce adequate light for stimulating plant growth.

6. Perform at least a 50% water change every month. Plants and fish both benefit from regular water changes.

IT WILL WORK
Using these methods, plants will grow even in a variety of imperfect conditions, even with undergravel filters. Indeed, Aquasonic has an aquarium, which is used for various experiments and product trials, which has an exceptional growth of aquatic plants. This tank is fitted with Aquasonic Undergravel filters and several large powerheads. Every week a large quantity of plants are harvested from this tank, as they fill all of the available space.

A BEAUTIFUL AQUARIUM BY AQUASONIC
Aquasonic prides itself on producing only the best possible products for the home aquarium. These products are of such high quality that they are used by professionals such as Public Aquariums, CSIRO, Tafe Colleges, Universities and Fish Formers, who insist on only the best quality, reliable products. Many of Aquasonic's products have been in constant production for over thirty years, with continuing research and development ensuring they are as good, or in many cases better than any comparable product in the world.

A BEAUTIFUL AQUARIUM
Nothing compares with the beauty and fascination that an aquarium showing luxurious plant growth exudes. The fish appear much healthier and they are. But it is the aquatic plants waving in the moving water that idly make the picture complete. Many people strive to obtain good plant growth but for most, from the time they place new plants in their aquarium, the plants go progressively backwards until they eventually rot away. Basic water parameters seem OK and plant foods may even be applied, light on times also seem sufficient, but still plants die or just don't grow. So what is wrong?

IN THE NATURAL STATE
Aquatic plants do not grow well in every river or lake. Some water systems are void of plants. In some though, growth is excessive and varieties are numerous. These are the ones with certain water qualities and constant supplies of nutrients. Water that comes from limestone areas or springs (usually containing high levels of carbonates and/or carbon dioxide) supports high levels of growth and plant varieties. Ponds, billabongs etc. that contain rich sediment also support certain aquatic plants, usually ones that like both worlds, growing in and out of the water. The river systems however, that support the type of plants most suited to aquarium application are the ones with sustained levels of inorganic nutrients, one of the most important being iron.

PLANT NUTRIENTS IN THE AQUARIUM
Aquatic plants can only use inorganic nutrients while they exist in a non-oxidized form. This fact presents a major problem when feeding aquatic plants ordinary fertilizers, because water and dissolved oxygen will oxidize certain important elements within hours. Furthermore, some of the nutrients, chiefly phosphates and nitrates, are unwanted in an aquarium, both being supplied indirectly by fish food, fish waste and the biological filter system. To have excessive quantities of these supplied in a plant food would most likely result in an algae problem.

AQUASONIC "NATURAL-HOME" PLANT FOODS, "BASIC-GRO and "DAILY-GRO" have overcome the oxidization problem by specially formulating nutrients that only plants can use, nutrients made for aquatic application.

OTHER IMPORTANT PLANT REQUIREMENTS
Listed briefly here, in order of importance, are factors that will have an effect on aquatic plant growth.
1. Aquarium water should contain all the essential nutrients in a form that is usable by aquatic plants. USE AQUASONIC "NATURAL-HOME" BASIC-GRO aquatic plant food.
2. A constant supply of critical nutrients should be available. USE AQUASONIC "NATURAL-HOME" DAILY-GRO aquatic plant food.
3. Provide either a carbon dioxide infusion or a carbonate hardness (kH) value of 50ppm or higher or both. For raising the carbonate hardness use AQUASONIC "kH-UP" CARBONATE HARDNESS GENERATOR TABLETS.
4. Provide adequate light, perhaps multiple light tubes are required, consult your dealer.
5. Light on and off times need to be regular and represent a full day.
6. Circulation is a big advantage, plants like a current of water.
7. Aeration though, could be detrimental, expelling carbon dioxide.
8. Provide the correct water parameters. pH should be between 6.0 and 7.5, every plant has a preference. Hardness should be between 40ppm and 150ppm. Salinity should be below 400ppm. Temperature, not critical but more warmth is more growth.
9. Perform regular water changes, the minimum is 25% per month.
10. Substrate (gravel) size should be around 2mm size and some slow movement of water through the gravel is beneficial. If using substrate (under gravel) filters, moderate the flow.
11. Remove highly activated carbon from the filtration as some of the nutrients may be absorbed.
12. Purchase aquatic plants that grow only underwater, many plants sold as aquatic, spend much of their life out of water and the home aquarium does not supply conditions suitable for their survival.

GROWING LUXURIOUS AQUATIC PLANTS WITH AQUASONIC
The most important factor affecting aquatic plant growth is the supply of nutrients. Nutrients that suit the aquatic environment, that won't oxidize rapidly, that resist biological assimilation, that can be safely and continually furnished. AQUASONIC manufactures several different aquatic plant foods, all use chelated nutrients and all individually, or in combination, supply a continual availability of nutrients.

HYDROGROW
HYDROGROW from AQUASONIC'S "FRESHWATER" range of products contains all the essential nutrients required for aquatic plant growth. This includes chelated iron. The product is presented in tablet form, making it simple and easy to use. Treatment is once a week, at a rate of 1 tablet per 40L. The product is formulated so that iron tests are not necessary even with continued dosing.

BASIC-GRO
BASIC-GRO from AQUASONIC'S "NATURAL-HOME" range of products is even more high tech. The product is presented in a liquid form with several of the important nutrients chelated, these include iron and manganese. Treatments are made only at aquarium set up or water change times. Each treatment represents 0.5ppm iron and so additional treatments should not be made without iron tests. BASIC-GRO establishes the nutrients essential for good plant growth. To maintain the supply of these nutrients, treatment with DAILY-GRO should begin 3 days after treatment with BASIC-GRO.

DAILY-GRO
Even with chelation, some nutrients are so volatile that they still gradually deplete in strength or slowly change form so that plants can't use them. To counter this a daily treatment of DAILY-GRO is employed. DAILY-GRO supplies iron plus a full range of trace elements essential for aquatic plant growth. Each daily treatment, which consists of one drop per 50 litres, is formulated to replace the nutrients that would be used up in an adequately planted aquarium, with good plant growth, DAILY-GRO also makes allowance for nutrients that may be assimilated by a biological filter.

NOTE BOTH BASIC-GRO AND DAILY-GRO ARE FORMULATED SO THAT THEY MAY BE USED WITHOUT IRON TESTS, PROVIDED THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE FOLLOWED. HOWEVER FOR THOSE AQUARISTS WISHING TO ACHIEVE SPECIFIC IRON LEVELS, CONSECUTIVE TREATMENTS OF THESE PRODUCTS MAY BE REQUIRED AND IRON TESTS WILL BE NECESSARY.

IRON TEST KIT
The AQUASONIC IRON TEST KIT tests for very small quantities of iron (down to 0.25 ppm) with results in 3 minutes. The test kit will do 90 tests and comes with sample DAILY-GRO in a dropper bottle which can be retained for easy dosing and refilled from larger bottles. For aquarists who wish to achieve specific iron levels for maximum plant growth, the test kit is essential.

DOCUMENT BY AQUASONIC PTY. LTD.
aquasonic@wr.com.au