[Wet Thumb Forum]-High-tech convert to low-tech

[Liquid]

I have this 15 gallon which used to be a high-tech tank, CO2, fert regime,... the works.

This was converted to a low-tech sometime ago, which E. tenellus, a few crypto sps., java ferns, mosses. Probably because the plants are easy & low maintainence, they seems to be doing fairly well, however I do not get the kind of growth I used to in the past.

I kinda worried since there is no base fert. or soil in the subsrate, and I stop dosing liquid fert. (PPMD, NO3, PO4, K2SO4) for some time now, are fish food as fertilzer sufficient for the plants? I do not feed heavily. Is it okay if I start dosing liquid fert. again?

The fauna are: 10 eyespots rasboras, 6 chocolate gouramis, 3 Ap. Bits and a few malayan shrimps.

[Liquid]

I have this 15 gallon which used to be a high-tech tank, CO2, fert regime,... the works.

This was converted to a low-tech sometime ago, which E. tenellus, a few crypto sps., java ferns, mosses. Probably because the plants are easy & low maintainence, they seems to be doing fairly well, however I do not get the kind of growth I used to in the past.

I kinda worried since there is no base fert. or soil in the subsrate, and I stop dosing liquid fert. (PPMD, NO3, PO4, K2SO4) for some time now, are fish food as fertilzer sufficient for the plants? I do not feed heavily. Is it okay if I start dosing liquid fert. again?

The fauna are: 10 eyespots rasboras, 6 chocolate gouramis, 3 Ap. Bits and a few malayan shrimps.

[dwalstad]

You must not have read my book, so you are confused about what the El Natural forum means by "Low-tech". If you don't have soil in the substrate, then you will probably never get decent plant growth. Gravel-only tanks are a disaster, not only for plants but the fish.

If you want to try a Low-tech tank, then you first need to understand more about the ecosystem (for example, why soil will provide CO2 naturally to your tank; why emergent growth is so important, etc).