10+ Best Aquarium Plant Fertilizers You Should Consider

It is crucial for plants to have proper lighting, a suitable substrate, and the right environment to grow. Whether you are creating an aquascape for convenience or for aesthetic reasons, plant fertilizers are necessary.

It can feel like you are in way more than your head just diving into the world of aquarium fertilizers, regardless of what else you do with the other pieces of the aquarium plant puzzle. With our fertilizer reviews, you can make your aquarium plants a little healthier by finding the right one for your needs.

Makro Basic – Estimative Index

This fertiliser is based on the Estimative Index method (PMDD Style) by Tom Barr and can be dosed on a daily basis. Your plants receive an unlimited and permanent delivery of nutrients which is highly growth-stimulating. Makro Basic – Estimative Index adds the most important macro-nutrients of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium to your tank.

A 50% water change per week is advisable in order to prevent a build-up of macro-nutrients in the tank. The fertiliser dosage may be raised or reduced depending on the requirements of your tank. Please make sure that there is sufficient supply of CO2 of about 30 mg/l. We recommend that you complement this fertiliser with 0.5 – 1 ml of Mikro Basic – Eisenvolldünger (Fe Complete Fertiliser) or Micro Special – Flowgrow per 40 litres of tank water per day in order to provide your plants with sufficient amounts of micro-nutrients.

New, improved formula: 36800 mg/l NO3, 6980 mg/l PO4, 28000 mg/l K, 1010 mg/l Mg, Methylparaben.

1 ml Makro Basic – Estimative Index per 40 litres of tank water adds the following nutrients:
 NO3 0.92 mg/l 
 PO4 0.17 mg/l 
 K0.7 mg/l 
 Mg0.025 mg/l 

The basic supply of macro-nutrients in the aquarium is provided either by our Makro Basic – NPKMakro Baic – Estimative Index or by our single-nutrient fertilisers Makro Basic – Nitrat– Phosphat and – Kalium (potassium). Our aquarium plant fertiliser Aqua Rebell Makro Basic – Estimative Index adds nitrogen, phosphate, potassium and magnesium and thus covers all essential macro-nutrients, providing your plants with the prerequisites for lush growth. This fertiliser is based on the fertilising system of the same name and has been designed to supply your plants with all the nutrients they need, quickly and readily.

Dosage per 40 litres
Ample Light + CO2 5 ml per day
 Little Light + CO2 0.5-2 ml per day
Without CO21-2 ml per week

PinAqua Rebell Makro Basic – Estimative Index can be used in invertebrate tanks without any problems. It is absolutely harmless for shrimps, crayfish and snails.

Makro Basic – Kalium

Makro Basic – Kalium ads the essential macro-nutrient potassium to your aquarium water. Potassium is only in minor quantities added by fish food. It is also very low in most tap waters. Therefore, Makro Basic – Kalium is an important component in any fertilizing plan if potassium deficiency is to be avoided.

Weekly water changes of 25% to 50% are recommended. The dosage can be raised or reduced depending on your requirements. If your tank water shows high readings of potassium  from the start, this fertiliser is not suitable for your aquarium. It has been designed to prevent the accumulation of large concentrations of macro-nutrients. If high levels of nitrate occur, please reduce the dosage.

2 ml Makro Basic – Kalium per 50 litres of tank water adds the following nutrients:
 K 1.0 mg/l 

The basic supply of macro-nutrients in a tank is provided either by Makro Basic – NPK, the Makro Basic – Estimative Index or by single-nutrient fertilisers such as Makro Basic – Nitrat– Phosphat and – Kalium (potassium). The aquatic plant fertiliser Aqua Rebell Makro Basic – Kalium is a very important component in the single-nutrient fertilising system. It adds the essential nutrient potassium to the aquarium and is also ideally suited for batch fertilisation (larger fertiliser dose given just once), preferably after a water change.

Dosage per 100 litres
 Ample light + CO2 2 ml per day 
 Little light + CO2 1 ml per day 
 Without CO2 2-4 ml per week 

This dosage suggestion is just a guideline. The dosage may have to be raised or lowered depending on the conditions in your tank in order to give you good results.

PinAqua Rebell Makro Basic – Kalium can be used in invertebrate tanks without any problems. It is absolutely harmless for shrimps, crayfish and snails.

Makro Basic – Nitrat

Makro Basic – Nitrat ads the essential macro-nutrients nitrogen and potassium to your aquarium water. It lays the foundation for healthy aquarium plant growth.

Weekly water changes of 25% to 50% are recommended. The dosage can be raised or reduced depending on your requirements. If your tank water shows high readings of nitrate from the start, this fertiliser is not suitable for your aquarium. Makro Basic – Nitrat has been designed to prevent the accumulation of large concentrations of macronutrients. If high levels of nitrate occur, please reduce the dosage.

1 ml Makro Basic – Nitrat per 50 litres of tank water adds the following nutrients:
 NO3 1.0 mg/l 
 K 0.6 mg/l 

The basic supply of macronutrients in a tank is provided either by Makro Basic – Nitrat,  Macro Basic – Estimative Index or by single-nutrient fertilisers Makro Basic – Nitrat– Phosphat and – Kalium (potassium). The aquatic plant fertiliser Aqua Rebell Makro Basic – Nitrat is the most important component in the single-nutrient fertilising system. It adds the essential nutrient nitrogen to the aquarium and is also ideally suited for batch fertilisation (larger fertiliser quantity given just once), preferably after a water change. This allows you to achieve a very plant-friendly nitrate concentration of approx. 10-20 mg/l. Aqua Rebell Makro Basic – Nitrat can of course be dosed by the day, too. Besides nitrogen, Makro Basic – Nitrat also adds the important nutrient potassium to the tank.

Dosage per 100 litres
 Ample light + CO2 1 ml per day 
 Little light + CO2 0.5 ml per day 
 Without CO2 1-2 ml per week 

This dosage suggestion is just a guideline. The dosage may have to be raised or lowered depending on the conditions in your tank in order to give you good results.

PinAqua Rebell Makro Basic – Nitrat can be used in invertebrate tanks without any problems. It is absolutely harmless for shrimps, crayfish and snails.

Makro Basic – NPK

Makro Basic – NPK adds the most important macro-nutrients of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium to your tank. Your plants can draw on plentiful resources again and will thank you with lush growth.

Weekly water changes of 25% to 50% are recommended. The dosage can be raised or reduced depending on your requirements. If your aquarium water shows high readings of nitrate and/or phosphate from the start, this fertiliser is not suitable for your aquarium. It has been designed to prevent the accumulation of large concentrations of macro-nutrients. If high levels of nitrate and/or phosphate occur, please reduce the dosage.

2 ml Makro Basic – NPK per 50 litres of aquarium water adds the following nutrients:
 NO3 1.0 mg/l 
 PO4 0.1 mg/l 
 K1.3 mg/l 
 Mg0.1 mg/l 

The basic supply of macro-nutrients in a tank is provided either by Makro Basic – NPK, our Makro Basic – Estimative Index fertiliser or by our single-nutrient fertilisers Makro Basic – Nitrat– Phosphat and – Kalium (potassium). Our aquarium plant fertiliser Aqua Rebell Makro Basic – NPK adds nitrogen, phosphate, potassium and magnesium and thus covers all the essential macro-nutrients, providing your plants with the prerequsites for lush growth. This fertiliser has been designed to prevent the accumulation of large concentrations of macro-nutrients. Dosing once per day should just cover the daily uptake of your aquarium plants. Our dosage suggestion is a good basis for determining the individual supply for your tank. Fertilization with macro-nutrients requires users to find out the suitable dosage as their supply depends a lot on the conditions in the individual tank – the number and kind of fish and the amount of feeding. 

Dosage per 50 litres
 Ample light + CO2 2 ml per day 
 Little light + CO2 1 ml per day 
 Without CO2 2-4 ml per week 

PinAqua Rebell Makro Spezial – NPK can be used in invertebrate tanks without any problems. It is absolutely harmless for shrimps, crayfish and snails.

Makro Basic – Phosphat

Makro Basic – Phosphat ads the essential macro-nutrient phosphate to your aquarium water. Phosphate is the trigger for water plant growth and can be added specifically for increasing the growth rates of your plants. A decreased dosage of phosphate will help you limit these growth rates.

Weekly water changes of 25% to 50% are recommended. The dosage can be raised or reduced depending on your requirements. If your tank water shows high readings of phosphate from the start, this fertiliser is not suitable for your aquarium. It has been designed to prevent the accumulation of large concentrations of macro-nutrients. If high levels of nitrate occur, please reduce the dosage.

1 ml Makro Basic – Phosphat per 50 litres of tank water adds the following nutrients:
 PO4 0.1 mg/l 
 K 0.04 mg/l 

The basic supply of macro-nutrients in a tank is provided either by our NPK fertiliser, our Estimative Index fertiliser or by our single-nutrient fertilisers Makro Basic – Nitrat– Phosphat and – Kalium (potassium). Our aquatic plant fertiliser Aqua Rebell Makro Basic – Phosphat is a very important component in our single-nutrient fertilising system. It adds the essential nutrient phosphate to the aquarium and is also optimally suited for batch fertilisation (larger fertiliser quantity given just once), preferably after a waterchange. Aqua Rebell Makro Basic – Phosphat can of course be dosed daily, too. Phosphate is of utmost importance for healthy plant growth.

Dosage per 100 litres
 Ample light + CO2 1 ml per day 
 Little light + CO2 0.5 ml per day 
 Without CO2 1-2 ml per week 

This dosage suggestion is just a guideline. The dosage may have to be raised or lowered depending on the conditions in your tank in order to give you good results.

PinAqua Rebell Makro Basic – Phosphat can be used in invertebrate tanks without any problems. It is absolutely harmless for shrimps, crayfish and snails.

Makro Spezial – K

Makro Spezial – K adds the important macronutrient potassium to your tank. Potassium should be supplemented by Makro Spezial – K to prevent a nutrient imbalance and giving your water plants the optimum nutrient supply they need for healthy growth.

Weekly water changes of 25% to 50% are recommendable. The dosage can be raised or lowered depending on your requirements. If your tank water already contains a lot of potassium from the start, this fertiliser does not have to be added. It has been designed to prevent the accumulation of large concentrations of macronutrients. If high levels of potassium occur, please reduce the dosage. Makro Spezial – K might raise the carbonate hardness in your tank slightly.

1 ml Makro Spezial – K per 50 litres of tank water adds the following nutrients:
 K 1.0 mg/l 

The basic supply of macronutrients in a tank with soil-based substrate is provided by our water plant fertilisers Makro Spezial – Licht (nitrate, phosphate and potassium), Makro Spezial – K (potassium) and Makro Spezial – N (nitrate). Our water plant fertiliser Aqua Rebell Makro Spezial – K plays a central role in supplying an aquarium with a soil-based substrate with nutrients. The soil substrate contains considerable quantities of nitrogen and phosphorus.

When used in high doses, Makro Spezial – K can raise the carbonate hardness slightly. However, this is always a sign that the water plants do not use all of the added potassium. If there are no further substances in your tank to raise the carbonate hardness you can safely assume that it is caused by a potassium accumulation. It is a good indication that reducing the amount of K-fertiliser is necessary.

Dosage per 50 litres
 Ample light + CO2 1-2 ml per day 
 Little light + CO2 1 ml per day 
 Without CO2 1-4 ml per week 

 This dosage suggestion is just a guideline. The dosage may have to be raised or lowered depending on the conditions in your tank in order to give you good results.

PinAqua Rebell Makro Spezial – K can be used in invertebrate tanks without any problems. It is absolutely harmless for shrimps, crayfish and snails.

Makro Spezial – Licht

Makro Spezial – Licht delivers the important macro-nutrients nitrogen, potassium and phosphate. Especially fast growers like Glossostigma elatinoides benefit from this fertiliser, which was designed particularly for soil-based tanks. Makro Spezial – Licht adds mostly phosphate and can hence makes an excellent phosphate fertiliser in tanks without a soil-based substrate.

Weekly water changes of 25% to 50% are recommendable. The dosage can be raised or reduced depending on your requirements. If your tank water shows high readings of nitrate and/or phosphate from the start, this fertiliser is not suitable for your aquarium. Makro Special – Licht has been designed to prevent the accumulation of large concentrations of macro-nutrients. If high levels of nitrate and/or phosphate occur, please reduce the dosage.

1 ml Makro Spezial – Licht per 40 litres of aquarium water adds the following nutrients:
NO3 0.37 mg/l 
PO40.2 mg/l
K0.22 mg/l

The basic supply of macro-nutrients in a tank with a soil-based set-up is provided by our water plant fertilisers Makro Spezial – Licht (nitrate, phosphate and potassium), Makro Spezial – K (potassium) and Makro Spezial – N (nitrate). Our aquarium plant fertiliser Aqua Rebell Makro Spezial – Licht has been designed for the use in aquariums with soil-based fertilisers and fast-growing plants like Glossostigma elatinoidesMakro Spezial – Licht closes gaps in the nutrient supply of the soil substrate and thus promotes healthy growth of your water plants.

Dosage per 40 litres
 Ample light + CO2 1 ml per day 
 Little light + CO2 0.5-1 ml per day 
 Without CO2 1 ml per week 

This dosage suggestion is just a guideline. The dosage may have to be raised or lowered depending on the conditions in your tank in order to give you good results.

PinAqua Rebell Makro Spezial – Licht can be used in invertebrate tanks without any problems. It is absolutely harmless for shrimps, crayfish and snails.

Makro Spezial – N

Makro Spezial – N provides the important macronutrients nitrogen, potassium, magnesium and calcium. Groundcover plants like Hemianthus callitrichoides “Cuba” show a very positive reaction to the addition of Makro Spezial – N. Your aquarium plants will attain more intensive colours and show healthy growth.

Weekly water changes of 25% to 50% are recommended. The dosage can be raised or reduced depending on your requirements. If your tank water shows high readings of nitrate from the start, this fertiliser is not suitable for your aquarium. It has been designed to prevent the accumulation of large concentrations of macronutrients. If high levels of nitrate occur, please reduce the dosage. Use only with caution when your tank water pH is over 7, as the formation of ammonia cannot be avoided completely.

1 ml Makro Spezial – N per 50 litres of tank water adds the following nutrients:
 NO3 1.0 mg/l 
 K 0.2 mg/l 
Ca0.1 mg/l
Mg0.033 mg/l

The basic supply of macronutrients in a tank with soil-based substrate is provided by our water plant fertilisers Makro Spezial – Licht (nitrate, phosphate and potassium), Makro Spezial – K (potassium) and Makro Spezial – N (nitrate). Our aquarium plant fertiliser Aqua Rebell Makro Spezial – N is necessary to supply your tank with nitrogen. It is produced from several different nitrate salts and thus adds small amounts of potassium as well as some calcium and magnesium. Of course, Makro Spezial – N can also be used in tanks without a soil-based substrate- All water plants benefit from the use of this fertiliser.

A fifth of the total nitrate contained in Makro Spezial – N consists of highly mineralised carbamide. Thus, 0.2 mg/l NO3 are supplied as carbamide, which is first mineralised to ammonium and then, to nitrate. Aquatic plants can readily use carbamide as well as ammonium, and for some species, these substances are even the preferred source of nitrogen. So, Makro Spezial – N nitrogen suppy is drawn from various sources, and your water plants get their optimal provision of nutrients for healthy growth.

Dosage per 50 litres
 Ample light + CO2 1 ml per day 
 Little light + CO2 0.5 ml per day 
 Without CO2 1-2 ml per week 

 This dosage suggestion is just a guideline. The dosage may have to be raised or lowered depending on the conditions in your tank in order to give you good results.

PinAqua Rebell Makro Spezial – N can be used in invertebrate tanks without any problems. It is absolutely harmless for shrimps, crayfish and snails.

Mikro Basic – Eisenvolldünger (Fe Complete Fertiliser)

Mikro Basic – Eisenvolldünger (Fe Complete Fertiliser) adds the main micro-nutrients iron, manganese, copper, zinc, boron and molybdene. It is also rich in potassium and magnesium. The nutrients are stabilised in a variety of compounds thus remaining constantly available to aquarium plants.

Water changes of 25 to 50% per week are recommended to prevent a buiild-up of excessive micronutrients in the water.

10 ml Mikro Basic Eisenvolldünger (Fe Complete Fertiliser) per 100 l of aquarium water adds the following nutrients:
 K 1.0 mg/l 
 Mg 0.4 mg/l 
 Fe0.1 mg/l 
 Mn0.0475 mg/l 
Cu0.006 mg/l
B0.004 mg/l
Zn0.002 mg/l
Mo0.004 mg/l

Aquariums can be supplied with the basic micro-nutrients either by Mikro Basic – Eisenvolldünger or by Mikro Spezial – Flowgrow.

Mikro Basic – Eisenvolldünger (Fe Complete Fertiliser) adds the micro-nutrients iron, manganese, zinc, boron, copper and molybdene and the macro-nutrients potassium and magnesium. This makes a lot of sense especially for a community tanks with high numbers of fish as you can be sure that all the necessary nutrients are added. At high stocking levels, the macro-nutrients nitrate and phosphate are brought into the tank by the fish. In tanks with a smaller number of fish, they have to be added by special fertilisers, like Makro Basic – NPK.

In Mikro Basic – Eisenvolldünger (Fe Complete Fertiliser), the nutrients have been stabilised by a number of strongly chelating compounds (EDTA, DTPA and HEEDTA), which keeps them available to plants for a long time. This complete iron fertiliser  may hence be added once a week or daily.

Dosage per 100 litres
Ample Light + CO2 2 ml per day
 Little Light + CO2 1.5 ml per day
Without CO210 ml per week

PinThis fertiliser can also be used in tanks with shrimp and other invertebrates. Its very low copper content has been carefully stabilised and hence rendered absolutely harmless.

Mikro Spezial – Eisen (Special Iron Fertiliser)

Mikro Spezial – Eisen adds important micronutrients such as iron and manganese to your tank. This fertiliser is rich in gently stabilised iron and manganese compounds that will be readily absorbed. However, this product should only be used in combination with a complete fertiliser.

Use primarily to alleviate or to prevent an iron deficiency. Weekly water changes of 25 to 50% are recommended in order to prevent micronutrient build-up in your aquarium water.

10 ml Mikro Spezial – Eisen in 100 litres of Aquarium water supplies the following nutrients:
 Fe 1.2 mg/l 
 Mn 0.044 mg/l 

Mikro Spezial – Eisen has been designed for a specifically targeted fertilization with iron as an essential micro-nutrient. Besides iron, the trace element manganese is also delivered by this fertiliser. Manganese is necessary to promote a heathly and lush growth of your aquatic plants.

Especially if your plants’ leaves are light-coloured and bleached out, or if red plants look brown instead of red, this iron fertiliser can be very helpful. It primarily supplies your aquarium plants with bivalent iron, whose uptake is especially suited to aquatic plants. Mikro Spezial – Eisen is highly concentrated – very small amounts are sufficient to meet your plants’ iron requirements. This fertiliser can only be measured immediately after is is added.

Usually, iron supply is covered either by our Mikro Spezial – Flowgrow or Mikro Basic – Eisenvolldünger (Fe Complete Fertiliser). Only in special situations, if your aquarium requires more iron, Mikro Spezial – Eisen fertiliser needs to be used. Extraplant will not give a dosage suggestion in this case as its dosage has to be individually ajusted, depending on your tank’s requirements.

PinAqua Rebell Mikro Spezial – Eisen can be used in invertebrate tanks without any problems. It is absolutely harmless for shrimps, crayfish and snails.

Mikro Spezial – Flowgrow

Mikro Spezial – Flowgrow supplies the essential micro-nutrients iron, manganese, copper, zinc, boron. The nutrients of Mikro Spezial – Flowgrow are stabilised more gently (by ascorbate, citrate and gluconate) making them immediately available to the plants. Especially bivalent iron, which is preferred by aquatic plants, is directly supplied to them in this way. Your aquarium plants will attain lush green colours again, and red plants will develop an intense colour.

Weekly water changes of 25 to 50% are recommended in order to prevent micro-nutrient accumulations in your aquarium water. 

10 ml Mikro Spezial – Flowgrow per 100 l of tank water adds the following nutrients:
 K 0.3 mg/l 
 Mg 0.1 mg/l 
Fe0.41
Mn0.015
Cu0.001
B0.008
Zn0.0008
Mo0.001

The basic supply of micro-nutrients is provided by our aquarium plant fertilisers Mikro Basic – Eisenvolldünger (Fe Complete Fertiliser) or Mikro Spezial – Flowgrow.

Especially in a community tank with high numbers of fish, essential micro-nutrients are supplied by Mikro Spezial – Flowgrow; nitrates and phosphates are brought into the tank by fish food and waste. Tanks with few fish will have to be supplied with macro-nutrients via other fertilisers.

Its gentle stabilisation makes it necessary to add Mikro Spezial – Flowgrow daily. While It is possible to dose it once a week, this will result in a less-than-ideal performance.

Dosage per 100 litres
 Ample light + CO2 2 ml per day 
 Little light + CO2 1.5 ml per day 
 Without CO2 5 ml per week 

PinAqua Rebell Mikro Spezial – Flowgrow can be used in invertebrate tanks without any problems. It is absolutely harmless for shrimps, crayfish and snails.

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Stephan Van Ausdal

With more than 20 years of experience in growing indoor plants, he is an expert on houseplants & aquarium plants. He holds a master’s degree in Plant Sciences from Wageningen University & Research.
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