# API Leaf Zone plant food



## Option (Oct 2, 2010)

Anyone have experience with API Leaf Zone liquid plant food? 

I got a bottle of this today on sale, and I'm wondering whether this stuff is any good??


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## Moody636 (Oct 24, 2009)

If it's the macro/micro combo, I use it on my low tech tank whenever my plants show signs of deficiencies. I suppose it works, but it'd be expensive to dose it regularly. 

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## Jadelin (Sep 30, 2009)

I used it for a while and am in the process of using up the end of my last bottle. I never had any issues with it, but I think that it's just potassium and iron, so it's not a complete fertilizer source. I was having phosphate issues when I first switched to dry ferts, so I was dosing it instead of K2PO4, and it was good for that. 

As mentioned, it would get expensive to dose extensively, which is part of why I switched to dry ferts.


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## Option (Oct 2, 2010)

does this stuff kill intervertebrates in your tank? i looked up the elemental contents and noticed that it has copper in it.


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## Jadelin (Sep 30, 2009)

I've used it for months with Amano shrimp, nerite snails, trumpet snails and pond snails, and weeks with cherry shrimp, and ramshorns and never noticed any adverse effects.

Nearly all ferts have a small amount of copper; it's not the presence of any copper but rather too much copper that kills shrimp.


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

API leaf zone only contain iron and potash, you still need to add nitrate and phosphate (NPK).


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

If all your tank needs is Fe and K, this is a good one. 
When I started with plants, low light tanks, I found that Fe and K were the only things that the fish food did not supply in enough quantity to keep the plants happy. 
Then I added Excel, then I increased the lighting... 
Then I switched to EI, and do not now waste money buying fancy water. 

Go with it, it was on sale... Then keep the bottle and refill it with whatever fertilizers, purchased dry, that your tank needs.


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## justin182 (Aug 19, 2009)

If you have high bioload in your tank, you probably don't need to dose nitrate, and even phosphate. But you will need potassium and the Leaf Zone gives you that, plus the little bit of iron that it contains. Lastly, you will need some micro nutrients. CSM+B (dry fert) or Seachem Flourish (liquid) will do it.


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