In this article we will be reviewing Seachem flourish Fresh water Plant Supplement. Find out in this detailed review, why in our opinion, Seachem flourish is “The Best” Fresh water Plant supplement available in the market and that can surely make your plants thrive in freshwater aquarium. But before we move on to review the product let’s understand basics of an plant based ecosystem of an aquarium.
What is plant based ecosystem of aquarium?
The plant based ecosystem of aquarium is a term used by plant growers to indicate that the plants in the aquarium are self-sufficient in nutrients to grow. In a natural marine environment, plants are vital to the marine ecosystem because they help filter the water, produce oxygen for fish and provide a food source. In a home aquarium, plants not only serve as a form of decoration but also as a filtration system for your tank. Some plants can also be used as a food source for fish in your tank. A common misconception is that plants require only sunlight to grow.
Many people that have aquariums think that they don’t need to spend their money on an assortment of different plants. This is not true. A lot of fish are happier when there are other flora in the aquarium and some fish will only eat certain types of plants. Plants also help with algae growth because they use up some of the nutrients needed for algae bloom. Many people have realized that aquarium plants are about more than just being aesthetically pleasing. Yes, they are beautiful to look at but they also make the water cleaner and provide a habitat for many underwater life forms.
Aquarium plants are required for the health of the fish that live in them. They provide natural cover and oxygenating surfaces for fish. Aquarium plants often serve as food for some fish – livebearers, in particular, will often feed off of java fern and java moss. It’s scientifically proven that having plants in an aquarium can reduce stress to great a extent because fish can hide behind them.
What are plant supplements?
As our fish get nutrients from the water, the plants, on the other hand, get nutrients from the water, the fish, and also the air. Therefore, it is extremely important to keep the aquarium plant’s nutrition balanced. It doesn’t just help the plant to grow better. It also makes sure that your fish have nutrients as well and the plants don’t get affected by the aquarium water. The development of the plant supplement for aquariums is important because aquarium plants can be grown in various ways. They can be grown in root-bound containers, they can also be grown through the water column by immersed plants, or they can even grow rooted in soil.
There are many factors involved in the growth of these plants which make them important to sustain. For instance your aquatic plants needs calcium, magnesium, iron , Sulphur, potassium, boron, and the list goes on and on. In short, they need rich nutrients to grow. As the resources in the regular aquarium are limited, keeping balance of these plant’s health becomes challenging. This need of nutrients can be easily filled up by adding supplements in the form of liquid or tabs in your aquarium. And our choice after using multiple products is Seachem flourish.
- SUPPLEMENT: Seachem Flourish is a comprehensive plant supplement for the natural freshwater aquarium, containing a rich assortment of important micro elements, trace elements and other nutrients.
- ELEMENTS: In order to benefit your aquatic plants and help your freshwater environment thrive, Seachem Flourish contains potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and other important elements.
- WATER TREATMENT: For best results, use 1 capful (5 mL) of Flourish for each 250 L (60 US gallons) once or twice a week. For smaller doses, please note that each cap thread is approximately 1 mL. Refrigeration is recommended 3 months after opening.
- SOLUTION COLOR: It is normal for the color of Seachem’s Flourish to vary by batch as the solution color is dependent on the temperature at which the product was blended. This variation in color is of no consequence to the function of Flourish.
- SAFETY: Seachem Flourish is safe to use for invertebrates such as shrimp, but is designed to be used in conjunction with other macro and micro-nutrient supplements in aquariums only.
What is Seachem flourish?
What Seachem flourish is derived from?
If we see the note on the bottle , it’s mentioned there, the seachem flourish is derived from following:
Seachem flourish
- Potassium Chloride
- Calcium Chloride
- Copper Sulfate
- Magnesium Chloride
- Ferrous Gluconate
- Cobalt Sulfate
- Magnesium Sulfate
- Manganese Sulfate
- Boric Acid
- Sodium Molybdate
- Zinc Sulfate
- Protein Hydrolysates
What are the Seachem flourish ingredients?
As declared by Seachem on their product label, for each 1 gram of Seachem Flourish you will find following ingredients:
| Ingredient | % per 1gm weight |
| Total Nitrogen (N) | 0.07% |
| Available Phosphate (P2O5) | 0.01% |
| Soluble Potash (K2O) | 0.37% |
| Calcium (Ca) | 0.14% |
| Magnesium (Mg) | 0.11% |
| Sulfur (S) | 0.28% |
| Boron (B) | 0.01% |
| Chlorine (Cl) | 1.15% |
| Cobalt (Co) | 0.00% |
| Copper (Cu) | 0.00% |
| Iron (Fe) | 0.32% |
| Manganese (Mn) | 0.01% |
| Molybdenum (Mo) | 0.00% |
| Sodium (Na) | 0.13% |
| Zinc (Zn) | 0.00% |
What are the Seachem flourish dosing?
Seachem Flourish comes in different sizes and you can choose suitable size bottle as per your tank size. The recommended dosing by Seachem is to use 5ml (1 capful measurement) for 60 gallons (250liters) of aquarium water. Don’t worry if you are not good at math, you are covered here 😉 . Simply refer this table below:
| Your Aquarium Water Quantity (US gallons) | Seachem flourish dose (ml) |
| 5 | 0.4 |
| 10 | 0.8 |
| 20 | 1.7 |
| 30 | 2.5 |
| 40 | 3.3 |
| 50 | 4.2 |
| 60 | 5 |
| 70 | 5.8 |
| 80 | 6.7 |
| 90 | 7.5 |
| 100 | 8.3 |
Seachem flourish bottles comes in sizes 50 mL, 100 mL, 250 mL, 500 mL, 2 L and 4 L. Based on calculations I have given in above table, make sure to choose correct bottle size. As it’s non-toxic, you can use it regularly. Set the quantity as mentioned in above table and keep adding weekly to your aquarium. For initial 10 to 15 days, the formula will help the plant’s to strengthen their roots and after that you will see significant improvement in their growth. Hence we recommend to be little patient to get best results out of this!
Seachem flourish for macro element fertilization
In some cases , your water has one or more of the nutrients mentioned above already present in good amount. We recommend to have your aquarium water tested at least bi-weekly basis. Do check our blog Aquarium water test kits – protecting your fishes to know more about testing your aquarium water. Based on these needs, Seachem also offers nutrients specific formula. You can consult to your vet once before opting for these, as “balance” is crucial and you don’t want end up hurting your ecosystem rather than caring for it.
- Trace elements supplement for the Planted Aquarium
- Allows for more frequent dosing than a broad spectrum supplement without worrying about a build up of more slowly used components
- Nitrogen supplement for the Planted Aquarium
- 15, 000 mg/L blend of nitrogen sources
- Provides nitrogen in both the nitrate form and the ammonium form.
- Phosphorus supplement for the Planted Aquarium
- A safe 4500 mg/L solution of potassium phosphate
- Takes the guesswork out of phosphate dosing
- CARBON PRODUCTION: All plants require a source of carbon, and Flourish Excel is a great and convenient source of bioavailable organic carbon.
- IRON PRODUCTION: Flourish Excel also possesses iron reducing properties, thus promoting the ferrous state of iron (Fe+2), which is more easily utilized by plants than ferric iron (Fe+3).
- PHOTOSYNTHESIS: Plants must produce longer chain carbon compounds (photosynthetic intermediates). By dosing with Flourish Excel you bypass the involvement of chain carbon compounds, and introduce the already finished, structurally similar compounds.
- TREATMENT: On initial use or after a major (> 40%) water change, use 1 capful of Flourish Excel (5 mL) for every 40 L (10 US gallons). Thereafter, use 1 capful for every 200 L (50 US gallons) daily or every other day. For smaller dosing please note that each cap thread is approximately 1 mL.
- SAFETY: Flourish Excel is completely safe for fish, however if you have Anacharis in an aquarium in which you are dosing Flourish Excel, then it is recommended to use it every other day rather than daily.
Seachem Flourish Advance is an advanced formula contains phytohormones, minerals, and nutrients that stimulate the growth of aquatic plants.
- ENHANCER: Seachem Flourish Advance is an advanced formula that contains phytohormones, minerals, and nutrients that dramatically stimulate the growth of both roots and shoots in aquatic plants.
- GROWTH: The phytohormones play crucial roles in regulating plant growth in a wide range of developmental processes, including cell division, formation and activity of shoot meristems, induction of photosynthesis gene expression, leaf senescence, nutrient mobilization, seed germination, root growth and stress response.
- ADVANCED FORMULA: With regular use, Seachem Flourish Advance enhances mineral absorption and improves disease resistance. During the first ten to fourteen days after application, Flourish Advance works to stimulate root growth beneath the surface. After this initial induction period, significantly enhanced growth in the leaves and stems of the plants will occur.
- USE: Shake well before using Seachem Flourish Advance. Use 1 capful (5 mL) for every 80 L (20 US gallons) and be sure to dose daily or as required to maintain plant growth.
- SAFETY: Seachem Flourish Advance is non-toxic and completely safe for all plant varieties as well as for fish, shrimp, and other aquatic organisms.
Conclusion
Aquarium plants are required in order to give fish something to swim around and live near. They can provide shelter for small fish, they can provide oxygen, and they can help with the balance of other elements in the water. It’s very important for all the aquarium owners to understand the importance of the plant based ecosystem. As Seachem’s philosophy is “knowledgeable hobbyist makes the best customer”, they understood what exactly needed in this space and introduced the Freshwater plant supplements.
We tried our best cover all the necessary details in this review, for you to make your decision. But still in case you want us to cover any specific point about Seachem Flourish, please do let us know in comments and we will get back to you as soon as we can. I hope you liked this extensive detailed review on need of plant based ecosystem for your aquarium and the how you can your aquarium plants thrive with the help of Seachem flourish: “The Best” Fresh water Plant supplement available in the market!
Seachem Flourish Freshwater Plant Supplement
Pros
- Helps in algae boom
- Reduces Fish stress levels significantly
- Helps in creating excellent habitat
Cons
- Measuring usage quantity for smaller size tanks is challenging
