Seachem Plant Pack: Fundamentals
Water type
Freshwater
Seachem Plant Pack: Fundamentals
Everything a new planted tank needs to get growing, in three 100 mL bottles. Seachem Plant Pack Fundamentals bundles Flourish, Flourish Iron and Flourish Excel — broad-spectrum trace elements, a dedicated iron supplement, and a liquid carbon source — as a starter dosing regime for a freshwater planted aquarium.
It's aimed at a first planted tank, or as a low-commitment way to trial Seachem's core plant line before buying full-size bottles. Once macro nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) become the limiting factor rather than trace elements, the Plant Pack Enhancer (NPK) is the next step.
What's in the pack
- Flourish (100 mL) — the broad-spectrum growth supplement: calcium, magnesium, potassium and a wide trace-element spread, plus vitamins and amino acids. Deliberately low in nitrogen and phosphorus, so it doesn't feed algae.
- Flourish Iron (100 mL) — a complexed ferrous (Fe²⁺) iron supplement. Plants can use both ferric and ferrous iron but take up ferrous more readily, which is what keeps red-leaved plants red and new growth strong.
- Flourish Excel (100 mL) — a source of readily available organic carbon. Every plant needs a carbon source; Excel supplies it without CO₂ equipment, or as a supplement alongside CO₂ injection.
Dosage and directions
| Bottle | Dose | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Flourish | 5 mL (1 capful) per 250 L | Once or twice weekly |
| Flourish Iron | 5 mL (1 capful) per 200 L, or as needed to maintain ≈0.10 mg/L iron | As needed — test within 30 minutes of dosing, iron is used up fast |
| Flourish Excel | 5 mL per 40 L on startup or after a water change over 40%; 5 mL per 200 L for maintenance | Daily or every other day (maintenance) |
If dosing Flourish alongside Flourish Trace, alternate the days rather than dosing both together.
Which bottle runs out first?
Not the one you'd expect from the bottle sizes — all three are 100 mL, but Flourish Excel is dosed daily rather than weekly, so it empties in real time long before the other two. As a worked example on a 200 L tank: Flourish lasts roughly 20 doses at once-or-twice weekly (around 10–20 weeks); Flourish Iron is dosed to a test reading rather than a fixed schedule; Flourish Excel at the maintenance rate is a 5 mL dose every day or two, so a 100 mL bottle covers only around 20–40 days. Budget on reordering Excel well before the other two.
Suitable for, and not suitable for
- Suitable for: new or lightly-stocked freshwater planted aquariums getting their first dosing routine started. Safe around shrimp and other freshwater invertebrates at labelled doses.
- Not suitable for: reef or marine tanks. Not a source of the macro nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium — see the Plant Pack Enhancer (NPK) once those become limiting.
Safety
Excel is an organic carbon source rather than an inert additive — dose at the label rate rather than overdosing for a faster result, and keep an eye on sensitive shrimp or very soft-bodied invertebrates after starting, backing off the dose if you see any change in their behaviour. Iron is used up quickly in the water column; if you're testing to a target, test within about 30 minutes of dosing for an accurate reading.
Goes well with
- Seachem Plant Pack Enhancer (NPK) — the macro-nutrient side of a complete dosing regime, for once trace elements and carbon are no longer the limiting factor.
- An iron test kit — iron depletes fast, so a quick test is more useful here than for most other dosed nutrients.
- Full-size Flourish, Flourish Iron or Flourish Excel bottles — once you know this line suits your tank and want to stop refilling from a 100 mL starter bottle.
Warranty and delivery
Covered by Seachem's standard quality guarantee in addition to your rights under Australian Consumer Law. Standard shipping; no cold chain or special handling required.
Common questions
Is this enough to fully dose a planted tank long-term?
It's a starter kit at 100 mL per bottle — enough to trial the line and get a new tank started, but expect to move to full-size bottles once you've settled on a dosing routine.
Which bottle will I need to reorder first?
Almost always Flourish Excel — it's dosed daily rather than weekly, so a 100 mL bottle runs out much faster in real time than the other two.
Does this pack include the macro nutrients (NPK)?
No — Flourish is deliberately low in nitrogen and phosphorus. Add the Plant Pack Enhancer (NPK) once macro nutrients, not trace elements, are limiting growth.
Is Flourish Excel safe with shrimp?
Most aquarists dose it around shrimp without issue at the label rate, but some shrimp and soft-bodied invertebrates are sensitive — start at the standard dose and watch their behaviour rather than dosing extra for a faster result.
Why test iron so soon after dosing?
Iron is taken up by plants and oxidised quickly, so a reading taken more than 30 minutes after dosing will already read lower than what you actually added.
