Tropica MasterGrow

[Captain Hook]

Has anyone tried this fertilizer? How well has it worked?

I want to set up a 20 gallon tank that will be fairly low-tech and was going to use Flourite as the substrate. SeaChem says I don't need to add iron with this so I was just going to get Excel for the carbon and Master Grow for the other stuff. Does this sound like I will have everything covered or will I need to buy more supplements?

[Starry]

I've been using TMG for over a year, and I'm happy with it. A little pricey, but generally it's considered top of the line.

You may want to add some extra potassium as well. Seachem's K is pretty dilute, so it might be a good idea to go another way. I use KCl (potassium chloride), which you can find as the salt substitute NoSalt or NuSalt. If you're going with low light, you may not need Phosphate, but you can try it down the road if you feel it might help.

[Captain Hook]

Starry you think I will need to add some extra potassium as well? I will have about 2 watts per gallon of fluorescent light.

Thanks for the advice Starry I appreciate it. The Tropica Master Grow is about $22 Canadian at Big Al's, which really isn't that much. I don't know how long it will last but I'm sure it will be a while as I only have 20 gallons.

[Starry]

In my 10 gal, dosing to 1 ppm phosphate and 30-40 ppm potassium has made all the difference (dosing this much K was an accident actually, but nothing happened. The recommended dose it to about 20 ppm). Before I started dosing these, I was adding CO2 to about 15-30 ppm, and the recommended dose of TMG. But my plants still didn't do that well and I had algae. Since I cranked up the K and PO4, the algae is all but gone, and everything except one plant is doing really well. I'm also adding a lot more TMG now.

Now, I've never worked with 2 w/g, but I'm positive that K and PO4 will help. Don't dose too high though. Maybe 0.4-0.5 ppm PO4, and about 10ppm K.

For phosphate, you can use Seachem's. It'll last you pretty long. Seachem's potassium didn't last long for me at all (1 mL = 1ppm in a 10 gal, so at 20 mL/wk, it went fast). You can pick up something called NoSalt at a grocery store (I got mine at Zehrs), it's mostly KCl. Dose about 1/4 tsp/ week in your 20, and maybe adjust if necessary. You can try Chuck Gadd's calculator to figure out how to make a solution that you can dose into the tank, instead of adding it dry. (http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_dosage_calc.htm)

I used Excel for a few weeks as a back-up when I was too busy to fiddle with DIY CO2, and it didn't seem to help at all. They also say never to overdose. So I didn't, and I didn't see any results. Just my experience. Some people seem to like it.

Good luck. Let me know if you have any questions.

[Captain Hook]

Thanks again Starry I really appreciate all this advice. So you think in addition to Flourish Excel and TMG I should get some Seachem's Phosphate and NoSalt as well?

[djlen]

You can save yourself some money on the phosphate by going to the pharmacy and picking up some 'Fleet Enema'. It contains KH2PO4 and will do a nice job for you. It's a liquid and easy to dose as well. Add 2 drops for your 20 and test for content. If you need more add another drop and test again. You'll get to know how many drops will give you the amount you need.
You want to keep the PO4 in the area of .5 - 1.0.

Len

[gregg604]

New to plant care and wondering what the reason and benefits for adding Phosphate are?

[djlen]

It is a nutrient that is used by plants. If the plants are using it fast enough it needs to be replenished. Most people try to keep it at levels between .5 and 1.0.

Len

[gregg604]

Cool thanks. Guess I need a phosphate test kit now.