View Full Version : Fert concentrations?
Timmain42
04-15-2003, 6:58 AM
<sigh> Sorry 'bout this, but I've been scanning page after page and can't seem to find what I'm looking for (or prolly, don't understand what I'm looking at)....
What concentrations should the ferts be at? I think Phosphates are supposed to read 1.0, and NitrAtes around 5-10 ppm, but what about the others?
KNO3:
K2SO4:
KH2PO4:
Traces/iron:
My apologies for being such a dork this early in the morning....
carpguy
04-15-2003, 7:30 AM
This is one of the essential links (http://www.sfbaaps.com/reference/barr_02_02.shtml). Bookmark it. Print it out and put it under your pillow (osmosis).
Some of those other sauces are overlapping. KNO3 is potassium nitrate, so if your nitrates are already where you want them you only need potassium, either as potassium sulfate (K2SO4) or potassium chloride. I use potassium chloride in the form of NuSalt, available in the spice section of your local market. KH2PO4, hmmm… I'll have to go look that one up… potassium phosphate? I just have the inevitable Fleet for phosphates, a few drops.
I'm currently fighting back two different algaes so I've been trying this PMDD (http://www.aquabotanic.com/PMDDprimer.htm) recipe. Dosing no phosphates and traces/iron separately in the form of Flourish and Flourish Iron as directed on the bottle. I have seen where folks have said that a high output tank (lights, CO2) will burn through traces faster than the directions on the bottle provides for, so adjust to suit.
The Tom Barr link that carpguy gave is excellent.
If you don't want to buy a test kit for Potassium(not necessary), you can safely dose K2SO4 or KCl at 1/4tsp per 20gal/water once a week at water change time. I dose traces at the recommended amount on the Flourish Trace bottle....3X a week. Iron according to bottle recs. as well.
Len
PikeLee
04-15-2003, 8:44 AM
Djlen – I do the same dosing as you. My trace comes from flourish trace. However, I was looking on the side for the ingredients and notices that there was no Iron. Do you have something particular that you dose for iron? Maybe a DIY?
Thanks.
djlen
04-15-2003, 10:55 AM
Pike, I use Flourish Iron for my Iron. I don't dose a lot of Iron, fortunately so I can use the SeachChem brand. I try to use the store bought varieties of everything I can to keep the costs down.
And I buy all my SeaChem products from Big Al's.
HOWEVER.....if there is a DIY version for Iron supplementation that I'm unaware of someone puleeeeeze educate me.
Len