I need an all-in-one fertilizer. Ideas please.

captmicha

Le tired.
Dec 6, 2006
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Maryland, USA
I need an all-in-one fertilizer. I need something that has macros, micros, trace, secondary, primary, elemental, whatever you want to call it, all in ONE container.

I don't want to dose out of multiple bottles. I don't want to have to tweak certain things for certain plants. I want an easy, user friendly, simple all-in-one fertilizer.

Please, please, please don't try to talk me into multiple things. That is not what I'm looking for and I realize you're right and I'm wrong and multiple/separate things are better but I don't have the concentration or energy to deal with that.

I want to keep my fish and inverts safe, I want plants, I want to fertilize them, and I don't want to have to think much or do much to accomplish it.

I'm not trying to be whiny. I have serious sleep issues and I actually don't have the here-with-all to deal with charts, buy multiple bottles, use special dosing cups, etc.

Dyna-Gro Foliage Grow looked interesting until I was told that ammonia based fertilizers aren't good for aquariums. Is that true or would I be okay?
http://www.dyna-gro.com/936.htm
 
Since you "don't want to have to think much or do much to accomplish it." I would say get hardier plants and just use root tabs.
 
I already have root tabs, I forgot to mention. I need something for the water column.

I don't want "just hardier plants" or a low tech set up.

I don't understand why it is that they can make all-in-one fertilizers for non-aquatic plants, like Dyna-Gro's Foliage Pro but there's no product like this for aquatic plants. Or why they call macros, micros and traces something different when you're talking non-aquatic plants....

Thank you Slappy!! That's just two products, right? I can deal with just dosing two products. Two very important questions: A) I can mix these before hand and not have to every time time I need to dose, right?
And B) the Plantex CSM+B is micro nutrients AND trace elements (nutrients? whatever they're called), right?
Oh, please clear this up for me and I'll be set!
 

That's what your looking for, same as I do but I mix the individual nutrients into one bottle, it's cheaper that way. You can get this:

http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/aquarium-fertilizers-supplements/dispenser-16oz.html

to mix and keep the solution in. I use one of these each for my NPK, Excel and Prime. Just makes dosing easier.

But once you have the solution made, how much do you plan on dosing? There are different methods, the most popular being EI (Tom Barr) or PPS Pro (www.aquaticplantcentral.com). I use PPS Pro only because I dose 8 tanks and do 20% wc's weekly, not 50% as EI needs.
 
But once you have the solution made, how much do you plan on dosing? There are different methods, the most popular being EI (Tom Barr) or PPS Pro (www.aquaticplantcentral.com). I use PPS Pro only because I dose 8 tanks and do 20% wc's weekly, not 50% as EI needs.

Um.... I was just planning on doing what they tell me in the FAQ section of www.aquariumfertilizer.com. I was planning on doing it at fish feeding time.

Um. I'm a little confused now...
At http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/i...rnEdit=9&Returnitemname=&ReturnShowItemStart=
You only get 1 lbs total, right? And the NPK are all mixed together, right?

But at http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/aquarium-fertilizers-supplements/micro-macro-fertilizers.html
You get 3 lbs total, right? And the NPK are separate, right? So if they're all separate, can I just mix the NPK together? Is it okay that it's not an equal part of Phosphate?

But I do want to keep NPK and the Plantex CSM+B separate from each other and not mix them all in one bottle? And not mix them with water all in one bottle either, right?

I don't want to have to measure it out every single day. I'd like to have it mixed with water so all I have to do is put in X amount of drops every day at feeding time. So how long is a mixed solution of the NPK and the Plantex CSM+B good for?



Don't I need calcium??
 
Thank you Slappy!! That's just two products, right? I can deal with just dosing two products. Two very important questions: A) I can mix these before hand and not have to every time time I need to dose, right?
And B) the Plantex CSM+B is micro nutrients AND trace elements (nutrients? whatever they're called), right?
Oh, please clear this up for me and I'll be set!
It's an 'all-in-one' product that's already mixed together for you.
Macro Micro Nutrient Mix is composed of equal parts of potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate, Plantex CSM + Boron, and magnesium sulfate.

Mixed with 2 cups of water, it should last quite awhile in the fridge. Repeat the process once used up. One pound will last a long time.
Macro Micro Nutrient mixing instructions: Mix with a ratio of 1/4 cup of Macro Micro Nutrient Mix to 2 cups water. Dose 1-4 drops per gallon per day. Start with the lowest dose of 1 drop per gallon per day and stay with that dose for 2-3 weeks before deciding to increase the dose. Increase the dose based on the needs of your plants. There are 76 drops in a teaspoon.
 
I would like to add, that PO4 is not included in the mix. You may not need to supplement it if the tank is low-tech and well stocked with fish. You could always just test your PO4 levels to be sure.
 
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