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Re: Serious fertilizers



Rachel wrote:

"It doesn't seem as if there are bottled fertilizers made for "serious"
planted tanks - say a blend of N, K, P and traces meant for use in 3+ WPG
tanks. Most of the seachem products proudly state "no nitrate or phosphate",
but in my tank I have to add them every few days. Not to mention getting the
K2SO4 to dissolve on water change days."

There's no need to bother with liquid forms of NPK or trace elements. Dose
them in the powder/granular form and let them slowly dissolve in the tank.
See http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_dosage_calc.htm and enter "1"
as the amount of water in the solution mix to determine the effect of the
dry dose. (It's a theoretical calculation) I dose KNO3 and K2SO4 based on
this calculator and then adjust the KNO3 over time based on nitrate test
results. I dose the dry powder CSM trace element mix based on past Fe test
results and then adjust it as needed. All three in an automatic fish feeder,
makes tank management less of a chore. Why pay for a fancy bottle of mostly
water?

Tom