RE: [APD] Seachem Flourish Nitrogen

[Greg Morin <greg at seachem_com>]

> For the recommended levels we are shooting for though (5-10 ppm in this
> case), isn't that referring to just nitrate and not total nitrogen?

Yes and Yes ;-). Yes, it referse to nitrate but it also is referring 
to total nitrogen because (I assume) the orginators of the 
recommendation are assuming one would only be adding a nitrate 
source. Before Flourish Nitrogen I don't believe there were any 
non-nitrate nitrogen additive products (at least no commercially 
available).

> My
> understanding is the target is 5-10 ppm nitrate.  If that is the case, isn't
> the number I am getting from my test kit, without adding anything to it, the
> number I am looking for with regards to the target range?

If the recommednation is 10 pppm nitrate then that means you should 
have the amount of nitrogen found in 10 ppm of nitrate (2.26 ppm of 
nitrogen). If you add Flourish Nitrogen directions for adding an 
amount of nitrogen equivalent to that found in 10 ppm of nitrate then 
you will be adding the recommended amount (2.26 ppm of nitrogen).

If you measure nitrate after that addition it will read 5 ppm - because half of the nitrgon added is from nitrate (1.13 ppm of nitrogen is contained within 5 ppm of nitrate).

The non-nitrate portion of Flourish N. added is also equivalent to 1.13 ppm of nitrogen... in other words that 1.13 ppm of non-nitrate nitrogen is equivalent to the amount of nitrogen you would have if it were in the nitrate form.

So together you've added the recommened amount of nitrogen (2.26 ppm). And since 2.26 ppm of nitrogen is contained within 10 ppm of nitrate it as though you added 10 ppm of nitrate.

-Greg Morin
--
Gregory Morin, Ph.D.  ~~~~~~~President/CEO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seachem Laboratories, Inc.      www.seachem.com     888-SEACHEM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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