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Dupla vs PMDD



Time-out! Go to neutral corners! I know better, but that has never 
stopped me before. I have listened to both sides concerning the mini-flame 
war over Dupla vs Poor Man's Dupla Drops. I  confess that I have enjoyed this 
debate. A few thoughts I would like to share with both sides: Neither of you 
are necessarily right or wrong. George seems to be saying; Why monkey around 
with something unknown, when you already know that Dupla's products work 
well? His proof? His own plants, and thousands of other satisfied customers. 
In addition, Dupla is widely recognized as a reputable company. Kevin's 
argument? Dupla's products are ridiculously over-priced, and that there are 
other less expensive products that will work equally well. Forgive me, if I 
have misinterpreted either side.
     My own thoughts? Dupla is a trusted company, and there is little doubt 
that their products are good. However their prices, not just on their 
fertilizers but everything, border on highway robbery. I would venture to 
guess that if the only way to grow aquatic plants was to follow the Dupla 
regimine to the letter, that there would be very few folks in the hobby 
because not too many people could afford it. George, I appreciate your 
loyalty to a product and a method that works. Sometimes though, it seems 
overdone. Tell me that you have no financial or personal ties to the folks at
Dupla. And George, just because Dupla is good, that doesn't mean that 
everything else is bad. I'm curious as to whether you have actually tried 
PMDD or any other company's products. Wouldn't you agree that experimentation 
is good for our hobby? Why are fertilizers so expensive? The raw materials 
must be the same for all of them. Are we just paying for the knowledge it 
takes to combine them in the proper ratios? Kevin, the guy is an expert. I 
think that it is ok to question George, but we should keep in mind that the 
man is very good at growing aquatic plants; So, he must be doing a lot of 
things right, and his opinion is worth more than your average Joe.
     One more thing. We all acknowledge that certain fertilzers work better 
in certain circumstances. Mainly, depending on your own tap-water 
composition. But, with terrestrial plants,(and yes I know we are comparing 
apples and oranges) different plants have different fertilizer requirements.
I haven't heard this discussed here. Other than to say that algae seem to 
like high levels of phosphates and possibly nitrates. No one has said that 
Crypts like x, but swords prefer y. Given that we know that aquatic plants 
prefer different ph, would it be too big a stretch to assume that they 
probably have different nutrient needs also? What does anyone know about 
this?
     Now guys, carry on.