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Nitrate supplementation
>Karen, couldn't I ask you the same thing about your using Tropica
>Mastergrow instead of PMDD?
>But then, we both already know the answer. It's for convenience sake.
Not really the same situation. I can walk to the hardware store. It could
hardly be more convenient.
I would have to mail order the supplies for PMDD trace element mix, just as
I have to mail order my Mastergrow. Plus, as I've sated before, all trace
element mixes are not created equal. They're all a little different, and
depending on your own water chemistry one may work better than another.
Some have a higher copper level than I would be comfortable with, for
instance. I'm happier with Mastergrow than I was with Dupla, even though
they are both very good products. As long as Mastergrow is available to
me, I'll use that, just because I like it. I even like the cute squeeze
bottle measuring system ;-)
>I just keep hearing about N limited tanks, and folks buying stump remover
>only to find out that it may or may not contain KNO3.
I'm the only one that I know of who's done this, which is why I warned
others. And it was my own stupid fault for not bothering to put on my
glasses to read the label. The right stuff is clearly labeled with the
ingredients.
>If it won't fly
>economically, then that's fine with me. I understand. I guess that I don't
>like the idea that KNO3 is not commercially available to aquatic gardeners
>because the feeling is that most people are too dumb to use it.
Their not too dumb. As I said in my last post, many of the people I speak
to are very accomplished in their own areas of expertise. They are just
lacking in information and experience. There is much less chance of damage
to your system running it nitrogen deficient even for fairly long periods
of time than by adding too much.
When I speak to groups, I always mention the _possibility_ of nitrogen
shortages in high light/high growth systems. But then I caustion people to
explore all other possibilities before jumping to the conclusion that a
tank is nitrogen deficient. Particulary when a tank is _not_ set up for
fast growth. (very few are)
Karen Randall
Aquatic Gardeners Association