[APD] Re: Fertilizer Stability

[Clint Brearley <clint_brearley at telstra_com>]

I've just switched from dosing KNO3 as a stock solution to dosing dry. I had a bit of stock left (~13% w/v) so I tested it for ammonia. Read ~3ppm. Also tested 1:10 dilution and got no reading. Since I was diluting this about 1:20,000 in my aquarium, I don't think a little bit of ammonia would've hurt. Just FYI.

Clint Brearley
Melbourne, Australia

> Just browsing through the archives and noticed this post:

> http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.200105/msg00031.html
> <snip>
> >> What about KNO3?  I keep this in a clear bottle.  Will KNO3 degrade in  > >> this
> >> environment?  Even on other tanks where I store it under the stand it
> >> eventually grows a little _fuzzy_ stuff.
 
> > It's stable, as well as the vast majority of the salts we use. It's just 
> > the chelated stuff that degrades so easy. I wouldn't worry about the 
> > fuzzy stuff. It's probably bacteria, or excess KNO3 falling out of 
> > solution. A 30% solution is pretty close to the saturation point. If it 
> > bothers you, make smaller volumes of solutions or weaker 
> > concentrations.

> I notice a bit of this stuff in my KNO3 stock solution (~13%) too after   > time. I think that it's biological; bacteria/fungi? rather                > thanprecipitation. I'm shortly going to switch to dosing dry.

> I've never been too worried about it, but my question is, could some of   > the nitrate be reduced to ammonium during storage by bacteria/fungi? Would > redox be low enough? If so, then might this not promote algal growth? Just > curious.

> Clint Brearley
> Melbourne, Australia




                                                                      

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