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RE: Basic fertilizers - commercial



James wrote:
> Neither K or Mg is likely to cause much of a problem if in present in a
> slight overabundance, so if you add either you won't be endangering either
> your fish or your tank (in moderation, of course).

I agree that you can add a lot of potassium (K) without creating a
problem however high levels of Mg can interfere with uptake of other
nutrients, primarily Calcium I think. I believe that the recommended
ratio of Ca to Mg is 3:1 (molar ratios) or higher. Just picking a nit,
not disagreeing with James' central theme.

I also think that under high growth conditions, almost all general
purpose aquarium fertilizers do NOT have sufficient potassium and you
should not rely on a single product to supply potassium. Know your tap
water and supplement it to about 10 ppm of K based on the volume of
water changed and you should not run short (average water changes).

FWIW, I also suspect that the standard PMDD recipe tends to overdose
trace nutrients other than iron. Regular water changes are recommended.

Steve Pushak                              Vancouver, BC, CANADA 

Visit "Steve's Aquatic Page"      http://home.infinet.net/teban/
 for LOTS of pics, tips and links for aquatic gardening!!!