Cheaper Way To Feed Plants?

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Tigermoth

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Haven't got the knowledge, time or dedication to go EI, not that I'd know if that's cheaper than liquid feed or not.

It's for a 4' tank with CO2. Up until now I've been using Nutrafin Plant Gro, which is about £8 for 250ml. Looking on the bottle it says:

0.15% Water Soluble Organic Nitrogen (Chelated Agent)
0.26% Chelated Iron
0.05%Chelated & Soluble Manganese
0.003% Chelated Zinc

So is there anything I can use as a substitute that doesn't feel like a rip off?

Before you all call me a tight wad, I'm self confessed already.

Cheers
 
I’m pretty sure there is a thread around here somewhere that tells you how to make your own fertiliser from readily obtainable ingredients.

You can make laterite balls. Laterite is red or orange clay and you roll some into 10mm diameter balls and allow them to dry. Then push them into the gravel under or near the base of the plants. One or two balls are usually sufficient for most plants.

Iron chelate can be bought from a nursery, as can zinc and magnesium.
 
I know you said you didn't want to do EI. But it is a really cheap way to dose ferts. I buy $22 or ferts and I have about 70gal in tanks. Those ferts last me about a year.
 
yeah I worked out EI costs litterately like 40p a week for dosing not including Co2 etc.. Of course buy stuff in larger quants and it is cheaper still!
 
I was hoping for an easy answer, something along the lines of "get this from the garden centre for £20 and it lasts a year".

So it looks like I'll end up going EI. Oh nose, all that reading, I can't stands no more reading. :)
 
I was hoping for an easy answer, something along the lines of "get this from the garden centre for £20 and it lasts a year".

So it looks like I'll end up going EI. Oh nose, all that reading, I can't stands no more reading. :)

While I haven't started yet and it seems daunting at first I actually think it is pretty straight forward once you have got going.
 
While I haven't started yet and it seems daunting at first I actually think it is pretty straight forward once you have got going.
Just started reading up again on EI and spotted the 50% water changes, think that's what put me off before.

So I've already given up again on EI.

Might look further into Colin_T's suggestion.
 
I know you said you didn't want to do EI. But it is a really cheap way to dose ferts. I buy $22 or ferts and I have about 70gal in tanks. Those ferts last me about a year.
Where do you get your ingredients from Mikaila31, if I may ask? Seems like I've had a link in the past to a guy selling dry ferts but I can't remember if I decided he was still in business or not...

~~waterdrop~~
 
If you don't want to do EI or add N+P (nitrogen and phosphorus) then you'll just have to have a planted tank with low lighting (one t8 tube) and have plants like crypts, swords, hygrophilia etc.
With a fully stocked aquarium the fish should produce enough N+P for the plants. Water changes will do the rest, combined with some sort of nutrients in the soil under the sand/gravel (laterite, JBL 7 balls, Tropica substrate).
If I was to personally do this myself I would also add some Carbon via "EasyLife Easy Carbo", 0.5ml everyday for every 25litres), but it might not be necessary due to the low lighting.
 
Already using CO2, and as you say the fish will provide the macro nutrients needed. There plenty of phosphorus in the water round here, if you stand it in a bucket in the sun it goes green pretty quickly, so water changes should stop deficiencies of that.
Just don't like paying through the nose for micro nutrients.
 
you can use the powders, but by no means do you have to stick to the EI thread dosing regime. You could mix the powders up then dose as much or as little whenever you want. EI is more aimed at high tec tanks.
 
you can use the powders, but by no means do you have to stick to the EI thread dosing regime. You could mix the powders up then dose as much or as little whenever you want. EI is more aimed at high tec tanks.

Sold :)

I'll wait for someone to post a link to a cheap source of powders then, along with approximate weekly quantities for a 48 uk gal tank *grovel grovel*. Failing that I suppose it's the dreaded search and read function. :sad:
 
In UK.

Tank is 4' x 18" x 15", think that's about 48 UK gal.
 
Potassium Nitrate - 40g to 500ml of water and adding 10ml per 100L of water would give you a value of 5ppm.
Potassium Phosphate - 15g to 500ml of water and adding 5ml per 100L of water would give you a value of 1ppm.
Trace mix - 15g to 250ml of water and add 5ml per 50l

for a 240l tank,

add 30ml of KNO3
add 10ml of KH2PO4
add 25ml of trace


Mon - dose
tue -
wed - dose
thur -
fri - dose
sat -
sun - water change


Powders available at Aqua Essentials
 

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