Dry Ferts

[DaveW]

Just a quick question.
When mixing dry ferts with water, is it jsut the mater of add and shake? I understand the amounts and have downloaded the program. But saying that, any pointers would again be gratefully received.

 

[George Farmer]

Use RO water if possible. I just mix mine with a spoon until its fully dissolved.

 

[jimbooo]

for tanks 40G and upwards getting a 1ml = 1ppm solution of potassium nitrate to dissolve takes a lot of effort. i have to shake mine for about 2 hours before it's dissolved. on the 50G it took 3 hours and wont dissolve if the solution is below room temp. i have to heat mine on a radiator before dosing to get rid of the crystals in the bottle. theyre the size of golf balls.

before anyone says it i'm still way within maximum solubility

for tanks 40G and upwards getting a 1ml = 1ppm solution of potassium nitrate to dissolve takes a lot of effort. i have to shake mine for about 2 hours before it's dissolved. on the 50G it took 3 hours and wont dissolve if the solution is below room temp. i have to heat mine on a radiator before dosing to get rid of the crystals in the bottle. theyre the size of golf balls.

before anyone says it i'm still way within maximum solubility

 

[Bloo]

you must have strong arms to shake a bottle for 2 -3 hours. Do you really do that ?

 

[George Farmer]

for tanks 40G and upwards getting a 1ml = 1ppm solution of potassium nitrate to dissolve takes a lot of effort. i have to shake mine for about 2 hours before it's dissolved. on the 50G it took 3 hours and wont dissolve if the solution is below room temp. i have to heat mine on a radiator before dosing to get rid of the crystals in the bottle. theyre the size of golf balls.

before anyone says it i'm still way within maximum solubility

for tanks 40G and upwards getting a 1ml = 1ppm solution of potassium nitrate to dissolve takes a lot of effort. i have to shake mine for about 2 hours before it's dissolved. on the 50G it took 3 hours and wont dissolve if the solution is below room temp. i have to heat mine on a radiator before dosing to get rid of the crystals in the bottle. theyre the size of golf balls.

before anyone says it i'm still way within maximum solubility

Are you using RO Jimbooo?

 

[Squid]

you must have strong arms to shake a bottle for 2 -3 hours. Do you really do that ?

** holds back dirty comment about jimbooos abilities **

 

[Bloo]

you must have strong arms to shake a bottle for 2 -3 hours. Do you really do that ?

** holds back dirty comment about jimbooos abilities **

well I do kind of have to wonder how he does it (for that length of time)! Or did he mean minutes ?

 

[Jen]

you must have strong arms to shake a bottle for 2 -3 hours. Do you really do that ?

** holds back dirty comment about jimbooos abilities **

well I do kind of have to wonder how he does it (for that length of time)! Or did he mean minutes ?

Nope that would deffinately be hours. I shook mine for at least 2 hours before I gave up and added more water. lol

 

[DaveW]

I have distilled water, I hear it's not as good as RO but better than tap.
I'll start making some up tomorrow night.

One thing for sure, "There's a whole lotta shaking going on".

 

[George Farmer]

That's odd. My ferts dissolve in a minute or so.

DaveW - RO and distilled are the same thing - (nearly) pure water.

 

[DaveW]

I didn't realise that gf ...... "you learn something new every day".

 

[George Farmer]

I didn't realise that gf ...... "you learn something new every day".

No probs mate.

There are different purities of water produced depending on the RO system used. Some (cheaper units) will only take out 85% or so of all minerals etc. (known as Totally Dissolved Solids or TDS). So if you have a GH say of 20 degress then you'll still be left with 3 dGH (plus a proportion the other stuff like nitrates, phosphates and heavy metals that RO units are supposed to filter out).

I am very lucky in that I have unlimited access to a massive industrial scale RO unit that produces exceptionally pure RO.

 

[DaveW]

Interesting. I have had a quick look at RO units and what they do. But I'll stick with tap water for now. I am lucky in the way that my tap water isn't that bad. Any way, I'm just about to start the EI routine, so it's probably best to learn one tthing at a time.
Thanks for your help.

 

[Aqua Essentials]

Interesting. I have had a quick look at RO units and what they do. But I'll stick with tap water for now. I am lucky in the way that my tap water isn't that bad. Any way, I'm just about to start the EI routine, so it's probably best to learn one tthing at a time.
Thanks for your help.

The easy dosing of dry ferts, add them directly to your tank. For example in a 100L tank, add 1/3 teaspoon of KN03 (Potassium Nitrate) every other day.

 

[Bloo]

Interesting. I have had a quick look at RO units and what they do. But I'll stick with tap water for now. I am lucky in the way that my tap water isn't that bad. Any way, I'm just about to start the EI routine, so it's probably best to learn one tthing at a time.
Thanks for your help.

If you need RO water for your fert mix, just take an empty large coke bottle or water bottle to your lfs. If you're nice, they'll give you a couple of gallons free (this will more than suffice to make your mixes) or charge a small fee.