Time To Change To Dry Ferts?

[ZoddyZod]

Hello all,

my current bottle of liquid ferts (TNC lite) is coming to an end, should I be thinking of trying dry fert mixing? If so, what do I need?

Tank size - 300L
Lights - 2 x 40w T5
Substrate - cat litter capped with sand
Plants - mainly vallis, few crypts, java ferns and anubius and a raft of amazon frogbit

pic of the tank (if this helps assess plant mass & requirements?)

 

[DrRob]

Think of it like this. If you buy a CO2 system and use their bottles then it's a lot cheaper to start but they sting you in the long run on ongoing charges and you're stuck with doing what they want you to do.

If you use a DIY FE system it's cheap to maintain, but requires some working out and cost to set up.

Dry ferts are slightly more expensive to set up (because you tend to end up buying enough to keep yourself going for a long time, but the starter packs are actually possibly cheaper than the bottled ferts), but cost a lot less to keep going and you have full control of what you're dosing.

Other than the convenience of being able to follow the instructions on the bottle, I don't know why we don't all use dry ferts.

 

[ZoddyZod]

so what do I need then?

Please don't presume I know anything about plants/ferts.......completely clueless really.

 

[SO19Firearms]

If you want to continue liquid dosing you can make your own TPN analogue using this recipe.
If you fancy having a go at using dry ferts in E.I. there's an E.I. calculator here

IMO

 

[ZoddyZod]

thanks for the calculator, seems like a very useful tool.

Although having to 'like' it first on Facebook means all of my friends now think I'm an even bigger fish nerd.

 

[ZoddyZod]

Right , so I'm in a hard water area which appears to negate the need for Magnesium Sulphate, so my shopping list is

Potassium Nitrate
Monopotassium Phosphate
Trace Elements

but do I need the Nitrate & Phosphate for this tank (no C02)?

 

[SO19Firearms]

Right , so I'm in a hard water area which appears to negate the need for Magnesium Sulphate, so my shopping list is

Potassium Nitrate
Monopotassium Phosphate
Trace Elements

but do I need the Nitrate & Phosphate for this tank (no C02)?

Probably not if you've been using TNC Lite with no issues. You could dose the Trace as shown and maybe add a little Potassium Sulphate instead

 

[ZoddyZod]

I wouldn't say my plants are 'issue free' and I do worry that the intense lighting should really require C02 or carbon addition.

or is that nonsense?

 

[SO19Firearms]

High lighting only means giving the plants the opportunity to use more Carbon than is available - and this is when the problems occur.
If steps are taken to offset this, such as shorter lighting periods or using floating plants to shade the submerged it doesn't have to be a problem.

IMO

 

[DrRob]

Aye, SO19 is spot on (IMO). It's all about balancing. With more light, you need more CO2 and more nutrients. The options are to mess with the light, increase the CO2 and ferts or grow algae, but it doesn't have to always be high tech is the solution.

Remember that flow becomes more and more important the more you are trying to spread extra chemicals around the tank.

 

[jojouk]

Are there starter packs available on the tinternet? I am interested too.

 

[ZoddyZod]

ok, so the lights are on 8hrs solid daily. I do get a bit of algae on some areas with lower flow (or at least I think that's the main cause, clearly it could be the excessive lighting period). I'm looking for an additional powerhead to help with the flow aspect.

should I consider dropping to 6hrs a day?

I wouldn't mind injecting C02, but even the cost of an FE setup puts me off.

 

[DrRob]

I just got an additional powerhead. APS one with a 10% discount (follow-10 code). Seems to be doing a good job and can't hear it.

As for FE CO2, liquid carbon for that tank would cost around £10 a month? Probably depending on where you shop around. Means that you could easily break even on a year.

As for starter packs, yes jojo, there are.

http/www.plantedtanks.co.uk/ei-starter-kit-3947-p.asp

and

http/www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/fertilisers/dry-chemicals/starter-kits/ei-starter-kit.html

spring to mind.

 

[ZoddyZod]

Trace and Potassium Sulphate ordered......I'll be back here soon to ask about dosing!

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I have dosed Tropica for over a decade now. I began using the MasterGrow and when they changed the name I continued with Plant Nutrition. I do not use the plus version. I tried a homemade recipe to replace it. I got enough dry ingredients to mix more than I could ever use (and this was based on min quant. of the lowest dosed component). After a couple of months I bought a new supply of TPN.

While that link was interesting I do not believe the poster when he claims that Tropica just handed him their complete formulation. Tropica is not that stupid- they spent decades getting it to where it is today. They sell it, they are not going to make it simple for anybody to make it in their basement. It is bad business to do so.

So have fun with your chemistry experiment. After you have used your mix for a couple of months come back to this thread and report how your plants are doing. My bet is you will report you encountered some issues and your plants do not seem to be doing as well as they used to when you used the real deal.

This does not mean one can not use dry ferts, especially for the macros. But when it comes to the trace stuff, I am not so sure the average person can replicate MasterGrow/TPN. Just one man's opinion.