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need to be learnt on dry ferts

1K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  picturebigger 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
ordered dry ferts this week (EI + Mg). arrives today (YAY). i'm a total newborn to dry. had no idea it existed til last week. i hate to ask something that has probably already been asked but i'm not finding anything yet as i search thru the forum. i see lots of threads on "which is better liquid/dry" or "how much of this or that" but i don't know anything about actual usage. how do you dose the tank with it? do i dissolve in a cup of tank water and introduce? do you drop it in the tank straight? bury it in substrate? no idea.

looking for some reading material to learn up on it. any good links or direct replies with tips / tricks / lessons learned / etc. greatly appreciated.

p.s: my wife wants me to ask you guys if she can use some of the magnesium in her outdoor plants. lol i run the aquascape she runs the landscape (flowers that is.. grass is mine, paws off) ;)

thanks!

sorry, that sounds vague like "can you just tell me what to do?".

i'm following the EI scale to get going and then later i'll zero in on what is too much or too little or missing altogether. great method for me to develop my benchmark. i understand my dosing amounts.

i'm really just unclear on how to use the stuff. lol such a basic question it's pathetic. but i'd rather ask than assume.

thanks

i'm such a moron. just ignore me. google.. imagine that.

i read now this basically lets you make the same fert mix you'd buy at a store minus paying for the water. copy that.

so my new question... can the daily dose be mixed with tank water daily and added or should i use bottles and pre-mix it and store, to introduce to tank daily already in liquid form?

i guess either will work but it's easier to have it stored?
what's the rules on storing it? refrigerate, expiration, will it mold/mildew/degrade in strength?

just punch me in the face when you see me. thanks! ;)
 
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#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
You can put the powder right in the tank or put the powder in a small cup with tank water and allow it to dissolve then pour that in. I do the latter because I've watched fish eat the granules, which apparently is harmless and/or they just spit it out, but meh.....

Mg is just epsom salt, you can get for very cheap just about anywhere, and yes you can use it outside, there is usually directions on the package for watering lawns, flowers etc. I enjoy using my fert laden aquarium water to feed all the landscaping, it really makes a huge difference on blooms and overall health

Also, you can mix the ferts into clay balls and push them into substrate for diy root tabs

edit: oh yeah, don't mix phosphate and iron, they react and precipitate becoming useless. You can combine the other ferts though I think

lol, I missed your reply there. You can premix the ferts in bottles and dose the liquid, but sometimes it will grow mold

look here http://calc.petalphile.com/
 
#3 ·
I enjoy using my fert laden aquarium water to feed all the landscaping, it really makes a huge difference on blooms and overall health
same here. our flowers love some tasty turd water. my wife nearly cries if i do a water change late at night and have to use the sink. like wasting drinking water-- only much, much worse :)

big thanks for the info. exactly what i was looking for.
 
#4 ·
I make 2 mixes, and dose every other day. If I did not have time to mix another batch I might dry dose for a few days.

1) Macros: N, P, K with some Excel. Some people use Excel to reduce the stuff that grows in some mixes. It sure might. Before I started adding Excel some of the bottles did grow fine cloud-strands. Never seemed to hurt the tanks, though.

2) Micros: I use CSM+B and chelated Iron with some Excel. The GH of my tap water is high enough that I do not need to use GH booster, Epsom salt or similar product.

Before you add magnesium to the tank, make sure it needs magnesium. Plants and fish need a ratio of calcium to magnesium, not just one or the other. You can use a GH test and a Calcium test to figure this out. Research how to do this. It is not as simple as "GH test minus Ca test." There is a bit of math involved.
In general, if the GH of your tap water is over about 3 degrees, then there is probably enough Ca and Mg not to worry about right away. If you start seeing odd growth in the plants, then this would be something to check. It is not unknown to find water with a highly skewed Ca:Mg ratio.

I have dosed Macros and Micros on the same day, minutes apart into a tank, and not seen the precipitation of minerals, but I have seen some photos of it happening. Do not mix phosphates and iron in one bottle. The more concentrated blend is more likely to precipitate.
 
#7 ·
lol glad somebody got the joke. ;)

i ordered from the one and only nilocg that everyone (including me now) raves about. mistake was made after a few beers and too much excitement about the new goods. all these new bags of ferts it was like christmas morning. bad combo!

funny how harmless a 1/4tspn looks... "oh just one more won't hurt". so i did a little "jumpstart"... added *ALL* EI doses for 60-80 gal on the same day + a 1/4 tspn of Mg. LOL!! yeah that definitely learned me. NO3 jumped from 5 to 20 (maybe even 25ppm), Phosphates exploded from 0.25 to 2.0. LOL WOOPS

i did a 10% water change (since i had just done a 50% earlier that day before dosing for the first time) and it didn't really change anything. i'm going to let it ride for a few days though. plants have done a 180 to it. all my reds are brilliant, lots of new growth and less-stressed leaves. very satisfied.

i'm just seriously wondering if i'll make it to next saturday's 50% water change. at this rate it may be more like, um, tomorrow. LOL
 
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