pleas help noob with dry ferts

[scotty b]

i am thinking of making a dry fert with things i can get from ammazon
so far i am thinking of getting azomite and Glutaraldehyde
what else should i look into getting ?
thank you for any help

[Darkblade48]

Rather than reinventing the wheel, why not get the common chemicals that already in use?

Potassium nitrate, potassium phosphate and a trace mix such as CSM+B are the most common chemicals to use. You can also purchase a GH booster (usually a mixture of calcium, magnesium and potassium sulfates) depending on your water chemistry.

Glutaraldehyde is a reasonable CO2 alternative.

[scotty b]

I figured that it would cost less and have more for my money to mix up something myself then to by a small amount of prepackaged fertilizer
will Phosphoric acid help in any way? ive been adding bonemeal for calcium and it has 10% Phosphoric acid

this is a analyses of azomite is it good ? http://www.azomite.com/index.php?opt...d=66&Itemid=11

[Darkblade48]

Originally Posted by scotty b

I figured that it would cost less and have more for my money to mix up something myself then to by a small amount of prepackaged fertilizer

I'm still not quite sure what you are trying to accomplish - plants need three macronutrients that we can provide easily: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. This can generally be accomplished with two chemicals: potassium nitrate and potassium phosphate.

These chemicals can be purchased relatively cheaply, and a large 11.3 kg bag (25 pounds) can last a long, long time.

Regarding micronutrients, rather than mixing up your own, again, using CSM+B is the easiest method to provide for all the micronutrients that can be easily provided.

Originally Posted by scotty b

will Phosphoric acid help in any way? ive been adding bonemeal for calcium and it has 10% Phosphoric acid

No, phosphoric acid will end up causing your pH to swing about wildly. As mentioned, if you want to provide phosphorus, potassium phosphate is the easiest method.

For your bone meal, without more information regarding it, it is hard to tell what it contains. However, in general, there is not enough nitrogen in it.

Originally Posted by scotty b

this is a analyses of azomite is it good ? http://www.azomite.com/index.php?opt...d=66&Itemid=11

I'm not sure what you are using the Azomite for; are you intending to lay it below your substrate as an additional fertilizer? There are several users on these forums that have tried Azomite, perhaps you can take a look through their threads?

Azomite cannot be used as a micronutrient mix for water column dosing.

[scotty b]

thank you for the help, im not sure exactly what im attempting to accomplish either :p


If the phosphoric acid is bad ill find a new source of calcium and stop adding bonemeal

so the azomite wont work at all for column dosing?
the member i herd about azomite form was adding 1 tbs a week as a column fertilizer

[Darkblade48]

Originally Posted by scotty b

If the phosphoric acid is bad ill find a new source of calcium and stop adding bonemeal

Looking over some results I got from my search, it seems some (apparently incorrectly labeled) products call P2O5 "phosphoric acid" (which is incorrect).

Can you verify what your bone meal label says? H3PO4 is phosphoric acid, which is different from P2O5 (phosphorus pentaoxide).

If you are adding straight phosphoric acid (H3PO4) to your aquarium, it is generally not a good idea.

Originally Posted by scotty b

so the azomite wont work at all for column dosing?
the member i herd about azomite form was adding 1 tbs a week as a column fertilizer

From what I can see, it cannot be used as a water column fertilizer. According to the certificate of analysis that you linked, 65.85% of the Azomite is comprised of silicon dioxide (sand). I don't see how you would be able to get that to dissolve into water.

[rileynapalm]

here's a site that i believe many of us order from. the prices are great and shipping is quick and reasonably priced. i think i got mine just a few days after ordering. give it a look and see if it works for you!

http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/in...ditU=1&Regit=2