Ok so I have read that dry ferts are the way to go cos cheaper and customizable for your tank.. what if you dont want to go for the cheapest route.. what is the BEST fertilizer for your tank? All in one or seperate? I have a 200L planted tank with an auto doser to make life easier. What do you suggest I go for? Currently running the Seachem range but after buying it all I read its "glorified water".. opinions? Past mistakes to learn from? Success stories?
Dry ferts vs all in one vs single bottles
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Dry ferts with auto dosing dialed in are much more effective than anything you could get from all in one pre mixed lines for a heck of a lot less. The only thing with using that method is you need to be willing to do the research and the trial and error of fine tuning your fert doses. Pre mixes are "simpler" in the fact that they are pre measured to a standard. It's also more difficult because you will most likely still have to isolate trace elements and imbalances and make up for it with other pre mixes. There really isn't a one size fits all for fertilizing.
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Yea, that's why I won't delve back into truly high tech set ups with rare and high maintenance plants anymore. I use a combination of different pre mixed ferts with no specific line in mind. I just go by ingredients and trial and error. It's a long, thankless process lol
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My only suggestion is to read ingredients and concentrations and try to stick with the ones that are isolated elements.
Yeah thing is Im really not ready to do all the trial and error testing part for dry ferts unless there is a generic mixture one can do.. i have been looking at pre mixed ferts and there really isnt one really good all in one or best brand out there as there are many different opinions.. unless im wrong?
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A lot of people use Nilocg fertilizer. I still use it in one of my tanks. It's fine. It's still glorified water, but I am paying for the convenience of not having to mess with all the different dry fertilizers. Also I have small, low tech tanks, so one bottle lasts forever. It's cheaper than Seachem, I think.
I have super soft water, so I have to add GH for my inverts in addition to the all-in-one, but that's always the case.
Is this a low or high tech tank?
I have super soft water, so I have to add GH for my inverts in addition to the all-in-one, but that's always the case.
Is this a low or high tech tank?
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You don't need as much Nitrate and Phosphate if you have of fish. You will always need Potassium because the fish don't cause that. I'm currrently targeting 15 ppm Nitrate because I have fish now. Before I had fish it was 20 ppm Nitrate. Remember @Deanna's comment in the other thread about using Nitrate as a proxy test for your fertilizing. If I'm understanding that correctly, so goes the Nitrate so goes the Phosphate and Potassium if you have a mix because they are mixed in ratios. You need to decide how strong you want your Nitrate to be based on your stock level and how your plants react to it. I dose individual ferts right now but I'm thinking about making a dosing solution of 15 NO3 to 2 PO4 to 20 K. For that you would need to dissolve 104 grams KNO3 in one liter of water to make 25 40 ml doses of 15 mg/l NO3 for your 200 liter tank. You put the 104 g KNO3, 12.2 g KH2PO4 and 92.1 g K2SO4 in first then you fill to the liter line with water. Remember your fish and food spoilage will be contributing as well.
I use NilocG thrive+ right now, but if you go the NilocG route, be aware that the all in one doesnt really have adequate Mg. You can get by with just dosing Thrive or Thrive+, but your plants will do significantly better if you either add magnesium independently (which is what I do) or add the NilocG Gh booster (even if you already have hard water this could be important if your hardwater concentration is way more Calcium focused)
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Dry ferts are cheaper by far, as you know. The thing is you don't have to be a pro to use them, and you don't have to do trail and error either, though they allow you to change things up if you want to.
You can look at what the ratios of your favorite all in one are and just use those. Or you can steal the ratios of skilled TPT users (as I have done in the past).
The hardest thing about them is figuring out how to use rotalabutterfly.
You can look at what the ratios of your favorite all in one are and just use those. Or you can steal the ratios of skilled TPT users (as I have done in the past).
The hardest thing about them is figuring out how to use rotalabutterfly.
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You should try PPS- Pro. You use your own dry fertilizers (super cheap), you don't have to figure out the recipe, and it's perfect for an autodoser since you dose it every day. It's a great starting point if you're just getting in to using dry fertilizers.
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OP, I'm running a shrimp cube that is the bare-minimum to be considered high-tech and was very much in the same position as you. I want /decent/ results without having to spend too much time figuring it out. I use NilocG Thrive S, and then I just supplement other stuff as rarely needed. Maybe it wouldn't work as well if I didn't have good substrate, but I do, so it does. Results are good, and the pump dispenser gives a very measured amount.
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