# Good complete fertiliser



## john10001 (22 Aug 2018)

Can anyone recommend a good complete NPK and Mg Fertiliser? 

Not so bothered if it doesn't contain as much phosphorus as the rest.

I don't yet have pressurised CO2 set up in my tank just DIY and I have no fish yet just two snails so I am lacking a bit in some nutrients.


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## Matt @ ScapeEasy (22 Aug 2018)

The aquascaper complete liquid plant food. Available from aquarium gardens on offer at the moment


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## john10001 (22 Aug 2018)

Thanks. Do you know what it contains? I am unable to find that info on any of the websites I checked.

I also saw TMC Aquagro Nutrafeed but again I have no idea what it contains. Then finally I saw Dennerle NPK Booster which seems to have adequate amounts of what I want though I would like to know about the other two for comparison.


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## Matt @ ScapeEasy (22 Aug 2018)

The aquascaper complete liquid plant food is an all in one product designed to be slightly over dosed daily and then a large water change at the end of the week to reset any imbalances. It is designed so you don't have to worry about the detail  appreciate that may not be for everyone though...


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## Edvet (22 Aug 2018)

EI salts are easy and cheap.


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## Aqua360 (22 Aug 2018)

Haven't looked at its make-up, but I use TNC complete and am happy with the results


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## zozo (22 Aug 2018)

I guess all are equaly good as they can be bad.. I've tried several ones also the rather expensive Tropiica.. The issue i experienced with it is, if you still notice a deficiency in the plants than with an all in one ferts solution you have to add all of everything to address it. Than you simply add to much of what you do not need. I guess it kinda depends on the water parameters comming from the tap if you run into this kind of issues or not. Anyway for me personaly using a complete fert solution and choosing the higher end more expensive brands out there like Tropica it was a tad expensive to waste the good stuff i don't need to add.

In my case i have very little K and 0 P in my tap water, from the rest what i need as fert i just have to top off a little. Than the next best choice for my personal situation was switching to dry salts and stop wasting the expensive good stuff.

So it would be very unfair to say Tropica is bad.. It isn't but for my personal situation i wouldn't recomend it to my neighbour if he also uses the same tap water as i do.


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## jameson_uk (22 Aug 2018)

Make your own
http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/allinone.htm
This is working well for me


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## HiNtZ (29 Aug 2018)

Get your macros as salts and your micros as a pre mixed liquid. Mixing your own NPK and Mg solutions is really easy.

I use profito in most of my tanks. It has Mg, too. I don't think it's a lot so Epsom salts if you needed a bit more magnesium are dirt cheap and easy to get on the high street.


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## ian_m (29 Aug 2018)

Mix your own macro and micro from this kit. This is by far the cheapest way, as your are not paying for expensive water supplied in premixed solutions.
http://www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/fertilisers/dry-chemicals/starter-kits/ei-starter-kit.html

If you don't want two bottles and can't be a*sed to measure salts, then you can buy all in one salts premeasured out in a bottle, you just add water.
http://www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/...ttles/apf-plant-nutrition-in-bottles-dry.html
or here without bottle.
https://www.co2supermarket.co.uk/aq...all-in-one-complete-fertiliser-mix-gsc35.html

Or buy ready mixed all in one.
https://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/ne...Path=544_208&zenid=3igbo98m54hluospoe4ck86641

Some people are scare of "salts" as they are "chemicals"  and preferred premixed solutions. I have the bags of salts from Aquarium plant food, each with a tea spoon in (£2.99 for 6 from Robert Dyas) and just add the required spoonfuls to a bottle and add water...job done.


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## Matt @ ScapeEasy (30 Aug 2018)

Aquarium plant food website looks like it has just gone down for maintenance lol! The premixed salts from co2 supermarket looks interesting. The dose volume is a lot higher than I'm used too. 5ml per 40 litres. I currently dose 6ml per day in my 200 litre. Presumably it is just a weaker solution? Also, how long will the solution last once mixed?


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## Surya (30 Aug 2018)

It's back now, I've just ordered from it! First time so can't help with your questions. Edit: just read on APF website that solutions will last 6 months after mixing. I guess for most tanks you'll use them up well before then.


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## Andrew Lindsay (11 Jan 2019)

I have been using CO2 supermarket "All in one" (macro and micro) you have to mix. Some plants  have done OK but others (Bacopa type) not including getting small pin holes in old leaves which eventually perish. I tried, to no avail, upping the dose after asking CO2 supermarket if it was safe. Looking at James' planted tank - plant deficiencies advice it would seem to be possibly caused by a lack of potassium? So, do I need to add a different fert. or change completely to another brand? Or maybe there is another reason which is ending me. Thanks for any advice offered, I'm all ears


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## Konsa (11 Jan 2019)

Hi
The pinholes may be CO2 shortage too.I used to get it on lower parts of my Rotala green when had CO2 distribution issues.
99% is CO2 that causes the issues and always one think is ferts (I used to think like that too,  sometimes I am still  getting in that direction,but trying to beat it out myself slowly ,slowly )
Regards Konsa


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## Andrew Lindsay (11 Jan 2019)

Konsa said:


> Hi
> The pinholes may be CO2 shortage too.I used to get it on lower parts of my Rotala green when had CO2 distribution issues.
> 99% is CO2 that causes the issues and always one think is ferts (I used to think like that too,  sometimes I am still  getting in that direction,but trying to beat it out myself slowly ,slowly )
> Regards Konsa


Thanks, interesting - I am injecting CO2 and the colour of the dropper checker indicates the level is OK (circ. is good) I might try and up the rate a little, but I have livestock to consider.


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## rubadudbdub (14 Jan 2019)

Surya said:


> .. solutions will last 6 months after mixing. I guess for most tanks you'll use them up well before then.



If you don’t use much and are worried about shelf life just halve the salt amounts and water volume to make less.  How they deteriorate I’m not sure.  TNC complete goes from light green to dark greens brown, I think because of iron changing forms over time. 

I have several tanks so have doubled the APF salt quantities for the same bottle volume and consequentially dose half the volume, for both macro and micro bottles.  It saves having to mix them so often and I haven’t had any issues.


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## ian_m (14 Jan 2019)

Be careful about diluting commercial ferts, especially micros. They generally have an anti-mould agent (sodium/potassium sorbate) and diluting this allow mould to grow.


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## rubadudbdub (14 Jan 2019)

Interesting.  Does this apply to APF micro?  However halving both salt and solvent will keep concentration identical though.  It'll just make proportionally less mixture. Unless my logic is flawed.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (14 Jan 2019)

Macros NPK can pretty much be kept indefinitely regarding shelf life AFAIK. Traces are sensitive to light and the water you mix it with, My tapwater is quite high in po4 so I use rain water for mixing traces. Doesn't really matter how you mix them but you do need to take into account solubility, only so much salt will dissolve in water. Depends how you like to dose I guess.

Taking Nitrate as an example if you were looking to dose EI or around 7ppm 3 x per week in a 100 ltr tank...
40 Grams Kno3 in a 500ml bottle each 15ml dose would be 7.36ppm nitrate per dose
20Grams Kno3 in a 250ml bottle each 15ml dose would still be 7.36ppm nitrate per dose
If you want to dose 30ml instead of 15ml you just halve the salt and keep the water volume the same but you would need to make up bottles more often. Obviously the more concentrated you make your mix the less you will be dosing so if you want to make a bottle last as long as possible you want to be dosing maybe 7.5ml at a time you would double the salt and keep the water volume the same so 80grams in 500ml then dose 7.5ml to still get 7.36ppm 

The only limitations you have is how much salt you can get to dissolve in your water. Taken from James Planted Tank it would be as follows but remember you are mixing some of these salts together in one bottle other than the traces.



> *Solubility's In Water* There are limits on how much of a salt can be dissolved in water. As this limit is reached it becomes increasingly difficult to dissolve more. If you are experiencing difficulties in dissolving any of the salts then try doubling the amount of water it is dissolved in. Below are the maximum solubility's of the various chemicals used in the calculator.
> 
> Potassium Nitrate 36g per 100ml
> Potassium Phosphate 22g per 100ml
> ...


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