# Off the shelf dosing



## Dan Crawford (11 Jan 2008)

Hi guys, as most of you know UKaps have set up a tank for Unipac and i've been maintaining it once a month ever since. What i want to know is......what "off the shelf" fertaliser that can regularly be purchased from and MA should i reccommend? i know that they arn't the best and TPN+ would be best but i don't think they want to be ordereing off tinternet since they are based about 30 secs from a MA.
I can't use Excel coz there is vallis in there.
Any help would be great.
Cheers
Dan


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## Ray (11 Jan 2008)

Dan Crawford said:
			
		

> I can't use Excel coz there is vallis in there.


Not necessarily true - I grow 2 different types of Vallais with EasyCarbo, I think you have to try it and see.  Seachem do do Marco fertilizers, but not all in one bottle like TPN+, I think you need 3 or 4 bottles and dose on different days.


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## Dan Crawford (11 Jan 2008)

i think you may find that easycarbo and excel are different, i could be wrong but i know of a lot of people who grow vallis in easycarbo dosed tanks but i know of none that grow it in tanks dosed with excel?
I've never used either.


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## beeky (11 Jan 2008)

I ripped out all my vallis as it was growing like a weed, using a whole bottle of Excel in a 3' seemed to make no difference to it, although I never overdosed and never dosed directly onto it.


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## Dan Crawford (11 Jan 2008)

thats cool, i'd like to here of any more people using excel and vallis.
Cheers


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## GreenNeedle (13 Jan 2008)

I think Excel can be used with Riccia and Vallis and others.  As far as I know its the 'overdosing' that can't be done with them.

When we overdose with excel for algae reasons it melts vallis and riccia but I never had a problem with normal dosing.

TropicaPN and + are the best IMO.  I have used the normal as trace for a year now and am thinking of switching eventually to + after seeing George's results.

The problem in all the chain stores (and many of the LFS) are they just buy the standard King British, API etc bulk loads as they buy the food, meds and other products from 1 supplier normally.

I guess thats why AE comes in so useful.  Wether they seem expensive or not (and they do to me) there is no other option as they are the only ones that stock the 'real' products.

Andy


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## George Farmer (13 Jan 2008)

Hey Dan

Nutrafin Plant Gro would be ok for that tank. MA stock it.

Remember that Excel etc. provide carbon and no other nutrients. 

Give my regards to Roy.


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## Dan Crawford (13 Jan 2008)

nice one fellas thats great!

Maybe we should do a tank with vallis and excel and banish the old wives tale that they don't mix (which I beleived)

Cheers guys


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## GreenNeedle (13 Jan 2008)

I think its a case of chinese whispers more than an old wive's tale due to the fact that most people only use excel to fight algae and therefore they overdose.

Good idea to do a 'controlled test' tank as TB would say. lol

Andy


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