# Aquadip



## Mattant1984 (13 Jun 2022)

Hi guys, relatively new to plants but have a question about liquid dosing.

I bought a bottle of Aquadip plant food+ but wanted to know if this was a good choice or would you recommend anything better.

All my plants are easy beginner plants.

Thanks in advance


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## John q (13 Jun 2022)

Mattant1994 said:


> Aquadip plant food+ but wanted to know if this was a good choice


Hiya @Mattant1994 

It's hard to say really, I can't seem to find any information of the percentages of nutrients it contains but its contents include "iron, potassium and magnesium, ammonium, boron, copper, lithium, manganese, iodine, tin, nickel, cobalt and a few more ingredients to make this your complete plant fertiliser.
They've also included a fancy picture of the above listed chemicals on the front of the bottle.





The alarm bell for me is that they don't mention phosphate, which is a rather important nutrient, especially if the seller is labeling the product as " complete." 
I could of course be wrong and maybe when they state "*a few more ingredients to make this your complete fertiliser," *this actually means they've added phosphate and forgot to mention it 🤔

Obviously I don't know your set up, and it could well be the case that your tap water contains enough phosphate to feed the plants, I guess what I'm saying is try it and see how it goes.

Hope that helps👍


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## Simon Cole (14 Jun 2022)

From the Aquadip website:
_"AQUADIP Plant Food⁺ is an essential product for aquatic plants taking nutrients through the leaves. It is a complete plant fertiliser containing all important micro and macro nutrients, providing optimal, lush and healthy plant growth. The range of nutrients contains iron, potassium and magnesium, ammonium, boron, copper, lithium, manganese, iodine, tin, nickel, cobalt and a few more ingredients to make this your complete plant fertiliser. AQUADIP Plant Food⁺ in combination with AQUADIP Liquid Carbon is the perfect match for lush and healthy plants."_​There are no details of the quantities, and as John mentions, the composition is uncertain.
I would simply write to Aquadip and ask for this information.
Please note they state that it contains ammonium. This is more problematic for animal livestock than nitrate fertilisers due to the relative toxicity.


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## Mattant1984 (14 Jun 2022)

John q said:


> Hiya @Mattant1994
> 
> It's hard to say really, I can't seem to find any information of the percentages of nutrients it contains but its contents include "iron, potassium and magnesium, ammonium, boron, copper, lithium, manganese, iodine, tin, nickel, cobalt and a few more ingredients to make this your complete plant fertiliser.
> They've also included a fancy picture of the above listed chemicals on the front of the bottle.
> ...


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## Mattant1984 (14 Jun 2022)

Hi John and Simon

Thanks much for you replies. I was a bit unsure when I first got it due to the  lack of info the bottle contained although being a plant newbie I'm not 100% sure on what I should be looking at.

When dosing the product it is just like a light blue water and doesn't have any smell or consistency to it. I might be wrong but would have thought a plant fert with good ingredients would have had a smell to it??

What products would you both recommend as an all in one I could use and is an all in one even the best way to go? 

I have added a pic of my set up for you to see and as you can tell most of the plants are still fairly small.


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## John q (14 Jun 2022)

Hi Matt. 

Tnc complete seems to be the best value all in one fertiliser around at the minute and people that use it generally rate it.

Amazon product

Usually I'd recommend mixing your own fertiliser with a bigger tank like yours, but think with the type and amount of plants you have, and the largish fish load; you'd probably be fine just following the tnc instructions at 1ml per 10L and see how it goes.


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## Mattant1984 (14 Jun 2022)

Great thank for the advise John I'll take a look. So once my tank has much larger quantities of plants mixing your own is more cost affective I take it??


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## John q (14 Jun 2022)

Mattant1994 said:


> So once my tank has much larger quantities of plants mixing your own is more cost affective I take it??



Well mixing your own ferts will definitely work out cheaper in the long run mate, and you have the added benefit of being in control of exactly what you put into the tank.  

For reasons of simplicity I'd just go with the Tnc product for now and if you find you're dosing more as the plant mass increases then yes I'd definitely consider mixing dry chemicals, it's a lot easier than it sounds.


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## dw1305 (14 Jun 2022)

Hi all, 


Mattant1994 said:


> When dosing the product it is just like a light blue water and doesn't have any smell or consistency to it.





Simon Cole said:


> Please note they state that it contains ammonium.


Horticultural liquid fertilisers are <"usually coloured blue">, and often contain ammonium (NH4)

<"Call me cynical">, but I wonder whether this is actually a standard hydroponic mix rebranded and with an <"absolutely huge mark-up">. 

cheers Darrel


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## Mattant1984 (14 Jun 2022)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> 
> Horticultural liquid fertilisers are <"usually coloured blue">, and often contain ammonium (NH4)
> ...


Wouldn't surprise me mate, I just don't want to be paying for something that's actually crap and not doing what it's meant to


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## Mattant1984 (14 Jun 2022)

John q said:


> Well mixing your own ferts will definitely work out cheaper in the long run mate, and you have the added benefit of being in control of exactly what you put into the tank.
> 
> For reasons of simplicity I'd just go with the Tnc product for now and if you find you're dosing more as the plant mass increases then yes I'd definitely consider mixing dry chemicals, it's a lot easier than it sounds.


Thanks for all your help John, I'm going to order some of the fert you suggested and see how it goes 😀


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## chrisfraser05 (14 Jun 2022)

I used to mix my own on bigger tanks, lately I've been using TNC Complete and  really rate it.


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## kayjo (19 Jun 2022)

Seachem does the same thing.  They label their micronutrients as "Comprehensive" fertilizer, then in fine print they say it does not contain macronutrients...


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## Midwife (20 Jul 2022)

Mattant1994 said:


> Hi guys, relatively new to plants but have a question about liquid dosing.
> 
> I bought a bottle of Aquadip plant food+ but wanted to know if this was a good choice or would you recommend anything better.
> 
> ...


Why not just use this product to see how you get on ? I also have this product waiting to be used after my easy life runs out.


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## Simon Cole (21 Jul 2022)

Midwife said:


> Why not just use this product to see how you get on ?


The livestock in the photograph would be far more expensive to replace than simply switching to a fertiliser that does not contain ammonium.


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## _Maq_ (21 Jul 2022)

Mattant1994 said:


> I bought a bottle of Aquadip plant food+ but wanted to know if this was a good choice or would you recommend anything better.
> All my plants are easy beginner plants.


It's always the same with commercial blends: As long as we don't know what water (tap water?) is in your tank, nobody can tell which nutrients are missing or should be adjusted to fit the plants' needs.


John q said:


> its contents include "iron, potassium and magnesium, ammonium, boron, copper, lithium, manganese, iodine, tin, nickel, cobalt


I don't see why a *plant* fertilizer contains lithium, iodine, tin & cobalt. These are not plant nutrients. Any beneficial effects of these elements are disputable at best, while their toxicity is beyond question.

Don't forget that you render essential nutrients with fish food. Namely nitrogen & phosphorus. Like you said, your plants are easy beginner plants, and your tank is remarkably under-planted, especially in relation to quite a many fish in it. Thus, my recommendation is *not* to fertilize at all. Try and see. If you detect nutrient deficiencies showing on your plants, post some pics and someone would suggest which nutrient is missing.


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## jaypeecee (21 Jul 2022)

Simon Cole said:


> "AQUADIP Plant Food⁺ is an essential product for aquatic plants taking nutrients through the leaves.


Hi @Simon Cole & Everyone,

I wonder why the manufacturer of this product makes a point of saying "taking nutrients _through the leaves_"?

Strange.

JPC


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## Simon Cole (21 Jul 2022)

I guess they are more likely to get locked-out or precipitated away if they take the long route.


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