# Trace Elements/CSM + B, UK or Import - What do you use.



## KirstyF (23 Aug 2021)

Hi All

Just looking to get prepped up in advance of new tank arriving and have a query re Micro's. 

I've found Macro dry salts that I can mix at home (NPK - KN03, KH2P04, K2S04) and the prices are not so bad but creating a DIY Micro mix is a bit more complex. I've therefore been looking at CSM+B and can add Magnesium if needed. (My water is hard at around 14.5GH, so I'm assuming that Calcium is unlikely to be an issue but unfortunately my on-line water report does not specify Mg or Ca levels so no way of knowing what that GH is made up of) I'll have to monitor and see how that goes.
This will be my first tank since moving to this area so no prior experience of the water and no testing completed as yet.

I've found one place in the UK that sells CSM+B in 10g bags which yield 0.015PPM Fe when diluted into a 500ml solution and dosed at 1ml per 100L. (£4 per bag)

Ingredient info below:

Fe – 7,80%, Mn- 2,00%, B – 1,40%,

Zn- 0,40%, Cu – 0,10%, Mo – 0,06%

E 202 & E 300

EDTA Chelated

My new tank will be 727L (when empty)
or 192 US gallons
or 160 imperial gallons

By my calculations, to hit 0.5ppm of Fe pw (EI recommended) I would need to use 33.33ml per 100L, which is 242.3ml/3 doses per wk = 80.77ml per dose. (or 80ml for ease)

Therefore 10g of CSM+B will give me approx 6 doses at a cost of 67p per dose. 

Alternatively I can pay shocking import charges and wait a month and get Plantex CSM+B from NilocG in North America which is sold in 1lb bags (only £13:00/$18:00 for the product but £35/$47 for shipping)

Ingredient Info below:
Total magnesium(water soluble chelated mg) 1.5%
Copper(chelated) 0.1%
Iron (chelated) 7.0%
Manganese(chelated) 2.0%
Molybdenum. 0.06%
Zinc(chelated) 0.40%
Boron 0.8%
EDTA – minimum content 65.4%

Dosing states that 1/8th tsp into 10 gallons will add 0.5ppm fe

I would need 19 x 1/8th tsp/3 doses pw = 6.33 x 1/8th tsp (lets say 6 for ease) per dose

There are 768 x 1/8th tsp in 1lb/6 = 128 doses

Cost per 1lb with shipping = £48.00

Cost per dose = 37.5p

My short questions, after these long explanations are:

Can I add up?
which (in your opinion) would be the best Micro option of the two above (or they close enough that it doesn't really matter)?
Anyone know of any other good options for dry trace, inside/outside the UK? 
Does anyone know any UK suppliers of CSM+B that sell in larger (better value) quantities so that I don't have to ship in from North America?
What's everybody else in the UK using for large tanks?

Many thanks for your replies


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## Zeus. (23 Aug 2021)

APFUK trace is pretty good value here in the UK and many use it on the forum, unless you wish to buy 1KG of Solufeed Sodium Free TEC-ST.
Many of the CSM+B are well overpriced IMO




If your going down the DIY route may be worth a try of the IFC calculator which once you get use to it has many of the trace ferts with there analysis data also to handy to compare.
Calculator also has a DIY trace section so you can make your own trace with all the serial dilutions to boot.


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## KirstyF (23 Aug 2021)

Hey Zeus
Thanks for your reply. The one I found was Aqua Plant Care and ur right, as per your list, it is a 21g packet not 10g (so there goes my calcs, lol) although it has now gone up to £3.99!
I’ll take a look at APFUK but their website has been down for 2 days now. Hoping it really is maintenance and not a permanent issue. So many businesses are struggling to survive Brexit and the pandemic combined.

Thanks for the IFC link. Will definitely take a look at that. Can’t open on my phone but will take a peak on my laptop later.

Appreciate the pointers. 😊


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## KirstyF (23 Aug 2021)

Zeus. said:


> If your going down the DIY route may be worth a try of the IFC calculator which once you get use to it has many of the trace ferts with there analysis data also to handy to compare.
> Calculator also has a DIY trace section so you can make your own trace with all the serial dilutions to boot.


Just been playing with the IFC calculator and had to come back on and say fab job guys. The idea of DIY trace seemed a bit much but this calculator makes it all so do-able. Including the stock solutions....stroke of genius. 👍


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## Zeus. (24 Aug 2021)

KirstyF said:


> Just been playing with the IFC calculator and had to come back on and say fab job guys. The idea of DIY trace seemed a bit much but this calculator makes it all so do-able. Including the stock solutions....stroke of genius. 👍


Thank you for you kind words, it goes a long way. We did the calculator to make it easier for ourselves and sharing it seemed the logical thing to do as others may find it helpful.


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## KirstyF (25 Aug 2021)

Zeus. said:


> Thank you for you kind words, it goes a long way. We did the calculator to make it easier for ourselves and sharing it seemed the logical thing to do as others may find it helpful.


No problem, the efforts you guys have made I’m sure are, and will continue to be,  much appreciated by many.

I for one will now be ordering a bunch of dry salts and going DIY across the board and I don’t think I’d have made that choice without this calc. 😊

I do have a couple of quick questions though before I order. 

1 - On the compare section for cloning established mixes, I notice that few have Ni and/or Co and those that do are very low level. Q- Are these 2 elements of any great value or ok to skip
2 - Am I correct in assuming that the as I would already be getting some K from potassium nitrate (KN03) and monopotassium sulphate (KH2P04)  I only need to top up the difference with Potassium sulphate (K2S04) to reach my desired total dose for K. (Just checking) 
3 - As I mentioned, my local water report is sadly lacking so it’s not clear how much Magnesium and how much Calcium are making up my 14.5 dGH. Can anyone recommend a reliable test kit that I can use to verify the Mg/Ca level. (I’m assuming I only need one to extrapolate the other) 

Thanks for all replies.


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## Zeus. (25 Aug 2021)

KirstyF said:


> 1 - On the compare section for cloning established mixes, I notice that few have Ni and/or Co and those that do are very low level. Q- Are these 2 elements of any great value or ok to skip


I did the maths on my water report and the Ni levels was acceptable so no Ni needed, I would assume the same for Co. They are more there for folk using 100% RO water


KirstyF said:


> Am I correct in assuming that the as I would already be getting some K from potassium nitrate (KN03) and monopotassium sulphate (KH2P04) I only need to top up the difference with Potassium sulphate (K2S04) to reach my desired total dose for K. (Just checking)



yes its the total amount and the calculator accounts for this and has a picking order, which I referred to as the 'headshot order' in the early releases



So it does NO3 first any K is accounted for and the same for PO4 so when you pick say K2SO4 to make up any shortfall in K it will only give the mass thats needed to hit your target, if later you add some say KHCO3 it accounts for that K as well and adjusts the K2SO4 needed again. There are limits and you you add enough KNO3, KH2PO4 and KHCO3 you will go above your K target but it will not add any K2SO4 


KirstyF said:


> 3 - As I mentioned, my local water report is sadly lacking so it’s not clear how much Magnesium and how much Calcium are making up my 14.5 dGH. Can anyone recommend a reliable test kit that I can use to verify the Mg/Ca level. (I’m assuming I only need one to extrapolate the other)


I dont test, its a waste of money and effort IMO, many UK water supplies have plenty of Ca and little Mg so just toss a teaspoon of epsom salts at water change per 100 litres will increase the [Mg] 5ppm. My tap water had 140ppm Ca and 5ppm Mg so I just ignored the ratios and add a few teaspoons of Epsom salts. The ratios are fine for reminerlising RO water otherwise just ignore  them and watch your plants, they well tell you if they are not happy


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## KirstyF (26 Aug 2021)

That’s great. Thanks Zeus. 😊


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## l1nd0gg (15 Sep 2021)

Zeus. said:


> APFUK trace is pretty good value here in the UK and many use it on the forum, unless you wish to buy 1KG of Solufeed Sodium Free TEC-ST.
> Many of the CSM+B are well overpriced IMO
> View attachment 173430
> If your going down the DIY route may be worth a try of the IFC calculator which once you get use to it has many of the trace ferts with there analysis data also to handy to compare.
> Calculator also has a DIY trace section so you can make your own trace with all the serial dilutions to boot.



Hi Zeus,

Recently, APF have been out of stock on chelated trace elements, and I can’t seem to find anything similar anywhere, I refuse to pay £3.99 from a guy on eBay, selling 10g in a small drug bag when I have a 1500L tank. EI dosing is supposed to be a cheaper alternative, especially for large aquariums… do you or anyone following this discussion, know any sources at all for micronutrients, preferably ready mixed, but open to any suggestions considering it’s impossible to get chelated trace elements from aquariumplantfood.co.uk 

Cheers in advance.

Nathan in Manchester 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Zeus. (15 Sep 2021)

When we compare APFUK with Solufeed Sodium Free TEC it is hard to spot the differance





It is no surprise that APFUK get their trace salts from Solufeed

Solufeed Sodium Free TEC £13.80 for 1.0Kg should last a few years


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## l1nd0gg (15 Sep 2021)

Zeus. said:


> When we compare APFUK with Solufeed Sodium Free TEC it is hard to spot the differance
> View attachment 174365View attachment 174366
> It is no surprise that APFUK get their trace salts from Solufeed
> 
> Solufeed Sodium Free TEC £13.80 for 1.0Kg should last a few years



Amazing!! What is this comparison website you used? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Zeus. (15 Sep 2021)

I used the IFC Aquarium Fertilizer Calculator and went to the DIY trace section and just selected the trace salts and compared them. However I was already aware of it being a suitable substitute after many an hour I spent with @Hanuman putting the calculator together

You can even select the salt in the TargetCalulator and target a specific Fe ppm




or in the DIYCalculator it gives the yeilds for a specific mass of the dose based on your tank size and dosing regime.

If you find anything missing on the calculator give us the heads up and we will see if we can get it on next release


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## MichaelJ (16 Sep 2021)

Zeus. said:


> When we compare APFUK with Solufeed Sodium Free TEC it is hard to spot the differance
> View attachment 174365View attachment 174366
> It is no surprise that APFUK get their trace salts from Solufeed
> 
> Solufeed Sodium Free TEC £13.80 for 1.0Kg should last a few years



Hi @Zeus. this trace blend looks great...  I tried to order online, but they don't ship to the US... Wish I could find a similar product - but takes a lot of research to go through the ingredient lists etc. -  perhaps Solufeed is sold under a different name here.

Cheers,
Michael


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## Zeus. (16 Sep 2021)

MichaelJ said:


> Hi @Zeus. this trace blend looks great...  I tried to order online, but they don't ship to the US... Wish I could find a similar product - but takes a lot of research to go through the ingredient lists etc. -  perhaps Solufeed is sold under a different name here.
> 
> Cheers,
> Michael


Have a google and see what you can get locally
the List of commercial trace ferts we though was suitable is but we didnt look hard



but we only added what folk asked about and then we ran though the elements and compared them then added them to the calculator. If you see what you can get I will run the numbers and add it to the calculator no problem M8. Its very easy for us to add more commercial trace salts, It will help others also


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## MichaelJ (16 Sep 2021)

Zeus. said:


> Have a google and see what you can get locally
> the List of commercial trace ferts we though was suitable is but we didnt look hard
> View attachment 174378
> but we only added what folk asked about and then we ran though the elements and compared them then added them to the calculator. If you see what you can get I will run the numbers and add it to the calculator no problem M8. Its very easy for us to add more commercial trace salts, It will help others also


Hi Zeus. Yes, I will look around and see what I can find and try.

Right now I am using this chelated liquid soluble trace element mix. I've been using it for two months now and haven't noticed any deficiencies or issues, plants are doing great, so I would give it my thumbs up actually.
I target 0.55ppm of Fe weekly (split over two weekly doses) and get enough Mn,Cu and Zn with that dose as well, but it's just a bit too lean I think on Mo and B...perhaps - I am probably just nitpicking .

I dilute the trace in distilled water 1:7 in a 300 ml bottle and that will last about two months for both my 150L tanks.. the quart (946 ml) of the trace I bought @ 21.5 USD should then last for 26 x 300 ml bottles... or about 5 years!!  making the bottle price around 82 cents 

I guess, I could just add the Mo and B, that I think is missing, to the water mix.

Cheers,
Michael


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## Zeus. (16 Sep 2021)

Can you get NilocG Plantex CSM+B, when we did the IFC calculator I spent some time weighing up valve for money commercial ferts and NilocG range came out top, only problem with NilocG complete range is we cant get it in the UK which is the only reason I would recommend TNC complete which came second.

Not too bad $13 for 1lb 

NilocG Plantex CSM+B is on the IFC as well so you can use it to get the Fe ppm your after


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## MichaelJ (16 Sep 2021)

Zeus. said:


> Can you get NilocG Plantex CSM+B, when we did the IFC calculator I spent some time weighing up valve for money commercial ferts and NilocG range came out top, only problem with NilocG complete range is we cant get it in the UK which is the only reason I would recommend TNC complete which came second.


Hi @Zeus. Yup! I can totally get that here in the US - half a pound is $15.99 on Amazon ...


Zeus. said:


> NilocG Plantex CSM+B is on the IFC as well so you can use it to get the Fe ppm your after


Do you have a calculation that shows what you get of each element when targeting 0.5 ppm Fe ? (dumb question, I guess.. of course you do  )

Looks like 1 gram would target 0.5 ppm of Fe for a 150L tank...  so in my case with two 150L tanks the 1/2 lbs bag would last a bit over two years... not bad at all!

Cheers,
Michael


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## Zeus. (17 Sep 2021)

MichaelJ said:


> Looks like 1 gram would target 0.5 ppm of Fe for a 150L tank...





One gram a week for 150l tank would be correct and you get a little Mg as well


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## l1nd0gg (17 Sep 2021)

Zeus. said:


> View attachment 174412
> One gram a week for 150l tank would be correct and you get a little Mg as well



Hi Zeus, 

Based on that recommendation you sent me the other day for trace elements here >>> Solufeed Sodium Free TEC

How many teaspoons per week would I need to reach this optimum 0.5ppm iron for a 1500L tank? 

Sorry I can’t use your excel on mobile 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## MichaelJ (17 Sep 2021)

Zeus. said:


> View attachment 174412
> One gram a week for 150l tank would be correct and you get a little Mg as well




Hi @Zeus. Excellent! I bought it straight from their website instead of Amazon - got 1 lbs for $12 + Shipping...

Cheers,
Michael


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## Zeus. (17 Sep 2021)

l1nd0gg said:


> Hi Zeus,
> 
> Based on that recommendation you sent me the other day for trace elements here >>> Solufeed Sodium Free TEC
> 
> ...


No problem m8, happy to help 





So one teaspoon twice a week sounds good to me. I would weigh 10 teaspoons and just check the weight as level teaspoons may be plenty as in my experience trace elements tend to be fine powders 
(Ignore the 100ml dose as thats what it was set at for making a solution, 8.9grams of the trace salt dry dosed into tank yields the same)


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## MichaelJ (18 Sep 2021)

Zeus. said:


> One gram a week for 150l tank would be correct and you get a little Mg as well


Hi @Zeus.  Can I bottle the Plantex CMS+B in my 300 ml dosing bottles? (Using distilled water and a bit (10ml) of white vinegar).


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## X3NiTH (18 Sep 2021)

MichaelJ said:


> Can I bottle the Plantex CMS+B in my 300 ml dosing bottles? (Using distilled water and a bit (10ml) of white vinegar).


 
Yup!

I use 0.25g of Ascorbic Acid per 500ml of RO/DI and the pH comes out at 3.2 before salts addition, plenty acid enough to keep the ferts viable.


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## MichaelJ (18 Sep 2021)

X3NiTH said:


> Yup!
> 
> I use 0.25g of Ascorbic Acid per 500ml of RO/DI and the pH comes out at 3.2 before salts addition, plenty acid enough to keep the ferts viable.


Awesome thanks!

EDIT: I think I should be ok with the 10 ml of white vinegar and a bit (0.25g) of Potassium sorbate. I will go through a bottle in about 2 months and then mix a new one.


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## MichaelJ (24 Sep 2021)

@X3NiTH / @Zeus. Just got the Plantex CMS+B and made my first 300 ml bottle today : 32g of the powder + 250 ml distilled water + 0.25g of Potassium sorbate ... I accidentally added 20 ml of white vinegar instead of 10 ml... not sure whether that's consequential or not.  The bottle is supposed to last 10 weeks or so.  It's a bit hard to dissolve - lots of residue at the bottom of the bottle - I guess I just have to shake it really well before dosing.  After acquiring a bit more knowledge about how Fe "behaves", I think I am going to up my dosing frequency a bit and targeting around 1 ppm weekly of Fe instead of my current 0.55 ppm.

Cheers,
Michael


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## Zeus. (25 Sep 2021)

MichaelJ said:


> Just got the Plantex CMS+B and made my first 300 ml bottle today : 32g of the powder + 250 ml distilled water + 0.25g of Potassium sorbate ...





MichaelJ said:


> lots of residue at the bottom of the bottle



The solubility of traces mixes varies from product to product and can be hard to find, in the IFC calculator we based all the solubility of trace salts and trace salt mixes limits based on Fe 13.2 Fe EDTA which we had data on which happens to be 75grams per litre so you mix may be a little on limit.

So I would add another 250ml of RO water and all the salts should dissolve, add 0.25g of Potassium sorbate and just dose the amount your dosing and sorted.

I have added too much acidifiers in past by accident its so easy  I just accept it and move on - better too much than not enough and once it hits the tank it makes so little difference as it will be mega diluted by a few ml landing in many litres


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## MichaelJ (25 Sep 2021)

Zeus. said:


> The solubility of traces mixes varies from product to product and can be hard to find, in the IFC calculator we based all the solubility of trace salts and trace salt mixes limits based on Fe 13.2 Fe EDTA which we had data on which happens to be 75grams per litre so you mix may be a little on limit.
> 
> So I would add another 250ml of RO water and all the salts should dissolve, add 0.25g of Potassium sorbate and just dose the amount your dosing and sorted.


Thanks @Zeus.  Yes, it did occur to me that my mixture might have been a bit over the limit in terms of solubility. I may split it up into two bottles as you suggest.



Zeus. said:


> I have added too much acidifiers in past by accident its so easy  I just accept it and move on - better too much than not enough and once it hits the tank it makes so little difference as it will be mega diluted by a few ml landing in many litres


Good to know.

Cheers,
Michael


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## MichaelJ (1 Oct 2021)

Hi @Zeus. Got some better and bigger dosing bottles (500 ml instead of 300 ml) that dispenses ~2.0 ml instead of ~0.6 ml per pump.  I mixed a new bottle with the Plantex CMS+B. This time I mixed 12g with 500 ml distilled water (instead of 32g @ 300 ml). This mix dissolved like a charm - zero residue at the bottom!  Also, I opted for 0.3 g of Ascorbic Acid (per @X3NiTH) + 0.3 g  of Potassium sorbate.  pH comes out around 4.55 - not sure my probe is any good at low pH... but pH should be low enough to keep it viable for about a month when I need a new bottle. As always, thanks for the help!

Cheers,
Michael


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## KirstyF (17 Nov 2021)

Hi There
Just resurrecting this old thread to add another related query. 

Just wanted to check if ascorbic acid and potassium sorbate is needed in micro stock solutions?

I understand that these act to preserve mixes and reduce ph and are advisable for dosing solutions (although I’m not totally clear on the science) but a 100ml stock solution (over a years worth) of Mn or Cu for example would use just 0.05g of potassium sorbate based on the same ratios, which means I’d probably need a stock solution to make my stock solutions 😂 

I know I could dilute further but I’d like to keep the stock solutions in smaller bottles just for storage convenience really.


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## X3NiTH (18 Nov 2021)

Some elements are more reactive at higher pH in forming precipitates so Acid is used to prevent this, if the salt in question is a chelated salt like EDTA then the pH has to be low enough to prevent the chelate from reacting and dropping the desired ion leaving it free to react with other compounds, you also want to use as pure water as possible to begin with to reduce this possibility for this effect, ideally 0TDS. 

Potassium Sorbate is only needed if you intend to store the solution in the Goldilocks Zone (Room Temperature) in a container that draws in atmospheric air as the liquid is used (access point for microorganisms) and only if the solution contains all the micro elements needed to feed bacteria and mycology (unchelated single compound solutions don’t need preservative but may need acidified depending on the compound and it’s capacity to form hydroxide precipitates at higher pH, ie Zinc). 

The purity of your stock water also has a role to play in this. Keeping the complete stock solution in the fridge will preserve it indefinitely. 

If we are no longer talking about chelated trace elements which is what the thread is discussing and your dipping your toes in going full DIY then of all the elements only Copper, Nickel and Molybdenum need be made into stock solutions for titration into a larger complete solution as weighing out amounts for parts per billion in the complete solution means measuring out weights where they are generally within the error percentage of the device in use and as such it will skew the accuracy to total target amount.


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## KirstyF (18 Nov 2021)

Hi @X3NiTH

Thanks for your response. So, am I understanding this correctly?

My chelated stock solutions should include ascorbic acid at recommended levels (I’m intending to make up with distilled water) to prevent precipitates but do not need potassium sorbate if kept in the fridge, and should last indefinitely. This would include the Cu 15% EDTA that I’m planning to use?

‘Unchelated stock solutions may or may not require acid depending on the compound’. I think the only unchelated compound I’m looking to make up as a stock will be Mo (NH4) so can you confirm if this requires the acid or not? 

Once made up into the final mixed dosing solution, ascorbic acid and potassium sorbate should be added at the recommended level for the full volume, if the intent is to store the solution at room temp (I.e in the tank cabinet for easy access) The micro solution would include a mix of both chelated and unchelated compounds so the acid will prevent precipates and the potassium sorbate will preserve. 

The Macro solution is KN03, KH2PO4 and K2S04, none of which are chelated (and clearly I don’t need stock solutions) so this would just need the potassium sorbate for preservation and no acid as these are not chelated compounds?

I will be making up dosing solutions for both micro and macro rather than direct dosing of dry salts (even though the tank is quite large) as I regularly travel for a few days and this is more convenient for my handy helpers at home….other than magnesium, which I was just planning on dosing dry once per week after water change. 

I’m guessing that the world wouldn’t end if I just used both the preservative and the acid in everything but as a first step into DIY salts it’s good to have that basic understanding of how things interact. 😊


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## X3NiTH (18 Nov 2021)

KirstyF said:


> My chelated stock solutions should include ascorbic acid at recommended levels (I’m intending to make up with distilled water) to prevent precipitates but do not need potassium sorbate if kept in the fridge, and should last indefinitely. This would include the Cu 15% EDTA that I’m planning to use?



That’s correct, I would add the Ascorbic to the larger volume of distilled water and dispense this for your solutions rather than for each sample so you don’t have to measure small weights each time.



KirstyF said:


> ‘Unchelated stock solutions may or may not require acid depending on the compound’. I think the only unchelated compound I’m looking to make up as a stock will be Mo (NH4) so can you confirm if this requires the acid or not?



It’s probably not necessary to acidify this solution but you can always use the acidified stock distilled water first and see if there’s any precipitative reaction, I use Sodium Molybdate and that forms a stable solution without acidification, your not going to waste much salt trying it out if it doesn’t work.



KirstyF said:


> Once made up into the final mixed dosing solution, ascorbic acid and potassium sorbate should be added at the recommended level for the full volume, if the intent is to store the solution at room temp (I.e in the tank cabinet for easy access) The micro solution would include a mix of both chelated and unchelated compounds so the acid will prevent precipates and the potassium sorbate will preserve.



No need to add any more Ascorbic Acid if your stock distilled water is already acidified beforehand. You only need to add the Sorbate if the solution is stored/used in a warm area away from refrigeration.



KirstyF said:


> The Macro solution is KN03, KH2PO4 and K2S04, none of which are chelated (and clearly I don’t need stock solutions) so this would just need the potassium sorbate for preservation and no acid as these are not chelated compounds?



No acidification required, preservative is optional, a Macro solution containing potassium salts only is unlikely to be a breeding ground for much unless the distilled water source is not fully pure and contains micro elements in the parts per billion/trillion (enough to feed a fungal or bacterial colony).



KirstyF said:


> ….other than magnesium, which I was just planning on dosing dry once per week after water change.



This is fine it just makes this a remineralising strategy for waterchange rather than a dosing strategy mid week.



KirstyF said:


> I’m guessing that the world wouldn’t end if I just used both the preservative and the acid in everything but as a first step into DIY salts it’s good to have that basic understanding of how things interact. 😊



This is Ok to do as long as you don’t have any precipitate formation, as I said above Acidifying the distilled water source first before distribution between the compounds you want to solve makes the process easier and saves on weighing multiple small amounts and reduces the risk of using too much Ascorbic to shift the pH, using the minimal amount I mentioned in a post above to obtain a pH below 4 (depending on the source water pH 3.2 @ 0.5g/L for 0TDS RO/DI) is all you need, if you want to shift the pH one point lower it will take 10x the weight of acid you initially added, extra stuff not needed but free to participate in precipitation reactions.


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## KirstyF (18 Nov 2021)

Perfect!
Really clear explanation and much appreciated. 
Many thanks 😊


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