# Where to buy dry salts?



## Aeropars (6 Jun 2019)

Hi all,

Its been a while but I'm coming to the end of my dry salts and from what I can tell, the Nutrient Company no longer sell dry salts. 

Does anyone have any suggestion where to get them from? The EI method seems to not be so popular any more.

Cheers


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## Aqua sobriquet (6 Jun 2019)

Try these folks.

Dry Chemicals - Fertilisers

And

Aquatic Plants Fertiliser


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## Jayefc1 (6 Jun 2019)

I don't think it's that it's not as popular just so many places you can get them and TNC would prefer to sell there pre mix as I'm sure they make a lot more money from it 

Cheers
Jay


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## Zeus. (6 Jun 2019)

For some elements like MgSO4 or K2SO4 just bulk buy off ebay


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## Jayefc1 (6 Jun 2019)

Well you can by Epsom salts in any place like home bargains or b&m


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## Aqua sobriquet (7 Jun 2019)

You can buy some of the salts you need on eBay but there was a complaint on here about someone doing that and not getting what they thought they were. You _can_ get Epsom salts in many places but as it’s popular for things like bath salts I’d be worried about additives you probably wouldn’t want in your aquarium. It’s no problem buying on eBay though provided you read the description carefully and buy from a reputable chemical supplier.


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## Aeropars (10 Jun 2019)

Aqua sobriquet said:


> https://aquaplantscare.uk/product-category/aquatic-plants-fertiliser/



I've seen these when searching. No telephone number or address though so made me sceptical. Are they trusted?


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## Aqua sobriquet (10 Jun 2019)

I’ve not tried them personally as I’m well stocked with salts.


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## HiNtZ (10 Jun 2019)

Aeropars said:


> I've seen these when searching. No telephone number or address though so made me sceptical. Are they trusted?



I use them - really good seller. Always throwing in freebies like shrimp/fish food, almond leaves etc

No problems whatsoever.


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## three-fingers (10 Jun 2019)

I've used them too, I got some freebie root fertiliser balls in my last order .


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## Wolfito (20 Jun 2019)

ebay?


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## RJordan (30 Jun 2019)

I bought some form CO2 supermarket and following the dosing instruction my plants look horrible. Before I used TNC and Flourish but  for 850 L tank is quite a price to pay . Not sure if dry salt  works well. Maybe   I am doing something wrong


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## sparkyweasel (30 Jun 2019)

They certainly work for lots of people.  
If you could post some info about your tank and what salts and dose you used, we can probably work out if you're going wrong and help.
Tank dimensions, filtration, lighting, CO2 details if using it, substrate etc.
What plants, and what looks horrible about them?
Which salts, and how did you dose?
When did you change to the new ferts, and when did the plants start to go downhil?
If you can take some pics of the plants, they would help too.


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## dw1305 (30 Jun 2019)

Hi all, 





sparkyweasel said:


> If you can take some pics of the plants,





sparkyweasel said:


> What plants, and what looks horrible about them? Which salts, and how did you dose?


 That would really help.





RJordan said:


> Not sure if dry salt works well. Maybe I am doing something wrong


You are good, it definitely isn't an issue with using dry salts, so we probably need to look somewhere else.

The first question would probably be "_do you have really hard tap water?" _I'll add @Zeus. and @Tim Harrison  as they have hard water and fantastic plants.

The reason is that all plants (even terrestrial ones) can only take up nutrients as ions from solution. For a plant to make use of a fertiliser it must be dissolved in water. It doesn't make any difference to the plant whether you've added the water to a dry compound, or some-one else has added it and then sold it to you as a "liquid fertiliser". Once a compound (say a salt like potassium nitrate (KNO3)) is in solution it doesn't matter where it came from, every K+ (or NO3-) ion is exactly the same as every other one.

Have a look at these threads: <"Percentages for dry fertilisers">, <"_Rotala rotundifolia_ - Growth Issues"> and <"Duckweed Index says.."> and see if any of it helps.

cheers Darrel


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## Zeus. (30 Jun 2019)

RJordan said:


> Not sure if dry salt works well.





RJordan said:


> following the dosing instruction my plants look horrible.





RJordan said:


> Maybe I am doing something wrong



sounds like it. but doesnt mean its fert related



sparkyweasel said:


> If you could post some info about your tank and what salts and dose you used, we can probably work out if you're going wrong and help.
> Tank dimensions, filtration, lighting, CO2 details if using it, substrate etc.
> What plants, and what looks horrible about them?
> Which salts, and how did you dose?
> ...


+1

If your dosing EI ferts in excess and doing a 50% WC weekly the chances it is fert related is very slim. A report of the water quality from your water supplier would rule that out.

the answer is in the details of your setup and a full tank shot


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## Aeropars (2 Jul 2019)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,   That would really help.You are good, it definitely isn't an issue with using dry salts, so we probably need to look somewhere else.
> 
> The first question would probably be "_do you have really hard tap water?" _I'll add @Zeus. and @Tim Harrison  as they have hard water and fantastic plants.



Hi Darrel. Whats the correlation here (in simple terms) around hard water and it making use of fertilisers? what is concidered hard water?

I've recently been toying with the idea of an RO unit to see how that affects plants.


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## dw1305 (2 Jul 2019)

Hi all,





Aeropars said:


> around hard water and it making use of fertilisers?


Nutrient availability really, a lot of plant nutrients are less soluble at higher pH values, and also very high calcium (Ca++) levels may effect the uptake of other nutrients.

From <"_Rotala rotundifolia_ growth issues"> 




 

The most difficult ion to keep in solution is ferric iron (Fe+++), because it is highly reactive and nearly all the anions it can join with (PO4---, OH-, CO3--) form insoluble compounds. To get around this we always add iron as a chelate, an organic acid (<"FeEDTA"> etc) that holds onto the ion and stops it instantly going out of solution.





Aeropars said:


> what is considered hard water?


I'd say anything over about 8dKH/dGH (~140mg Ca++/L), that will give you enough carbonate buffering to make it difficult to reduce the pH.

cheers Darrel


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