S-
You might try the TRopica if you wish to stay with a "brand name", it's a fair bit richer(so you use less and get more for the $). Add this to the ADA bottle for convenience. I think the richer amount will certainly help.
Also, if you follow ADA, then you do the 30-50% weekly water changes after a the initial first few months/weeks of higher frequency WC's, so there's little issue with nutrient build up.
Just like EI.
EI puts a lot in the water column, ADA put a lot in the sediment and then lite in the water column. The Sun Total amount is the same and is reflected in the growth rates. You can use EI+ ADA sediments and light levels also(pretty much what I personally do) without any issue.
But you do not need to go that rich either, but it rules things out and extends the life of the ADA sediment more, which cost a lot more than EI KNO3 dosing etc.
So there are a few options, you can DIY ADA based on the analysis above, you can use Tropica, you can use EI, or you can cut EI say by 1/2, 1/3 and use that. They all should work. The water change addresses the build up. Alternatively, you can calibrate test kits, say Hach for PO4, Lamotte for NO3, then dose according to the ppm's and keep them in the 0.5ppm- 3ppm for PO4, and about 8-10-35ppm for NO3. Or a little of both test and water changes.
These all work, but each has a trade off, cost, time/labor, background knowledge to do them etc. None are better than the other, it's more a set of trade offs that works best for you. Arguments for ADA AS+ large water changes+ DIY fert salts are fairly difficult to overcome.
One thing folks in the UK have not done much is DIY soils/muds etc in this forum. They work about as well as ADA AS. But the ADA AS looks nicer, but the cost vs the benefit might be better for some that want to save $.
Some "hacks" have suggested soil in the UK, but I think the merits of some of what they stated got lost in the fray and the ego 🙄
But that does not mean part of what they said is not true or is a valid method :idea:
Regards,
Tom Barr