BEST ALL IN ONE

[Zeus.]

I have my water supply parameters

Which will vary over the year seasonally, so most folk ignore most of what it says, knowing the Ca and Mg content can be useful as these tend to remain fairly stable so you account for them, most places in UK have high Ca and low Mg so a little extra Mg help restore a better balance which may help.

Post your water report and will take a look at it , I must warn you some water reports contain the bare minimum information so their value is limited

 

[Nick potts]

Always see this as a constant reply, yet this is far more difficult than it sounds to me. I have my water supply parameters, yet I have no clue what is relevent or not, and also if the levels are high or low in something. Where do you start as a common ground.

Mixng your own can sound complicated (i found it so), but really can be as simple.

I simple recipe that will work for most tanks can be found on APF, along with all the powders you need Ei Starter 1 Kit with Bottles - Starter Kits - Dry Chemicals - Fertilisers

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

Always see this as a constant reply, yet this is far more difficult than it sounds to me. I have my water supply parameters, yet I have no clue what is relevent or not, and also if the levels are high or low in something. Where do you start as a common ground.

It’s not difficult at all! Just seems daunting without a little bit of insight. Your water report can just help you establish a baseline, but it’s not 100% necessary for your regime. You just need the main NPK ingredients, and potentially Mg and Ca depending on your GH values. Not sure if that’s included in your water report. We are all here to help just ask!

 

[Wolf6]

I used to make my own, but even though it only takes a few minutes to make a batch that lasts for several months, I still feel its a hassle. I switched to tropica specialised and found the plants to grow just as well, no noticeable algae increase (if anything I noticed a decrease). It is a lot more costly though. Now that I'm looking to set up my larger tank, I'm looking at other options again.

 

[Kalum]

DIY EI as per UKAPS @ceg4048 now using the extremely useful calculator that has the blood sweat and tears of @Zeus. And @Hanuman

It allows me to understand what's going in and a base line after w/c without worry. Then if your wants and needs change you can tweak from there and learn from the changes you make

 

[Driftless]

I am very interested in this thread as all of my tanks are in my office and daily dosing is not an option as the office is mostly closed. I am currently trying both 2hr Aquarist's APT Complete and UNS' AIO. Thoughts?

 

[Hanuman]

I am very interested in this thread as all of my tanks are in my office and daily dosing is not an option as the office is mostly closed. I am currently trying both 2hr Aquarist's APT Complete and UNS' AIO. Thoughts?

I have been testing APT Complete for a good 8 months now. It's been working fine so far. I have noticed an increase in GSA (green spot algae) since the very beginning. This is something other people have also reported but I think it is due to under-dosing which I know for a fact I was, at least a good -30% from the RMD. BTW, purposefully.

After this I will fall back to my usual EI recipe as the above was for testing and I am about to delve into a Dutch style scape which requires a dose of craziness but also something a bit more potent than APT Complete.

 

[PARAGUAY]

Just mention Neutro+ got very good plant growth with my CO2 tank

 

[paul.in.kendal]

Mixng your own can sound complicated (i found it so), but really can be as simple.

I simple recipe that will work for most tanks can be found on APF, along with all the powders you need Ei Starter 1 Kit with Bottles - Starter Kits - Dry Chemicals - Fertilisers

Absolutely this. The problem when starting out with EI is that it allows for endless tinkering, and so some people tinker (which is great). But that means you look up EI on here and quickly get lost in all the discussions about tinkering.

If you're new to it (like me) you probably have to ignore all that, find an appropriate recipe (or ask for one on here), go buy the powders, make up a batch and you're done!

 

[Tankless]

How does Evolution Aquas Complete Liquid Plant Food compare to Tropica Specialised? I've been using it for a while and its fine. Just wanted to see if its pricier water than say TSN, TNC Complete etc.