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GreggZ Planted Rainbow Tank!

GreggZ said:
Someone messaged me with a question recently about making custom micros. I thought I would answer it here as kind of a PSA on how I make mine. So if you don’t make custom micros this won’t be of much interest. For those who do it might help make it easier for you.

There are three components to micros that are measured in VERY small amounts, Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate (CuSO4*5H2O), Sodium Molybdate (Na2MoO4*2H2O), and Nickel Sulfate Hexahydrate (NiSO4 6(H2O)). The measurements are small fractions of a gram. That’s tricky to get right.
For my micros I make a 1000ml (1000ml = 1L) solution that adds the following per 20 ml dose to my 105 gallons of actual water volume: Copper at 0.00086, S. Molybate at 0.0005, and Nickel at 0.00142 ppm. In order to make that solution I would add 0.067 gm of Copper, 0.025 gm S. Molybate , and 0.0126 gm of Nickel to the solution. If anyone has tried measuring these small amounts you know what a pain it is, and the likelihood of it being correct is probably slim.

There is another way. I make a separate 1000ml solution of just these items.

So let’s look at Copper. If I was doing it the traditional way, I would add 0.067 gm of Cu into my solution. If I calculate that I find that 0.067 gm of Cu into 1000ml raises the concentration of that 1000 ml to 17.05 ppm. This is key. The amount of Cu I would add the old way brings that 1000ml solution to 17.05 ppm.

So instead of doing that, I will make a solution that raises 1000ml to 17.05 ppm Cu. In my case I make it so that 60 ml will raise 1000 ml to my target levels.

Still with me?

So again, I am creating 1000 ml solution so that a 60 ml dose will raise 1000 ml (1L) to 17.05 ppm Cu. To do so I need to add 1.1165 grams to the solution. This is much easier than measuring out 0.067 grams each time you make a new batch.

And then it’s so on and so forth for the other components. When I’m done I have a solution that will make about 16 batches of micros. That is a long time! I can tell you that it makes putting together your micro solution batches MUCH faster, easier, and less of a chore.

Now I need to go lie down for a while with a cold compress on my forehead!!
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Serial dilution baby. You said it. Only way to go in my opinion when it comes to these compounds unless one likes trading with the devil!
GreggZ said:
Now I need to go lie down for a while with a cold compress on my forehead!!
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If only you used the IFC Calculator (DIYTraceCalculator sheet to be specific) to make those serial dilutions, you wouldn't need to lie down and use those cold compress on your forehead!! Zeus and I specially got our heads and faces banged, trashed, hurt and disfigured at length for you all to have a peaceful and less painful, compress-free life. 😇
@Zeus. knows what I am talking about and will vouch for that statement, I'm sure.😅

Jokes aside, Zorfox's calculator works great and has also been one of the source for the making of the IFC calculator, so credits also go to Zorfox's. A quick note though, we have detected the same 3 or 4 miscalculations in both Zorfox calculator and Rotala Butterfly, which is not surprising as they are based one on each other. Luckily @fablau has been made aware of those bugs through the past 2 years and has fixed them in the Rotala Butterfly calculator.
 
Hanuman said:
Jokes aside, Zorfox's calculator works great and has also been one of the source for the making of the IFC calculator, so credits also go to Zorfox's. A quick note though, we have detected the same 3 or 4 miscalculations in both Zorfox calculator and Rotala Butterfly, which is not surprising as they are based one on each other. Luckily @fablau has been made aware of those bugs through the past 2 years and has fixed them in the Rotala Butterfly calculator.
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I've been meaning to do this for a while as this question comes up a lot. It's SO much easier when you make a secondary solution.

And tell Fablau I said hello. He's a great guy and has been a great help to the hobby over the years.
 
Hanuman said:
If only you used the IFC Calculator (DIYTraceCalculator sheet to be specific) to make those serial dilutions, you wouldn't need to lie down and use those cold compress on your forehead!! Zeus and I specially got our heads and faces banged, trashed, hurt and disfigured at length for you all to have a peaceful and less painful, compress-free life. 😇
@Zeus. knows what I am talking about and will vouch for that statement, I'm sure.😅

Jokes aside, Zorfox's calculator works great and has also been one of the source for the making of the IFC calculator, so credits also go to Zorfox's. A quick note though, we have detected the same 3 or 4 miscalculations in both Zorfox calculator and Rotala Butterfly, which is not surprising as they are based one on each other. Luckily @fablau has been made aware of those bugs through the past 2 years and has fixed them in the Rotala Butterfly calculator.
Click to expand...
I would love to use you calculator, unfortunately I do not have microsoft excel 365, 2016 or 2019. I suspect many others may have the same issue. I was able to open it with "Open Office" and poke around and it offers so much more than Zorfox or Rotala Butterfly. Oh well.
 
GreggZ said:
I've been meaning to do this for a while as this question comes up a lot. It's SO much easier when you make a secondary solution.

And tell Fablau I said hello. He's a great guy and has been a great help to the hobby over the years.
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Good to see your still at it. I followed you over from "TPT", shame what happened there. Tank is looking just as awesome as ever. It's a small world to Fablau aka Fabrizio lives just down the street from me.
 
RLee2 said:
Good to see your still at it. I followed you over from "TPT", shame what happened there. Tank is looking just as awesome as ever. It's a small world to Fablau aka Fabrizio lives just down the street from me.
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Hey I remember you from TPT! Good to see you here! Yeah it is a shame. That guy SWS is out of control. I've read what I wrote and wouldn't change a thing. The worst part is that he took the journal down. I get loads of messages still asking where it went. Turns out far more people followed it than I was aware of.

In addition to journaling here I am also active on FB. I am a moderator at the Supplemented CO2 Planted Tanks group, and am active on the High-Tech Planted Tanks (Xiaozhuang Wong's group).

And you know Fab? How cool is that. You've got a great planted tank mind to pick there.
 
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RLee2 said:
I would love to use you calculator, unfortunately I do not have microsoft excel 365, 2016 or 2019. I suspect many others may have the same issue. I was able to open it with "Open Office" and poke around and it offers so much more than Zorfox or Rotala Butterfly. Oh well.
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Unfortunately it will not really work under Open Office. It does work with the Online Excel version, although lots of the visuals are screwed but calculations seem ok.
Gregg has no excuse though, he has Excel and is a pro at it 😉
 
CMooner said:
Hi Gregg,

Clarification please, So 1000ml of base micros, then 60ml of 1000ml Cu solution, 60ml Mo solution, 60ml Ni solution?
1000ml + 180ml = 1180ml final micro solution?

Thanks
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Close.

1000ml base solution - add 60 ml Cu/Mo/Ni solution - total 1060ml - close enough for our purposes.
 
@GreggZ I plugged your numbers in the IFC calculator to see how well the below statement would compete with a machine calculator
GreggZ said:
Who needs a calculator? I just do all the calculations in my head!! 😝
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Unfortunately, as Sting says, I "hate to say it, but it's probably me" who's right 😂
I spoted an error with your NiSo4. Weight is off by quite a lot in relation to your target PPM. It's a decimal error. You just went one too far 😉. I double checked with Rotala to make sure it was not an error on our side.
Also, we have coded the calculator so that it subtracts the volume from what is added from the stock solution so you end up with your requested container volume and accurate ppm requested values.

To your credit all others numbers match, so your head is working pretty well 😇
Gregg's micro 2.jpg

Gregg's Micros.jpg
 
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Hanuman said:
@GreggZ I plugged your numbers in the IFC calculator to see how well the below statement would compete with a machine calculator

Unfortunately, as Sting says, I "hate to say it, but it's probably me" who's right 😂
I spoted an error with your NiSo4. Weight is off by quite a lot in relation to your target PPM. It's a decimal error. You just went one too far 😉. I double checked with Rotala to make sure it was not an error on our side.
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LOL I can't believe someone actually reads this drivel!!😁 Good eye.

I transferred the information over from another sheet for that post. The amount of Ni that goes into the solution is actually correct. The error I made was when I transferred over the per dose ppm. Should have been 0.000142 ppm per dose.

But like you said, doubt it would make any big difference unless it got to toxic levels.
 
GreggZ said:
LOL I can't believe someone actually reads this drivel!!😁 Good eye.

I transferred the information over from another sheet for that post. The amount of Ni that goes into the solution is actually correct. The error I made was when I transferred over the per dose ppm. Should have been 0.000142 ppm per dose.

But like you said, doubt it would make any big difference unless it got to toxic levels.
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That’s what I guessed.
Order has now been restored. Here is the corrected version for the posterity or anyone with a 105 gallon tank wanting to replicate your dosing scheme.
Gregg's Micros 3.jpg
 
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I am at the AGA Convention in Chicago and finally got to meet a couple of people I have been friends with for many years yet we never met in person. Vin Kutty, Joe Harvey, and a bunch of other wonderful hobbyists. What a pleasure to spend a few days talking planted tanks with people who love the hobby!310147964_10221213111610884_6254442612511228435_n.jpg
 
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