Help with micro ferts please already dosing macro solufeed 214

[pumpypants]

I am currently dosing solufeed 214 for macro and have been for approximately 3 months, I have not dosed any micro ferts and just began macro/micro/macro/micro/macro for mon-fri using profito for micro.

I wondered if a member could point me in the direction for diy dry ferts micro, I don't seem to be able to open the web page on solufeed for the micro but I noticed they do have a liquid that is suitable for micro - can anybody shine any light on the liquid dosage from solufeed for micros please or any other dry ferts for micros.


Thankyou.

 

[Connswater]

I am really no expert, and I'm not a scientist and I have never tried using fancy special dry mixes for aquariums or hydroponics. I also don't do lot of water column fertilising but when I do, I use High Potash Tomato Feed, Chempak, 11-9-30, cheap to buy from a good garden centre, a box might last you a lifetime as an aquarist. More Phosphate than ideally I'd like and more Nitrate perhaps than I need, I have a lot of fish, but great Potassium levels and all the trace elements you will ever need, unless your water is very hard in which case you might want to dose some extra chelated Iron. I gently add a small diluted amount until I hit about 20 ppm of Nitrate, I dose gently over several days monitoring carefully, and then I let that ride down and then dose again. But only about once every two or three months, I do have Nitrate rich tabs in the compost under my sand, though I think Tropica tabs are a bit Nitrate rich, cheaper alternatives exist with more Potassium. I know, that's not proper EI.
TNC do a pretty good general premixed solution, but its not cheap for a large tank. They also have a great high Potassium no Nitrate no Phosphate loads of Trace elements solution. Aquarium Design Amano advocate lean dosing, so it is not a ludicrous way to proceed. Properly i.e. carefully, fertilising plants does not cause algae, but polluted water overloaded with Phosphate and Nitrate does lead to eutrophication especially in warm water with lots of light, and I use lots of light.

 

[pumpypants]

Is the above macro and micro combined ? An all in one if you will ? I'll check contents to see what's in there.

I'm happy with the macro side of my dosing but looking for a cheaper option than profito for micro dosing.

 

[Connswater]

11-9-30 is the macro element, standard industry measurement, NPK, Nitrate, Phosphate and Potassium, the Tomato feed is rich in Iron 0.5. Not completely sure why folks want to dose micro and macro separately unless there is a high fish load or very rich soil based substrate leeching nutrients. Chempak used to do a micro mix but discontinued I fear, they do however, a low Nitrate feed which I haven't used, it is high in Phosphate but. However, at less than a tenner for 150 water cans of solution the Tomato feed mix is a cheap and effective way to address all the nutrients needs of aquarium plants, though myself, for crypts etc., I like a rich substrate and as I said I go light on dosing the water column. I find one mix, 5 litres, lasts me a year on a 250 litre heavily planted tank. In this hobby, there are always companies looking to empty your wallet with products of a very similar nature to cheap and cheerful alternatives.

 

[Happi]

I am currently dosing solufeed 214 for macro and have been for approximately 3 months, I have not dosed any micro ferts and just began macro/micro/macro/micro/macro for mon-fri using profito for micro.

I wondered if a member could point me in the direction for diy dry ferts micro, I don't seem to be able to open the web page on solufeed for the micro but I noticed they do have a liquid that is suitable for micro - can anybody shine any light on the liquid dosage from solufeed for micros please or any other dry ferts for micros.


Thankyou.

I'm sure you've come across this thread already? It's pretty simple to either combine these products or use them individually, and you can easily create your own solutions at home.

I don't own any of these products myself since I'm based in the USA, but I created this thread because people were looking for alternative options. The combination I shared is based on what I think provides a good overall balance.

If you're really interested, feel free to share more details about your setup, goals, and parameters, and we'd be happy to assist you further.