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Quick check on new to ei dosing

Abarth_1200

Member
Joined
4 Sep 2022
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43
Location
Scotland
After some reading I found the fert calculator and must say I'm impressed with the work in gone in and would like to thank the persons for achieving this.

I would like to double check a few things. 60L medium planted tank, co2 high light over filtered. The calc came back with 3.8ml of seachem flourish comprehensive (welcome opinions for any better ferts) 3-4 times a week. This seems vague, but I get that this method is for the lazy and forgetful so I'll run with it. How about water changes, is 40% once a week ok? If I left it a little longer say ten days would a 50% suffice?

Anyone tell me if I were to change ferts if a normal fertiliser and a macro fertiliser would be needed 3-4 times a week each or alternate?

Thanks for reading

6A7B0229-B527-494B-BDA8-B87B2128560A.png
 
Hi there,
I’m not sure how up to date that list of premixed ferts is.
Seachem don’t sell a “comprehensive” product that I can see from their website. They do sell “Flourish” but this is a micro (trace) nutrients product that probably doesn’t include enough NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) for what you’re hoping to achieve. So you would need to add these separately. This is what I do on one of my tanks. I’m not an expert though and have mixed results with this approach, probably because I’m inconsistent with dosing.

If you’re new to this and not ready to mix your own dry salts (by far the cheapest option), you might find it simpler starting out with a different premixed product. I know some people on here (me included on another tank) use TNC Complete but there are others available.
Hope this helps 👍
 
Hi all,
The calc came back with 3.8ml of seachem flourish comprehensive (welcome opinions for any better ferts) 3-4 times a week
As long as you don't have an over-stocked iwagumi you can use a terrestrial hydroponics fertiliser. To be honest <"pretty much any"> other option <"will be cheaper">.

......... Seachem Flourish may be a complete Fert and does contain some trace elements which many commercial ferts don't, although if using tap water you will be getting enough of these trace elements in your tap water to meet your plants needs. However Seachem Flourish is soo weak we had to disable it on the IFC calculator for a short time.......

The plants, and their extra oxygen production, should mean that there aren't any problems with ammonia (<"NH3">) or nitrite (NO2-).

I'm using <"Solufeed 2 : 1 : 4 mix">, which was £13 for a kilo delivered earlier in the year, and doesn't contain any ammonium (NH4) salts, although some of the nitrogen is as urea (CO(NH2)2).

More details are in <"Low nitrate level">.

cheers Darrel
 
Hi there,
I’m not sure how up to date that list of premixed ferts is.
Seachem don’t sell a “comprehensive” product that I can see from their website. They do sell “Flourish” but this is a micro (trace) nutrients product that probably doesn’t include enough NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) for what you’re hoping to achieve. So you would need to add these separately. This is what I do on one of my tanks. I’m not an expert though and have mixed results with this approach, probably because I’m inconsistent with dosing.

If you’re new to this and not ready to mix your own dry salts (by far the cheapest option), you might find it simpler starting out with a different premixed product. I know some people on here (me included on another tank) use TNC Complete but there are others available.
Hope this helps 👍
Thanks for this, maybe I read my bottle wrongly it does say flourish on it though. I'll look into the tnc as I've heard that mentioned before.
 
Hi there,
I’m not sure how up to date that list of premixed ferts is.
Seachem don’t sell a “comprehensive” product that I can see from their website. They do sell “Flourish” but this is a micro (trace) nutrients product that probably doesn’t include enough NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) for what you’re hoping to achieve. So you would need to add these separately. This is what I do on one of my tanks. I’m not an expert though and have mixed results with this approach, probably because I’m inconsistent with dosing.

If you’re new to this and not ready to mix your own dry salts (by far the cheapest option), you might find it simpler starting out with a different premixed product. I know some people on here (me included on another tank) use TNC Complete but there are others available.
Hope this helps 👍
5BA194B0-E904-408A-973E-F03FA568B113.png
 
Looking at the bottle it does seem to contain N, P & K just in small amounts.
Small amounts, 😆 that's an under statement.
Here's what 3.8ml in a 60L tank would give you.

Screenshot_20220920-133749_Chrome.jpg


To quote @Hufsa "there's more nutrients in a fairy's fart"

@Abarth_1200 I'd go with the other suggestions and choose a fertiliser that actually contains some nutrients.
 
Hi all,
To quote @Hufsa "there's more nutrients in a fairy's fart"

@Abarth_1200 I'd go with the other suggestions and choose a fertiliser that actually contains some nutrients.
Ah, my bad, looks like I misunderstood. I always thought of Flourish as a trace nutrient product. Looking at the bottle it does seem to contain N, P & K just in small amounts.
I think even to describe it as a "trace nutrient" solution is pushing it.

Unfortunately we are back in a combination of the contest to sell the <"World's most expensive water"> and <"Seachem's"> inventive <"advertising">. Both <"Peckham spring"> and <"payday lender"> come to mind, along with <"various other comments"> that might be best left off the forum.

Having said that I have thought of a new advertising slogan for "Flourish", I will, obviously, give half the royalties to @Hufsa .
"Seachem's Flourish, more gentle on your hands than a fairies fart".

cheers Darrel
 
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Hi all,

As long as you don't have an over-stocked iwagumi you can use a terrestrial hydroponics fertiliser. To be honest <"pretty much any"> other option <"will be cheaper">.



The plants, and their extra oxygen production, should mean that there aren't any problems with ammonia (<"NH3">) or nitrite (NO2-).

I'm using <"Solufeed 2 : 1 : 4 mix">, which was £13 for a kilo delivered earlier in the year, and doesn't contain any ammonium (NH4) salts, although some of the nitrogen is as urea (CO(NH2)2).

More details are in <"Low nitrate level">.

cheers Darrel
No this is my community tank I'm sorting the planting/ co2 firstly. I appreciate your level of knowledge unfortunately some of it is going over my head, I would like to stick with aquarium fertilisers for now, I'll use the seachem water and I think I'll get the tnc complete when it runs out.

Right more reading needed
 
Hi all,
... I'll use the seachem water and I think I'll get the tnc complete when it runs out.
I'd definitely use up what you've got.
I would like to stick with aquarium fertilisers for now,
That is how these companies make their money, there aren't really any <"aquarium fertilisers">, there are just "fertilisers", but if you can imbue them with that magical word "aquarium", they instantly quadruple in value.
No this is my community tank I'm sorting the planting/ co2 firstly.
I'm not trying to be funny but CO2 is infinitely more dangerous than the "non-aquarium" fertilisers and plants can only make use of the extra CO2 if the mineral nutrients <"are non-limiting">.

I actually use a floating plant as my <"nutrient canary">, because they have access to aerial levels of CO2 (~415 ppm CO2) their growth isn't ever CO2 limited.

cheers Darrel
 
Last edited:
Hi all,

I'd definitely use up what you've got.

That is how these companies make their money, there aren't really any <"aquarium fertilisers">, there are just "fertilisers", but if you can imbue them with that magical word "aquarium", they instantly quadruple in value.

I'm not trying to be funny but CO2 is infinitely more dangerous than the "non-aquarium" fertilisers and plants can only make use of the extra CO2 if the mineral nutrients <"are non-limiting">.

I actually use a floating plant as my <"nutrient canary">, because they have access to aerial levels of CO2 (~415 ppm CO2) their growth isn't ever CO2 limited.

cheers Darrel
Got some Amazon frogbit in there a few days ago and is growing some long roots already, granted it'll take me some time to learn the colours of the leafs to diagnose deficiences.

The part about sticking with 'aquarium ferts' is mostly down to me being dumb and not having the time to invest fully into making things cheaper and better than just buying a recommend bottle.
 
Hi all,
The part about sticking with 'aquarium ferts' is mostly down to me being dumb and not having the time to invest fully into making things cheaper and better than just buying a recommend bottle.
I do similar things for my job, and I know it can seem a bit daunting, but it is honestly quite straightforward. All you need is the volume of the tank and the <"nutrient composition of the fertiliser">.

These are <"the workings"> for the Solufeed 2 : 1 : 4 mix that I mentioned earlier in the thread.
  • You need to add 2.7g of Solufeed 2 : 1 : 4 to 180 litres to give 10 ppm NO3.
If you have 60 litres of water? divide 2.7 / 3 and if you have 360 litres of water? multiply 2.7 x 2.

There are also a number of links to nutrient calculators to help you, we have the UKAPS <"IFC"> and the <"Rotala Butterfly Nutrient Calculator">.

cheers Darrel
 
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