All of this is making me think it would be really helpful to have not just a guide how to use the excellent IFC calculator, but also a guide to mixing your own - some of the dos and don'ts because, certainly to me, the more I read about this here the more complex it seems to be.
To me it seems you've chosen the more difficult way. You don't like chemistry, obviously, but you want a list of tips & tricks how to do chemistry without learning it. I know it depends on everyone's personality but to me, it seems better to re-study basic high-school inorganic chemistry and to understand why and how to...
Highly disagree there. Most people have enough going on in their lives without needing to add a part time chemistry education to it. It doesnt really matter if it might have been something that was mentioned in school either, because a lot of us dont remember that stuff. Thats not particularly strange, most teenagers dont find the difference between potassium carbonate and potassium bicarbonate particularly riveting reading at that stage of their life 😁
I could try to contribute to such a guide, but I would be thankful if there is a sort of "these are the subjects the guide should cover", and that I could post a draft somewhere to get input from other people and make sure it is correct and an accurate reflection of the knowledge and practices of the forum.
I'm sorry that you disagree. During my life, I've had several hobbies, several fields of interest. And in each case, interest meant to me that I've been trying to learn everything concerning the matter. Aquarium hobby forced me to (re)learn some chemistry, not because I like chemistry, but because I like this hobby and want to do it right. Similarly, I had to learn some segments of several other sciences.
Many people just want to have a nice tank and, typically, are more willing to spend money than to spend some effort learning how it works. Nevertheless, those who enter this forum and seek advice are willing to learn, too. We can't do this hobby without learning. We differ just in degree.
Why provide a calculator at all then? Just let everybody work out their mixes for themselves. It’s the logical extension of your assertion.
I too am using a calculator, only not this one but one of my own. I think I miss your point. But what if we just leave this topic?
Knowing a lot about chemistry should not, and is not, a prerequisite for being successful with a planted aquarium. If someone got the interest, time and aptitude to study up, thats fine, if not, we should offer our help - I mean, isn't that the whole point of this forum? My scientific background is not in Chemistry - as a matter of fact I forgot most of what I was taught back in the day... Chemistry is just not something I ever touched on professionally. When I joined the forum some 2 1/2 years ago I learned a ton from members such as @dw1305, @X3NiTH and others and got enough of a head start so I could go and study up a bit more when I felt that was necessary.
I did read the whole thing before your comment and thought "here we go again" lol but I left it up to the thread starter to report it if they were not happy with it, as the starter might want the scientific information, but like you say posts like this focused too much on science and possibly some theories that are not a must in growing plants in an aquarium for the average user, or people that don't care much for the science behind it, then a lot of the information can be seen as contradicting, as some people have their mind set on CO2 vs no CO2, RO vs no RO, EI vs Lean dosing, and so on, and then turns into a contest rather than informational 😉
Second that.
@John q there isn't a specific thread, as such, but the <"solubility rules chart"> (below) is linked into <"numerous threads">.
To me darrel that chart makes perfect sense, even with my limited knowledge.
I can see. Plants can only take up nutrients as ions, what we need is to state that and then talk about solubility and the insoluble compounds that form from those ions.
😃👍
aaaand you lost me 😬 😅
You can replace the word by anything convenient. I did not invent the word, some wicked chemists did! It is the ranking that matters.
Me too 🫣
