masroberts9

i made a solution of 3.125 tsp gh booster, 5.5 tsp kno3, 1 tsp kh2po3 and 250ml of distilled water. after a day the solution precipited. i am trying to have as few bottles of fert as possible so i dont measure and dose 3 things every day (ofcourse a different 3 things on other days....csm+b, fe, etc). do i need to make seperate solutions for each fert?

which of these need to be refridgerated or at least in protected from the sun? im asking because i have a bunch of clear bottles and only 3 not clear bottles to make my solutions.

thanks in advance.

surpera1

you can dose dry to avoid that

masroberts9

i really hope to find another answer, but maybe i will need to do dry. gosh i hope not. i really like the ease of open the bottle dump in a cap or 2 caps full. i mix in the kitchen and carry my bottles to each tank around the house. i would hate to carry the bags and spoon, then go get another bag and go around to all the tanks again for each fert.

surpera1

i have a big plastic jug with a lid - when i am ready to dose i put some water in it - add my dry ferts - shake well - and add to the tank - it really doesnt take that much time to do

masroberts9

k i got my answer. i was told, "Mixing GH booster and KH2PO4 will precipitate out calcium phosphate. You will need three bottles: 1) Iron chelate + CSM+B, 2) NPK, 3) GH booster."

dwalstad

I don't advise fertilizers like what you're using for El Natural tanks. In El Natural tanks, fishfood and soils provide most of the plant nutrients. The only exception is adding calcium, magnesium, potassium and bicarbonates to extremely softwater.

You may get better advice in another forum.

davemonkey

+1 on the advice you got about needing the 3 bottles. +1, again on dwalstad's advice on not dosing ferts in El Natural. If you have a soil substrate, once it gets to kicking out the ferts, you will find that adding other nutrients = algae of all kinds, IME.

-Dave

masroberts9

right on. i just saw ei and assumed it meant estimated index. lol. well if mods or admins want to move this thread... i wont have any problems with it.

OldMan

I have both kinds of planted tank so have a little experience with mixing dry ferts into liquid. I ended up mixing enough solution to fill a mason jar of each. The nitrogen and phosphorus dissolve easily. The CSM+B is a little more difficult to get into solution and needs to be refrigerated or you will get a cloudy fungus looking stuff growing in it. The potassium never really seems to dissolve completely so I swirl the jar before measuring out the fertilizer using a pipette. I never combine the chemicals because I see no reason to limit my choices to a predetermined blend. I am using the PPO plus concentrations because I like the concept that, if I need to boost fertility, I simply dose 1 ml per 10 gallons of water. If I also had to calculate each individual dose I would quit dosing entirely. As it is, I don't expect to ever set up a high tech tank again.
With all of that said, I have lost fish to CO2 problems and find my NPT works just as reliably as the higher tech approach with none of the negative potentials. Even the nasty problem it had with BGA when I first started it running went away on its own fairly quickly when I simply stopped feeding during a 2 week vacation away from home. I had bought and was considering using maracyn but was relieved to see that I didn't need it.

Diana K

I make 2 stock solutions: Macos, Micos (CSM+B and Iron). (Keeps iron and phosphate separate)
I use GH booster only for a water change, the plants and fish do not use that much Ca or Mg between water changes, and using at water change time I can make the new water match the tank water for the least osmotic issues for the fish. I you need to use it, though, a third bottle of stock solution would be the way to go.
I do not refrigerate, but I make only about a week's worth at a time. I do get some sort of stuff in the micros solution, but only if I take longer than a week to use it up. (I am sure it is growing in there before that, but in small enough pieces not to be noticeable)