Edward

He wants you to dose by spoons and maintain 5 – 10 ppm NO3 and 0.2 – 0.5 ppm PO4. How hopeless it must be, comical data…


Anyway, Average good levels:
pH 5 – 6.8, (4 – 8
KH 0-3 dKH (3+ for fewer plants)
GH 2 – 3dGH by Ca (3+ ok)
NO3 5 – 20 ppm
PO4 0.1 – 1 ppm
K dosed at 1.33 : 1.00 of NO3 in ppm
Iron impossible to test

Mg 0.1 – 5 ppm by –SO4
CO2 3 – 20 ppm with water surface movement (0 for fewer plants, 20+ difficult and no improvement)


These are PPS-Classic system questions where some weekly testing is necessary. This system produces very fast growth. The maximum growth plants can handle.

With PPS-Pro no testing necessary. It was designed for aquascaping where plant quality is the main objective.

Left C

Thanks Edward!

Those Tom Barr parameters that I posted were from around 1996/1997.

Edward

Left C

Thank you very much LilLou!

I started on the calculations, but I quit when I found this thread:
I wonder why there is a 2X difference between these amounts?

When I just did my calculations, I figured them based on the 171 grams of solute (the macros) placed in a 1 L container and enough solvent (H20) was added to bring the total volume of the solution (macro mix) up to 1 L? The H20 amount would then be 829 grams or 829 ml.

I just plugged them in the fertilator. I used 37850 L for my water volume and the mix amounts in grams from the directions:
Macro Solution
In 1 liter bottle:
59 grams K2SO4 (Potassium Sulfate)
65 grams KNO3 (Potassium Nitrate)
6 grams KH2PO4 (Mono Potassium Phosphate)
41 grams MgSO4 (Magnesium Sulfate)
Fill with distilled water and shake well. Let sit overnight.

This is what I got:
NO3 is dosed at 1.05 ppm per day
K is dosed at 1.41 ppm per day
PO4 is dosed at 0.11 ppm per day
Mg is dosed at 0.11 ppm per day

Sounds good.

I think that I would be testing the aquarium parameters on a regular basis with very good quality test kits with delicate and expensive fish like Discus.

dennis

Edward, to be a stickler for details, I'm not sure if that statement is quite right. NO3 is NO3 regardless of organic or inorganic. The plants would have to expend the same amount of energy to get the N from either kind. In this hobby, I think people get confused as to what is N and what is NO3 (not saying you are Edward). As far as I know, a test kit will measure N and if it is made to "measure" NO3 then the chart or code will automatically have converted to the proper level of NO3 by multiplying by the correct proportionality factor. Same goes for NO2. This is not entirely true if you get very expensive and technical, but most hobby grade kits will not have the technology associated to measure NO3 as a specific ion but will measure N and convert.

Now as far as the source of N is concerned, organic N will most likely be harder for the plant to get because the N will be bound to more complex organic forms like acids, etc. For examlpe, put KNO3 in water and you get K+ and NO3-. The NO3- ion is more available the a NO3 ion that was created organically and may be bound to (for example) H, as in nitrous acid- HNO3. The plants will have to work harder to strip the N from that molecule than they would to strip the N from NO3inorganic.

<end picky-ness>

LilLou

I arrived at my calculations by using the fertilater. I didn't use the first screen I used the one called Find percent solution of nutrient in water.

I started with KNO3 in a 100 gallon tank using 65 grams in a 500ml solution and plugged numbers in till I hit 10 mL of solution....etc

Left C when you did your calculations did you take into account that your dosing solution was exactly 1/2 the strength of the 500mL solution?

Kinda of the ass backwards way of doing it.


Edward

I am looking into getting a pH/EC/TDS test pen to do as you advised

I just have one more question. My water right now has next to no calcium in it (less than 10 ppm) should I be adding Calcium with Discus solution or just not worry about it? I have ADA Aquasoil, I know it wamentioned somewhere that certain substrates added Calcium.

Left C

Hi LilLou!

I started using that screen but I got all tangled up. My think-o-meter is slipping a little and my memory gland doesn't work like it used to.

I used the first screen on the fertilator. I entered the amount of each fert in grams from the formula and for the water volume, I used 37,850 L. This shifted the decimal place three places. 37.85 liters is 10 gallons and 1000 ml is 1 liter.

This is a shortcut way to look at the calculations that I used with the fertfriend:
(37.85 L per 10 gallons) X (1000 mL per L) X (10 gallons per mL dose) = ppm per day

This method made the conversions very easy to do.

I basically got what Edward says that each dose adds.

This is what I got: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Edward says:
NO3 is dosed at 1.05 ppm per day - - - - - - - NO3 is dosed at 1.00 ppm per day
K is dosed at 1.41 ppm per day - - - - - - - - -K is dosed at 1.33 ppm per day
PO4 is dosed at 0.11 ppm per day - - - - - - - PO4 is dosed at 0.10 ppm per day
Mg is dosed at 0.11 ppm per day- - - - - - - - Mg is dosed at 0.10 ppm per day

In my state (NC) we call this bass 'ackwards.

Left C

Edward's formula is for 1000 mL or 1 L and that's what I used in my calculations.

I don't understand what you mean by 1/2 the strength of the 500mL solution.??

Edward

My advice would be getting only simple and cheap TDS meter calibrated in uS. The reason is the unneeded EC probe and six month lifespan pH probe. TDS tester is cheap and for ever.

There are people using ADA substrates with RO (very low Ca water). You need to post this and wait for replies. If you want you can dose just CaSO4 to 20-30 ppm Ca. This works perfectly fine.

LilLou

Left C

I was using 500ml instead of 1 L. Why I have no idea. Now I have to take the plastic containers back to Pathmark. You guys think its easy walking around in a fog???

I was using the double strength solution.

Edward,

I will look into the TDS tester only. I think they have a few of the pen type on ebay.

Is it feasible to add the CaSO4 or CaCl2 to the #1 solution or would you dose it separately at a set interval?