Hi all,
First post here for me...
I've been a strong believer in both products and still today prefer either one of them to any other brand. I initially started using TMG as a trace mix, then switched to Flourish + TMG, then to Flourish + CSM+B. I think the Flourish + TMG mix was the best solution, I plan to go back to that once I finish my exaggerated supply of CSM.
The major differences I have found between these two products are:
- Flourish is by far the most complete trace mix on the market
- Flourish is more concentrated which makes it the cheaper long term solution
- TMG contains 73 times the amount of potassium in relation to the amount of iron contained in both
- TMG contains no other macros or vitamins
- Flourish contains a lot more FE
TMG was the better solution when I lived in Italy, many European water sources have a higher phosphate and mineral content than US sources, at least the ones I have had the opportunity to use. I think this is possibly one of the reasons why certain elements are omitted from TMG. Flourish on the other hand contains a little of everything, even the new Kent Botanica line requires 3 different products to come close to the contents of Flourish.
In the end, I can't say one is better than the other, they are just different. For a basic low-medium light tank Flourish is probably the best product to start with, specially if it's going to be the only product you add to the tank. In a high nutrient tank we are used to dosing macros so the fact that TMG doesn't contain P or N is probably a good thing, or at the very least, we couldn't care less. Its' high levels of K however could possibly throw off your values if you use KNO3 as a nitrogen source. Flourish on the other hand has a lot of FE in relation to the other elements. If like many of us, you use FE levels as an indicator for dosing traces, a TMG user targeting a certain FE level will end up with a lot of K and a good amount of other trace elements. A Flourish user targeting the same FE level would instead end up with a smaller concentration of other trace elements, however a broader range of them.
In conclusion, taking contents and recommended doses, Tropica seems to recommend a higher level of traces than Seachem. Both recommend the same amount of FE however.
It's a little easier to see these differences in the following tables:
- http://www.gpodio.com/fert_table.htm
This is a comparison of what's in each of these products.
- http://www.gpodio.com/fert_table_st.htm
This is a more useful comparison. The values have been standardized based on FE contents to provide a baseline regardless of concentration. At the bottom is a small table indicating FE levels based on recommended doses.
So for me mixing the two gave me the best results.
Regards
Giancarlo Podio
www.gpodio.com
First post here for me...
I've been a strong believer in both products and still today prefer either one of them to any other brand. I initially started using TMG as a trace mix, then switched to Flourish + TMG, then to Flourish + CSM+B. I think the Flourish + TMG mix was the best solution, I plan to go back to that once I finish my exaggerated supply of CSM.
The major differences I have found between these two products are:
- Flourish is by far the most complete trace mix on the market
- Flourish is more concentrated which makes it the cheaper long term solution
- TMG contains 73 times the amount of potassium in relation to the amount of iron contained in both
- TMG contains no other macros or vitamins
- Flourish contains a lot more FE
TMG was the better solution when I lived in Italy, many European water sources have a higher phosphate and mineral content than US sources, at least the ones I have had the opportunity to use. I think this is possibly one of the reasons why certain elements are omitted from TMG. Flourish on the other hand contains a little of everything, even the new Kent Botanica line requires 3 different products to come close to the contents of Flourish.
In the end, I can't say one is better than the other, they are just different. For a basic low-medium light tank Flourish is probably the best product to start with, specially if it's going to be the only product you add to the tank. In a high nutrient tank we are used to dosing macros so the fact that TMG doesn't contain P or N is probably a good thing, or at the very least, we couldn't care less. Its' high levels of K however could possibly throw off your values if you use KNO3 as a nitrogen source. Flourish on the other hand has a lot of FE in relation to the other elements. If like many of us, you use FE levels as an indicator for dosing traces, a TMG user targeting a certain FE level will end up with a lot of K and a good amount of other trace elements. A Flourish user targeting the same FE level would instead end up with a smaller concentration of other trace elements, however a broader range of them.
In conclusion, taking contents and recommended doses, Tropica seems to recommend a higher level of traces than Seachem. Both recommend the same amount of FE however.
It's a little easier to see these differences in the following tables:
- http://www.gpodio.com/fert_table.htm
This is a comparison of what's in each of these products.
- http://www.gpodio.com/fert_table_st.htm
This is a more useful comparison. The values have been standardized based on FE contents to provide a baseline regardless of concentration. At the bottom is a small table indicating FE levels based on recommended doses.
So for me mixing the two gave me the best results.
Regards
Giancarlo Podio
www.gpodio.com
