Do dry ferts degrade in water?

[Coyne]

I did on my first batch, but then my nitrates got considerably higher and I was having to do two 50% PWCs a week to keep them in check. So when I made my second batch I cut the amount I added to 1/3.
My high tech planted tank wasn't stocked when I first set it up and now its almost a year later and pretty well fully stocked, so I think I'll leave them out all together the next time.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I dose it anyways. PPS-Pro is lean across the board, rather than risking a deficiency. Most fast growing stem plants in a high tech environment soak it up. I figure parameters balance out with a PWC. Kind of like resetting after a week's worth of EI dosing. I think it's more like the lazy side of me that hates busting out the test kit to be more precise. I just dose away and reset.

 

[mattcham]

When you talk about adding glut to your micros, is that excel or metricide? Do you subtract this premixed glut from your daily glut dose? Or is the added glut in micros so little that it is irrelevant to your daily glut dosing?

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[Brian_Nano12g]

It's irrelevant to daily dosing. It's just to help prevent mold in the micros.

 

[Fishperson]

I think I'll do a half dose of KNO3. Will that cause a potassium shortage as well?

 

[Delapool]

Just to add to this AMAZING thread, do any of you not dose KNO3? I think mebbid (I think, not sure ) doesn't because he/she thinks their fish produce enough nitrate. It makes sense to me but I just wanted to check in with you all if that seems right.

I've just found somewhere that I can order it and hope it arrives. My nitrates have dropped from about 30 to 5 - 10 now even with lfs substrate ferts. I plan to try mebbid's DIY substrate ferts this weekend.

I've noticed some improvement dosing API leaf zone with potassium and iron but I think I need more potassium and less iron.

I've been looking around for a potassium test kit. There are some cheap and expensive ones but they all seem really geared for SW levels. I did read somewhere that overdosing potassium isn't so critical but hope to order the cheap one this weekend and maybe an iron test kit out of interest.

 

[mattcham]

Why not just use EI dosing to skip all the testing?

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[Delapool]

Good question. I think it's because I want to know what's going on and find it hard to tell from plant leaves. In the reading I did it looked like over dosing K didn't cause too many issues. So if the test kit is really expensive I probably won't bother.

I've just ordered an iron test for about the same reason but I have noticed if I over dose fe, then the tips of new growth seems to brown off.

So I've got some dry ferts on order but I'm keen to understand the water a bit more.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Is there any difference between PPS-Pro and El dosing in terms of effectiveness?


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[Sk3lly]

Is there any difference between PPS-Pro and El dosing in terms of effectiveness?


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Nope, none at all. Just pps takes time and testing to find your amounts. Ei overdoses everything so that the plants are never short on macros or micros


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[Delapool]

I must admit too that I'm just starting with dry ferts so it's all interesting, in a year the test kits could be gathering dust.

I'd never heard of PMDD until a few weeks ago.


http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/PMDD.htm

 

[mattcham]

Nope, none at all. Just pps takes time and testing to find your amounts. Ei overdoses everything so that the plants are never short on macros or micros


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Yeah that's what I've read too. EI dosing is more wasteful but more convenient to perform.

 

[Brookster123]

Nope, none at all. Just pps takes time and testing to find your amounts. Ei overdoses everything so that the plants are never short on macros or micros


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So could one just overdose the pps pro micros and macros? Is that a dumb question? Either way.. it's way more convenient than seachem dosing..

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[Sk3lly]

So could one just overdose the pps pro micros and macros? Is that a dumb question? Either way.. it's way more convenient than seachem dosing..

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Yea i assume so. Except EI requires a 50% water change weekly minimum to reset levels


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[Caliban07]

I think the problem only occurs when they are dosed one after the other. Then again Brian said he doses them at either ends of his tank with no problems. There must be someone out there really into their chemistry that can explain it


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There is a forum similar to this called physics forums. It has all the sections necessary to ask almost anything scientific that someone should be able to answer. This is where I go when I need something explaining to me.

 

[Caliban07]

Of course the details of the hobby are lost on anyone who isn't familiar with the hobby but the fundamentals should be the same.