Dry Ferts?

[Ilikefishes]

Tell me all about them (how to measure, dose, how often, where to find and buy them). I'm beyond sick of buying seachem flourish!

Mainly I need potassium and a little bit of phosphate, and definitely iron. For now the nitrate is covered by my fish ;D, but I am heavily interested in the use of Dry Ferts.

Any info would be much appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[Smitty]

I really like buying from Green Leaf Aquariums. They are very knowledgeble and great people to boot (being local to them helps too! You should see their tanks!).

You can buy online and have it shipped.

Putting in dry ferts is pretty easy. Typically I'll just get a container of tank water and put in my measured amount (I have a 55g tank and dose 1/8-1/4 tsp of various ferts every day). After mixing the ferts with the water I just pour the water back into the tank.

Recently I've just been sprinkling the ferts directly into the tank and haven't seen any difference. You can pre-mix into squirt bottles and dose with liquids as well, but I think you have to keep those in a refrigerator to keep them fresh.

I'm doing the estimated index method... which also means I do a 50% water change every week (in other words, I overdose then clean it up with a water change) so the amount I'm putting in may be way more than you will need depending on your setup.

Good luck!

 

[Ilikefishes]

That helped so much, thank you! I'm running a 55g with a 2 bulb T5HO fixture with 2 6700k bulbs, and DIY Co2. I only have half of my tank planted, but I have good growth, I also have good green fuzz algae so I need consistent ferts to help get rid of this algae, I can't keep up with the price of Flourish, so I'm always having nutrient swings. Dry Ferts is the way to go then, so thank you!

 

[JohnPaul]

I've heard good things about Green Leaf but never ordered from them. I've ordered in the past from Aquarium Fertilizer (formerly Greg Watson, for those who recognize that name) and have been pleased with what I've received. Comparing the two sites, prices seem almost identical and Green Leaf has a larger selection of items beyond just fertilizers, but I suspect you would be fine ordering from either one.