looking for advice on fert dosing.

[misterc007]

Hi All!

Ultimatly here is what I would like to do and hopefully someone has a formula. I just bought the complete package from gla. I would like to make 1 or 2 bottles (500ml) and dose every other day. 1 for micros and 1 for macros or if possible maybe one bottle with everything. my co2 system will be here on Monday and I have high light.

another thought would be kno3 plus csm+b solution that I could just dose every other day. Is this possible?

Thanks!

 

[aqua_chem]

I personally recommend looking up EI dosing. Dry dosing is easier for me than dosing from a liquid, but the latter is easier in smaller tanks.

This is my favorite fertilizer calculator. It might take some fiddling with, but it should have everything you need.

You need to keep phosphates and micro nutrients separate. In concentrated solutions, phosphates will precipitate out many of the nutrients in CSM+B or other micro mixes. One container for micros and one for macros is the common approach. You could keep nitrate and CSM+B together, but you will still need to dose phosphate. I'm not sure that I would recommend this arrangement, as the more different nutrients you have in one bottle, the higher the possibility that something will grow in there.

Also, if you're making solutions, use RODI water if you can. Adding a bit of Excel or similar product to your solution can also help keep microbes at bay.

 

[mohican]

How do u know how much to add to the tank each time u dose using dry dose instead of mixing a solution? Does the EI calculator give that amount, I can't remember.

 

[aqua_chem]

You can look up EI. It tells you the amount to dose in tsp.

 

[rkilling1]

If you want to dose a liquid fert, these are the bottles I have:

MEASURE & POUR bottle 16 oz HDPE measure bottle - NEW | eBay

Just mix up the ferts with tap water and add when needed.

 

[misterc007]

So if I were to make up 2 solutions based on the PPS pro method (1 for csm+b and 1 for npk) would I dose them every other day or in other words alternate. Or would I do both everyday? I'm confused about that. Thanks for the Calculator I will be using that.

EI won't work with my schedule and I can't ask my wife to fill in when i'm gone. I need something that If I have to skip a day or 2, I won't have to worry about it. Same with water changes I do them weekly but cant always, sometimes they have to go 2 weeks. After reading, the pps method is what I think I will try first. Then maybe next winter I can try EI for a whikle when I know i'm going to be home consistantly.

Who knew setting up a fish tank was going to be this complicated??

 

[misterc007]

One other Question? How much Excell would you add to a 500ml bottle (of mix)? Maybe a cap full? Would you put it in both bottles (csm+b and NPK)?

 

[rkilling1]

It's only as complicated as you want it to be.

And yes, you should dose on alternating days. You could dose them on the same day, but you would want to wait about 8 hours between them.

 

[misterc007]

The complicated part is what keeps me interested and excited about it. However some of this can be pretty overwhelming at times. Thank goodness there are forums like this one to help a person like me learn and Thank goodness for people like you who donate your time to help!!

 

[mohican]

Thanx mister007, u just asked some good questions. I just started dosing my own mix. Just bought 2 separate bottles with spouts, way cheaper than online. Check dollar stores, big lots, etc. for mixing/drinking bottles.