do dry fertilizer mixes go bad?

[gravereaper0]

I'd like to automate my new planted tank as much as possible for the sake of my wife and the aquarium (I know she'll "forget" to dose). So I'm looking to have a pair (1 macro, 1 micro) of peristaltic pumps on timers to automatically dose. I'm thinking 3-5 gallon containers with small pumps inside just to mix up the solution that would come on with the pumps. But is that even possible? Can you mix your solutions in large amounts and will they stay "good" for 2-4 weeks or will some or all nutrients/elements break down, go "bad", even to a point where it could be bad for the fish?

I plan on the EI method to start with. Seems to be idiot proof.

 

[aqua_chem]

They do go bad, but you'll likely be fine in that time period. To prevent things from going bad, you can use distilled water and add a little bit of Excel (or you preferred glut product) to head off microbe growth.

 

[gravereaper0]

They do go bad, but you'll likely be fine in that time period. To prevent things from going bad, you can use distilled water and add a little bit of Excel (or you preferred glut product) to head off microbe growth.

I was debating whether to use tap or distilled so thanks for making that decision for me. Can you explain what a "glut" product is?

 

[aqua_chem]

It's any product that uses glutaraldehyde as a carbon supplement in place of CO2. Examples readily available are Seachem Excel, API CO2 Booster, and Metracide

 

[gravereaper0]

It's any product that uses glutaraldehyde as a carbon supplement in place of CO2. Examples readily available are Seachem Excel, API CO2 Booster, and Metracide

Now would that affect the pressurized co2 system or is that just a sort of an "insurance" thing for the nutrient buckets. And what's a little do I just follow the dosing recommendations?

 

[aqua_chem]

Adding it to your dosing solutions probably wont affect your tank at all. As far as how much.... that's a bit of a tougher call. I'll throw out 1 tbsp/gal as a completely arbitrary starting point for not other reason than because it sounds reasonable. It's not rocket science at this point (that comes later)

 

[gravereaper0]

Adding it to your dosing solutions probably wont affect your tank at all. As far as how much.... that's a bit of a tougher call. I'll throw out 1 tbsp/gal as a completely arbitrary starting point for not other reason than because it sounds reasonable. It's not rocket science at this point (that comes later)

Is there a way to tell if I put in too much, or not enough?

 

[aqua_chem]

There is not.

 

[gravereaper0]

There is not.

Well I'll stick to a tbsp a gallon. Thx so much for answering my questions, now I got one more thing out of the way.

 

[Rivercats]

I use 5ml of Excel/Glut per 250ml of mix and it's worked fine for me over the past year.

 

[gravereaper0]

I use 5ml of Excel/Glut per 250ml of mix and it's worked fine for me over the past year.

If it works for you it'll work for me. How much do you mix at one time and how long does it sit around?

 

[Rivercats]

I mix 1000ml dosing bottles full at a time and it takes I don't know maybe 4 or so months. I never really kept track before but I don't use that amount that quickly.

 

[gravereaper0]

Oh OK. So if I mix a new batch every couple months I should have no problem with spoilage. According to the EI calculator I'll be dosing 1425 ml per month, so that's roughly 3/4 of a liter per bottle. The 3-5 gallon buckets I thought of are overkill. Looks like I can just fill up a couple of 2 liters and be good for 2 months. Should the containers be opaque so sunlight doesn't hit it?

 

[Rivercats]

I always thought that was better. I also store mine in a dark place so I don't have issues. You can always add an extra 5ml per 250ml of mix just to ensure you don't have mold issues. That little bit of Excel is not going to affect anything IMO especially since I use high doses of Glut in my tank daily.

 

[gravereaper0]

When's the best time to dose? Or should I split up the dosing during the day? The timers I get can be set for multiple times during the day so would it be better if I did that?

 

[aqua_chem]

Before your lights come on is what people normally do. Honestly it's probably one of those things that people have strong opinions about that doesn't actually make a difference.

 

[Rivercats]

Agreed with Aqua, personally I dose in the morning about 30min before my lights kick on.