High potassium doses in Equilibrium

[GaspingGurami]

I read on the bottle of Seachem's Equilibrium that at the dosage that produces 3dH from RO water, 65ppm of potassium is added.

Wouldn't that cause blockage of some other nutrient's uptake? In view of our tap water having 3dH, adding Equilibrium to make up 1-2more degrees will not add so much K. However, adding in KNO3 to the water would drive up the K levels.

Can anyone who has used the product comment?

[Plantbrain]

I do not know who started that entire myth about K+, but it's very wrong and no one has shown why at over 100ppm K+ we have no trouble growing supposedly sensitive Ammannia and even win contest at these levels.

You can use CaCl2 anmd MgSO4 if you want precise GH without K+ issues.

But you have to assume there is a K+ issue to begin with.

Be wise, don't make more work for your self.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[bclee]

I have never have problem with Equilibrium.

I dose very heavily on K. At one time, every week I add about 60-80ppm of K. No problem encountered.

BC

[juggler]

Roger Miller started it I guess. See this thread Magnesium,Calcium,Iron
and you also have an exchange with him at this thread Balancing K, Ca, Mg. Quotes from an article

BTW, Tom, for your tank with 100ppm K, what's the gH or kH levels? I suspect that with sufficiently high concentration of Ca and Mg, K will not be able to block nutrient uptake.

I once had a tank using coral chips as substrate and have not problems dosing 20~30ppm of K and 5ppm Mg weekly. When I did the same in another tank with inert substrate, the leaves of the plants (Ammania) curled downwards. They only recovered when I stopped Mg and lower the K to about 10ppm per week.

[Plantbrain]

Naw, the GH was still moderatem the tap water in SF is very soft and it cost a lot to bump the GH up using SeaChem EQ beyond nominal levels of 4-5.

So the Ca and Mg levels were not that high relatively.

The entire notion about K+ blocking Ca is crap.
I was harsh about it from day one and will conitnue till hell freezes over

They are looking at Ca and seconf messager in signal tansduction which has nothing to do with uptake blockage.

Uptake blockage needs to be at far more concentrated amounts like that of soil pore waters to cause any issues, you can also look at hydroponics research to see just how high these level must be in very concentrated hydroponics media.

Someone misapplied the research they found and ran with it.
Wouldn't be the first time.

Regards,
Tom Barr