which liquid FERT combination is the best

[taz_boy]

hi, i'm thinking of buying additional fert since i notice my seachem flourish does not provide enough NPK....so just a question, which other brand of liquid fert should i couple in with my current seachem flourish.....

my budget not very hight....
my tank specs are 2.1 WPG for 8hrs.

i've seen a few combination:
1) flourish vs Seachem NPK.....(was thinking to buy only 2 out of the 3...any sugestions which one i can leave out)

2) lushgro Aqua, but this fert does not provide phosphate
3) Nutrafin NPK, seems to provide all NPK, but how come not a lot of hobbyist using>??

[ranmasatome]

seachem flourish as macro fert???? it does not have No3 at all.. and not even remotely close to enough of p or k....why are you even using this as macro?

Just get some kno3 and h2po4 in raw form and mix it with water to dose in your tank.. then use the flourish as micro ferts.. should be okay like that.

[taz_boy]

ok....yep...i knew flourish is not a macro nutrients....but thought would be ok for my tank with low maintainace plants, but recently got a bit of algae here and there.....so planning to get those macr
os

[|squee|]

Assuming your CO2 is alright, I'd say go fo Florurish nitrogen potassium phosphorous. Easiest to dose since it's in liquid form. But bear in mind you're paying for the water they dilute the ferts in... so...

..Can try getting lushgro's KNO3 and KH2PO4, or Lushgro Aqua. Phosphate shouldn't be an issue if you feed fish well.

Generally most of us here use KNO3 and KH2PO4, coupled with traces and perhaps a source of calcium and magnesium. Some make do with just the two chemicals and traces.

[valice]

Assuming your CO2 is alright, I'd say go fo Florurish nitrogen potassium phosphorous. Easiest to dose since it's in liquid form. But bear in mind you're paying for the water they dilute the ferts in... so...

..Can try getting lushgro's KNO3 and KH2PO4, or Lushgro Aqua. Phosphate shouldn't be an issue if you feed fish well.

yah... get the Lushgro solids more hua... If you not dosing fert often, then can go for Seachem's NPK, else will be like me, dosing 15ml of NPK each time juz to get the desired PPM. Very siong... 10 bucks per small bottle siah...

[PeterGwee]

..Can try getting lushgro's KNO3 and KH2PO4, or Lushgro Aqua. Phosphate shouldn't be an issue if you feed fish well.

No, most fish food contain only NO3 and very little PO4. Our tap water is low in it as well and that will be a bad combo. Get the KH2PO4 and dose to rule it out.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[|squee|]

*gestures fervently to PeterGwee's advice*

[taz_boy]

thanks for all the suggestions,
will be dropping by N.A tmr to get that the nitrate and phosphate

[taz_boy]

just a query, read this article from Chuck's planted tank, and quoted this statment:

"In a well lit tank, excess phosphorus (phosphates) can lead to serious algae problems, so extra phosphate is almost never added. And most fish foods contain sizable amounts of phosphorus, so the plants will most likely be able to get as much as they need. "....

so does it make sense??

[PeterGwee]

just a query, read this article from Chuck's planted tank, and quoted this statment:

"In a well lit tank, excess phosphorus (phosphates) can lead to serious algae problems, so extra phosphate is almost never added. And most fish foods contain sizable amounts of phosphorus, so the plants will most likely be able to get as much as they need. "....

so does it make sense??

Its old school....a myth.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[taz_boy]

thanks peter for clearing my doubt....ha...

[ranmasatome]

thanks for all the suggestions,
will be dropping by N.A tmr to get that the nitrate and phosphate

Huh?? why go N.A.?? the lushgrow ones come in like 100gm bottles.. that cost like $2-3.

You can get KH2Po4 at 250gm at like $4 and Kno3 at 500gm at-$4-5 (or something like that can't remember liao) That should last you ages.. The 100gm from Lushgrow will be gone really fast.. so more economical to get them in larger Quantities.... there are a few pple selling them here... you can try asking andrewtyr.

[taz_boy]

ok.......bought the solid ferts liao.....$4 for 250g of h2pho4, and $7.60 for 1kg of KNO3, too bad they dun have small qty of KNO3, 1kg like a lot man....

[ranmasatome]

no man...itll be gone in a flash..

[valice]

ok.......bought the solid ferts liao.....$4 for 250g of h2pho4, and $7.60 for 1kg of KNO3, too bad they dun have small qty of KNO3, 1kg like a lot man....

taz, u bought from NA? or somewhere else?

[taz_boy]

yes. from N.A

[taz_boy]

no man...itll be gone in a flash..

serious?...hmm...i open, seems a lot, let's say i dose 1 tsp per week, seems can last quite long....nv tried b4..so dunno if last or not

[ranmasatome]

serious?...hmm...i open, seems a lot, let's say i dose 1 tsp per week, seems can last quite long....nv tried b4..so dunno if last or not

Well that depends on whether your tank is high or low tech..
Use chucks calculator to do a dilution and dosage calculation for your sized tank.. make sure you're using the right chemical and then just dose accordingly. I'm sure you'll use all 1kg of it sooner or later..

[taz_boy]

another noob question, is 1 tsp = 25ml or 50ml.....i was thinking is 50ml, wonder if i'm correct

[ranmasatome]

err...how in the world can 1tsp = 50ml?? do you know how much 50ml is??? do you know how much 1tsp is?? pls go check how much each is. This is homework you should have done.