Dr Mallick's ferts- Should I get this and other Q

**|squee|** · 9th Dec 2004, 08:38

Hi guys,

It's been a while since I first started my planted tanks. I've gotten results with those off-the-shelf fertilisers ever since I started, but reading up more on Dr Mallick's ferts made me interested in buying them since I think I'll have more control over what ferts are in my tanks.

I'm considering:

-Lushgro Micros
-KN03
-MgSo4

This is what I remember from Vincent at Gratiola telling me I should have. Is this the correct set I should get? And at what quantity each? I have a budget of $60.

Secondly, I've been reading stuff around here like: 1/4 teaspoon of so and so, and 10ml of this and that.

My question is, how do you guys dose the ferts? I know you can either add them straight to the tank, or prepare them first by dissolving them in known concentrations in 100ml bottles or something? Hope to learn more about this

Oh, and here are my tank's info

Beginners Info Sheet
++++++++++++++++++

Tank Dimensions (LxWxH): 2ft by 1ft by 1.5ft
Lighting Intensity(No of Watts) : 24W
Type of Lighting (FL/PL/MH) : PL
No. of Hours your light is on: 8 hours
CO2 Injection Rate (bps) : 1 per 4 seconds
Type of CO2 (DIY/Liquid/Tank) : Cylinder
Method of Injection (e.g. Diffusor/Reactor): Diffusor
Substrate Used : ADA Aquasoil Africana
How Thick is your base fert : 0.5cm
How thick is your gravel : 6cm at the back
Liquid Fertilizers Used : Sera Florena right now, wanting to change.
Frequency of fertilization : Weekly after WC
Tank Temperature : 26 degrees
Type of Filter (overhead/internal/canister) : Cannistor
Filter media used : bioballs, wool, ceramic rings and biohome.
How long has your tank been set up : june this year

Chemical Properties (Fill what you can)
---------------------------------------

Carbonate Hardness (kh): 1
Total Hardness (gH): 4
PH : 6
NH4 (ppm):
NO2 (ppm):
NO3 (ppm):
PO4 (ppm):
Fe (ppm):

Bioload (Your Fish and Plants)
------------------------------

15 Cardinals, 1 Oto, a pair of lampeyes, 3 small SAE

Java fern all along the back wall and on DW
Ranaslisma Rostrata foreground

So as you can see, my tank is kind of unbalanced in the way that the Ranalisma is a rather fast grower, and Java fern as a slower one. So I'm having troubles controlling the occasional algae on the walls and little dots of BBA on my DW.

Could you guys perhaps suggest a regime for me? It's my first time, and I don't have the expereience you guys have :P

Thanks alot.

**budak** · 9th Dec 2004, 09:02

It's good to do the full calculation initially, especially since there's a whole world of difference between a pinch and a spoonful for stuff like KH2PO4.

You should find the online fert calculator by Chuck (its a sticky right on top of the general planted forum) most useful.

But nowadays, for me, aggaration rules: i nip a pinchful of KH2PO4 (to get 0/5-1 ppm), a heaped teaspoon of KNO3 (to get 10-15 ppm), a slightly less heaped teaspoon of Equilibrium (for K, Ca, Mg), 15 ml of Profito (I use a syringe-thingie from an old pH test kit), 2 teaspoons of baking soda and a pail of water is what I add on weekends now for my 250 litre tank. I just add everything straight in.

For your setup, if you do start dosing, make sure your CO2 is consistently high or I guarantee you will have BBA by Christmas.... get your KH up to 3-4 to get your CO2 up at any given pH level.

**PeterGwee** · 9th Dec 2004, 10:06

[quote:337ca29212="|squee|"]I'm considering:

-Lushgro Micros
-KN03
-MgSo4 [/quote:337ca29212]

Not sure if you can get some CaCl from Dr Mallick (he don't seem to sell that though) and KH2PO4 but this are the two which you left out. The peat effect from the ADA soil is going to skew your pH/KH readings as well as lower your GH which you will need to replenish. Not my favourite form of substrate other than the colour which I can easily get over with by covering it up with plants.

Regards
Peter Gwee

**juggler** · 9th Dec 2004, 11:38

If you have high fishload contributing to more NO3, then you may consider getting K2SO4 to complement your source of K.

For Mg and Ca, my favourite source still comes from coral chips (broken shell type) in filter. You can't control the levels but so far OK with regular water change. It provides for kH as well. Saves the $$$.

**|squee|** · 9th Dec 2004, 13:03

budak, how do you up kH? Baking soda? Are there instructions on the bottle of ferts like how much to add to how many parts of water? Do I follow this, or should I reduce/increase according to my estimation/plant load?

Peter, I ran through the orderlist at his webbie and I only saw Calcium carbonate, sulphate and nitrate. Are these okay too? Regarding the gH, it means substaining the magnesium and calcium count in the water is it? And also, skewing as in making the readings inconsistant?

juggler, my bioload won't be considered exactly low will it? If I choose not to use coral chips, is Seachem's equilibrium as mentioned by budak okay?

Thanks alot guys.

**juggler** · 9th Dec 2004, 17:31

[quote:d34fdcccd4="|squee|"]juggler, my bioload won't be considered exactly low will it? If I choose not to use coral chips, is Seachem's equilibrium as mentioned by budak okay?

Thanks alot guys.[/quote:d34fdcccd4]

I trust Seachem Equilibrium should be even better, since so many folks swear by it.

I never used it before, though.

**|squee|** · 9th Dec 2004, 18:04

I see... I was reading the contents for Equilibrium though, and K is already present in it. Can this amount of K be ignored when I add K in? Or is this K sufficient enough?

KN03 = nitrate?
MgS04= Magnesium and sulphur?
KH2PO4= Phosphate and ??
Mircos= Rest of trace elements.

If the above is correct, where do I get Iron from?

Sorry for the many questions.

**PeterGwee** · 9th Dec 2004, 18:14

Just get the following will do:
KNO3
Seachem Equilibrium
KH2PO4
Lushgro micros (Fe is in here..not a big nutrient)

Regards
Peter Gwee

**|squee|** · 9th Dec 2004, 19:06

thanks alot peter

**foxxkat** · 9th Dec 2004, 20:43

was shopping for supplement too.. came across nature-aquarium's
1. iron & trace element
2. potassium sulfate
3. magnesium sulfate

selling for $15.

anyone used the above b4? are they any good? can i get the above or is peter's recommendation of
KNO3
Seachem Equilibrium
KH2PO4
Lushgro micros

is better?

thx for feedback..

**yan** · 10th Dec 2004, 19:23

[quote:a2

d39624="foxxkat"]anyone used the above b4? are they any good? can i get the above or is peter's recommendation of
KNO3
Seachem Equilibrium
KH2PO4
Lushgro micros[/quote:a2

d39624]

KNO3
KH2PO4
Lushgro micros

these are LushGro Product(these stuff are in the starter kit)
---------------------------------

Seachem Equilibrium

these are Seachem Product
--------------------------------

**foxxkat** · 10th Dec 2004, 20:12

ok.. now i kno

but are they better than nature-aquarium's one?

**foxxkat** · 19th Dec 2004, 01:53

if use lushgro micros and KNO3 and KH2PO4, still need the Seachem Equilibrium? don understand why/the need for it coz the first three items seem to cover all liao..

any thots appreciated

**PeterGwee** · 19th Dec 2004, 13:31

[quote:c986020fad="foxxkat"]if use lushgro micros and KNO3 and KH2PO4, still need the Seachem Equilibrium? don understand why/the need for it coz the first three items seem to cover all liao..

any thots appreciated[/quote:c986020fad]

For Ca/Mg....I don't like coral chips because the KH will vary which will make measuring CO2 difficult.

Regards
Peter Gwee

**foxxkat** · 19th Dec 2004, 15:12

don quite understand.. so is dat the reason why use Seachem Equilibrium instead of coral chips?

**|squee|** · 19th Dec 2004, 15:39

Yeap.

**foxxkat** · 19th Dec 2004, 15:42

roger. tank u

lushgro seems popular..
mayb will try dat.

**TanVincent** · 19th Dec 2004, 22:19

[quote:9ec0833171="|squee|"]Hi guys,

It's been a while since I first started my planted tanks. I've gotten results with those off-the-shelf fertilisers ever since I started, but reading up more on Dr Mallick's ferts made me interested in buying them since I think I'll have more control over what ferts are in my tanks.

I'm considering:

-Lushgro Micros
-KN03
-MgSo4

This is what I remember from Vincent at Gratiola telling me I should have. Is this the correct set I should get? And at what quantity each? I have a budget of $60.

Secondly, I've been reading stuff around here like: 1/4 teaspoon of so and so, and 10ml of this and that.

My question is, how do you guys dose the ferts? I know you can either add them straight to the tank, or prepare them first by dissolving them in known concentrations in 100ml bottles or something? Hope to learn more about this

Oh, and here are my tank's info

Beginners Info Sheet
++++++++++++++++++

Tank Dimensions (LxWxH): 2ft by 1ft by 1.5ft
Lighting Intensity(No of Watts) : 24W
Type of Lighting (FL/PL/MH) : PL
No. of Hours your light is on: 8 hours
CO2 Injection Rate (bps) : 1 per 4 seconds
Type of CO2 (DIY/Liquid/Tank) : Cylinder
Method of Injection (e.g. Diffusor/Reactor): Diffusor
Substrate Used : ADA Aquasoil Africana
How Thick is your base fert : 0.5cm
How thick is your gravel : 6cm at the back
Liquid Fertilizers Used : Sera Florena right now, wanting to change.
Frequency of fertilization : Weekly after WC
Tank Temperature : 26 degrees
Type of Filter (overhead/internal/canister) : Cannistor
Filter media used : bioballs, wool, ceramic rings and biohome.
How long has your tank been set up : june this year

Chemical Properties (Fill what you can)
---------------------------------------

Carbonate Hardness (kh): 1
Total Hardness (gH): 4
PH : 6
NH4 (ppm):
NO2 (ppm):
NO3 (ppm):
PO4 (ppm):
Fe (ppm):

Bioload (Your Fish and Plants)
------------------------------

15 Cardinals, 1 Oto, a pair of lampeyes, 3 small SAE

Java fern all along the back wall and on DW
Ranaslisma Rostrata foreground

So as you can see, my tank is kind of unbalanced in the way that the Ranalisma is a rather fast grower, and Java fern as a slower one. So I'm having troubles controlling the occasional algae on the walls and little dots of BBA on my DW.

Could you guys perhaps suggest a regime for me? It's my first time, and I don't have the expereience you guys have :P

Thanks alot.

[/quote:9ec0833171]

Think you got me wrong pal

I was refering to KNO3, KH2PO4, LushGro Aqua and Micro

Cheers
Vincent

**|squee|** · 19th Dec 2004, 23:06

well this post was kind of made a few days after I talked with you.

But I seem to remember you telling me there was no need for Aqua?

**foxxkat** · 19th Dec 2004, 23:34

juz abt wat i was going to ask..

Lushgro Aqua & Micros.. both needed? but peter didnt mention abt aqua leh.

on a side note, anyone has used Seachem Flourish Trace b4 and is it any good?