About plant fertilizer

[NikkiY]

Hi,

What are the type of fertilizer I can get for a gardening store that is also okay for a freshwater tank? Is there any DIY option or I should really get the one from my local aquarium stores?

Thanks a million.

Nikki

 

[kenneth_kpe]

i doubt you could get one because gardening stores usually make fertilizer for surface plants and not submerged ones, ive read somewhere about potash but thats advanced stuff... dunno really about it id really really suggest the ones you could buy at your local fish store about the DIY part ?? dunno really... the only DIY solution i could remember is this ...

a friend of mine told me before. he used rich soil from his garden, turned em into small balls and baked it under the sun so that it will turn into a pellet type soil ball, then inject carefully into the water, he told me that it worked great for him because he was using a gravel soil mix anybody heard anyone do this before ? never tried it myself

 

[Silly me]

Conlin and Sears' latest PMDD formula mix with water

Now, using the Conlin and Sears PMDD formula, mix with water to make a 1/2 liter solution:

1 tablespoon trace mix "CSM+B"
1 tablespoon MgSO4+7H2O
2 tablespoons K2SO4
1 tablespoon KNO3 (varies, depends on your nitrate)
Some mixing notes:
1/2 liter is a lot of PMDD. You can mix less by replacing "tablespoon" with "teaspoon" and mixing into 1/6 liter (167ml) of water (1 tbsp = 3 tspn)
Don't make too much CSM into CSM+B. You may want to experiment with pure CSM later on.
Using warm (not hot) water helps dissolve things. [Niel]
Agro grade K2SO4 may give off a gummy goo when mixing. Remove it best you can by wiping it off your mixing tool.
The CSM+B mix should be completely dissolved. Crush any undissolved crystals with your mixing tool.
To figure out whether to deviate from the 1 tablespoon of KNO3 suggestion, check parts 3 and 5 of "How to dose PMDD".
The KNO3 may not become completely soluble and a fine silt will settle out. That's ok, just shake the PMDD before use.
Some recommend mixing up PMDD with distilled water. Regular tap water seems to work ok for me.
Why add MgSO4 when CSM has Mg (it didn't use to)? CSM doesn't have enough Mg to meet PMDD ratios.
And yes, with the dry chemical quantities you no doubt have acquired, you could make enough PMDD to fertilize Lake Erie .