Fertiliser

[kashifg]

I have established i will need some sort of fertiliser for my tank. i have black quarts gravel as my substrate with the hope of introducing pressurised CO2 in the near future.
I have been looking at 'Aquarium Plant Food UK', all in One Fertiliser.

My tank is the Juwel Trigon 350- 350litres. My plants are Vallis,Anubia, Crypts, Java Fern, Christmas Moss.
The bottle size suggests 1000ml, if i dosed at the recommended 5ml for every 40 litres, this would mean a bottle would need to be replaced every month.
Using this product, this will mean around £12 a month for fertiliser. Is there a cheaper option available for my fertilising purposes?

 

[SO19Firearms]

I have established i will need some sort of fertiliser for my tank. i have black quarts gravel as my substrate with the hope of introducing pressurised CO2 in the near future.
I have been looking at 'Aquarium Plant Food UK', all in One Fertiliser.

My tank is the Juwel Trigon 350- 350litres. My plants are Vallis,Anubia, Crypts, Java Fern, Christmas Moss.
The bottle size suggests 1000ml, if i dosed at the recommended 5ml for every 40 litres, this would mean a bottle would need to be replaced every month.
Using this product, this will mean around £12 a month for fertiliser. Is there a cheaper option available for my fertilising purposes?

You really need to know the NPK value to work out a liquid ferts "Value for money". If I was to guess though I'd say Their All in One is very similar to the formula on James' Planted Tank - All in One Fertiliser...and that's what I'd use to save yourself money. The recommended suppliers for the recipes are at the bottom of the page, depending on which side of the pond you are.

HTH

 

[tribalbrit]

Dry ferts are much cheaper. look up EI method of dosing.

 

[SO19Firearms]

Dry ferts are much cheaper. look up EI method of dosing.

EI probably works out slightly more expensive than mixing his own tho still....

 

[mike455555]

Dry ferts are much cheaper. look up EI method of dosing.

EI probably works out slightly more expensive than mixing his own tho still....

+1 for EI method. starter pack costs £18

i dose 15ml per a day (which i mixed up using hardly any ferts in a 500ml bottle)
here

it will work out much cheaper

 

[SO19Firearms]

it will work out much cheaper

I've not done the numbers, but I bet it doesn't

 

[mike455555]

i bet it does.
5ml per 40l is that bottles recommended
the link i gave recommends 10ml per 50l
so looking it at that way yes that ways cheaper, but, for a 1000ml bottle its £12 (i think he said?) for my 500ml bottle (which is a fraction of the chemicals used (like not even 1/20ths-this number is an approximation of how many batchs i can make up from the dry salts) it costs £18. lets say you make up 1000ml this will be 2/20ths of the total amount of the chemicals you bought. even dosing 10ml per 50l it will only be 4/20ths (give or take) which is £6 more but then you got 5 times more so would last 5 times longer.

5x12=£60- for 5 months
1x18=£18- for 5 months

the EI method is mixing your own? ...

 

[RadaR]

it will work out much cheaper

I've not done the numbers, but I bet it doesn't

EI and "all in one" ferts are basically the same.
Macro and micro nutrients both dosed to a slight excess.

Either way, they are both great methods and any cost difference is negligable.

 

[mike455555]

can you link me to this product? because it might be the same one =P

 

[SO19Firearms]

Too much beer to do the numbers now, but I think the All-in-One (DIY Tropica+) from James is about a 3rd or aprox 1 dose of EI - With the instructions of 1x per week - So if you make your own, it'd work out about a 3rd cheaper than EI.... ish, and I'm still guessing. And I don't know what the APF analysis is as they (naughtily) don't give it...

 

[mike455555]

are we both on about making our own from dry salts? because then it just comes down to the price of the salts? and the amonut you buy them in?

 

[SO19Firearms]

PM'd you Mike

 

[Haveagojoe]

So would anyone think this stuff is any good or not, he gives what goes into it but not the amounts?

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/All-one-Aquarium-Plant-Fertilizer-1L-/190603279929?_trksid=p4012.m503&_trkparms=algo%3DRIC.CFNP%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUA%26otn%3D8%26pmod%3D290549192529%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D4753799941629825083

 

[mike455555]

same salts as the EI starter pack i gave a link to besides the E300 Ascorbic Acid and E202 Potassium Sorbate which are buffers
your dosing half the amounts as the EI starter pack as well(but its more conc). im not sure how much you get in it but it looks to me like your going to get a small sprinking of dry salts in the bottom of a tub. which you would add water to...

so the EI starter pack looks better value for money because you get 250g-500g of the chemicals (which less than 1g would be used to make a solution up)
so the EI starter pack would be better value for money

 

[SO19Firearms]

So would anyone think this stuff is any good or not, he gives what goes into it but not the amounts?

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/All-one-Aquarium-Plant-Fertilizer-1L-/190603279929?_trksid=p4012.m503&_trkparms=algo%3DRIC.CFNP%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUA%26otn%3D8%26pmod%3D290549192529%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D4753799941629825083

No - Looking at the way the ingredients list is formatted it's from James' Planted tank - and if it's for 1 litre's worth of powder only you'll be paying too much.