# Dosing suggestions with the whole (almost) Flourish line?



## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Picking up (cheaply) a small batch of Flourish, Flourish Iron, Flourish Nitroget=n, Flourish Phosphate and Flourish Potassium

I was going to experiment with these on a lowish light 10g tank...think about 2wpg range with CO2.

What do you suggest I do for a weekly dosing regime? (mL please )
..just lookign for a starting point.

Only have good experience with high light tanks and DIY ferts *L*

From what I understand, I may want to entirely disregard the "suggested" dosing rate on the flourish bottles *LOL*


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## paul236313 (Jul 23, 2004)

im using there liquid ferts on my 75 gallon what i do is water change once a week add your 3 macro's npk i add nitrogen untill i get around 10-15 ppm i dose light on the phosphurus because i do it twice a week also on potassium too ok day 1 is done 
day 2 i dose 2-3 ml of flourish and 4ml of iron
still adjusting my iron dosing 
day 3 i dose 2ml iron 
day 4 change 5 -10 persent of water i fill up 2 5 gal buckets dose again light on my phosphurus and potassium and nitrogen to get around 10-15pp
m around 3-5 ml right now until i fill up up my aquarium with plants
day5add 2ml iron
day6 dose flourish 1-2ml
day 7 water change 35percent water using stress coat and stress zyme now not waiting over night like i use to just around 20 mins


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## pineapple (May 4, 2004)

Dosing KNO3 you know what you get and you get what you know, having used it before.

My use of Flourish Nitrogen in ultra soft water was difficult. FN seems to deliver N in two ways, rather than by simply delivering a solution of ( say K)NO3. The Seachem description explains further about the contents. A standard NO3 test will not detect all the nitrate delivered by FN. I used this product on two aquariums and both had green water within days. Stopped using FN (very mild low doses) and the GW went away, started using FN again, it came back. Draw your own conclusions.

The only use for Seachem I have is with Seachem Prime for dechlorination and Seachem Flourish Excel which seems to kill off BGA effectively (while not doing anything negative or positive to plants in a high light aquarium).

Andrew Cribb


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Tony,

Every time I've tried using the Flourish line with CO2 it's ended up disasterously. I would _highly_ suggest either using the whole line or none at all. For dosing reference I use the following twice a week (Mon and Fri) on an 80g setup at work. High light, 4x 65w PC, with Crypts, Anubias, Ferns, and Moss all growing very lush and robustly. Water changes are 30% once a week with RO.

All in # of caps per dose:
Excel: 8
NO3: 3
PO4: 3
K: 2
Fe: 2
Trace: 5
Flourish: 1 
Equilibrium: 4 tbsp (added both times, not just with RO)

To be quite honest I've been very surprised with the results of this regimen given the lighting and plants. However, it's worked out much better than what I had anticipated and would recommed it to anyone.


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## sumecki (May 16, 2004)

Need help also. I want to have a nice fully planted aquarium, so it is better to post a question than make a huge mistake  To summarize quickly: 102 gallon tank with 4x 54W fluorescent T5 tubes = 2.45W/gallon. CO2 system with spiral diffuser. I couldn't get KNO3 or K2PO4, so I went with Seachem

By achieving this levels:
pH 6.5 to 7.0	
KH 3-6 degrees
GH 8 degrees 
NO3 8ppm-10ppm	
PO4 0.2ppm to 0.5ppm (?)
Fe 0.2ppm
K+ 20-30ppm (?) 
how will I have to start dosing?

The plants will be: Glosso, Anubias nana, Microsorum pteropus Narrow and Windelow, Eleocharis accicularis, Rotala macrandra "narrow leaf", rotundifolia, nanjenshan and walichii, Vesicularia and Riccia.

Water from R.O. is pH 6.5, KH 0, NO3 0ppm, and my normal water (from a pipe) is pH 7.5, KH 10 degrees, NO3 25 ppm.

So when I will firstly fill up the tank (102 gallons) with 50% of R.O. and 50% of normal water, I will get pH 7.0, KH 5 degrees and NO3 about 12 ppm?

How should I start fertilizing with Flourish, F. Trace, F. Iron, F. Potassium, F. Equilibrium, F. Nitrogen, F. Phosphorus? I have read everything on fertilizing topics, seachems products and I am even more confused as I was before.

My wc will be 30% every week. So every week I will try to get KH around 4 with water from R.O. and from a pipe. What about other micro/macro nutritions? How to achieve the levels above with Flourish line? 
Thnx for your answers.


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## sumecki (May 16, 2004)

Okay maybe I should post my calculations on the base of seachems instructions:

8,5 ml Flourish twice a week = 17ml
12,5ml F. Trace twice a week = 25,5ml
10 ml F. Iron once a week (to maintain 0,1mg/l)
17 ml F. Potassium once a week (to raise it for 2,0mg/l) Potassium will be added also with equilibrium...(target level is 20mg/l)
I think I have allready enough nitrates in my "pipe" water
12,5 ml F. Phosphorus once a wekk (to raise it for 0,05mg/l)...(target level is 0,4mg/l)

The only thing is I don't know how to consider my tank - as high light or medium light? And I won't have any fishes for the first 4 weeks


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Hey Phil, have you tried your regime with a plant that doesn't use low light plants?...like a stem tank for example.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

I don't understand why using the Flourish line with co2 would be disasterous. I use Flourish and Flourish Iron along with pressurized co2 in my 30 and it does quite well. I think I may experiment with Plantex +B when my jug runs out, but not because things are going poorly. 

I have given up on their macro products. I stopped the Flourish Nitrogen because it was too hard to guage nitrate levels and the Flourish Phosphorous because it was so weak. Using kno3 and kh2po4 is cheaper and easier for me.


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Gomer,

Yeah, that dosing regimen will grow Ammania gracillis like I've never seen before. It also works well for Didplis diandre, but not so good for Ludwigia, Rotala, or Alternanthera (so-so). FYI, the tank I used as the example is 80g and is growing under 4x 65w PC, so it's not a low light tank.


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