# micro's and macro's



## Marcom1234 (Aug 16, 2006)

what are these two? can anyone point me in the direction of where to find out?


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## banderbe (Nov 17, 2005)

Lol


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## Edward (May 25, 2004)

Hi Marcom1234
Concentration of ppm represents the dry weight of a representative plant.

*Major nutrients include:*

C = Carbon 450,000 ppm
H = Hydrogen 60,000 ppm 
O = Oxygen 450,000 ppm 
P = Phosphorus 2,000 ppm 
K = Potassium 10,000 ppm 
N = Nitrogen 15,000 ppm 
S = Sulphur 1,000 ppm 
Ca = Calcium 5,000 ppm 
Mg = Magnesium 2000 ppm 
*Minor Nutrients:*

Fe = Iron 100 ppm
Mo = Molybdenum 0.1 ppm
B = Boron 20 ppm
Cu = Copper 6 ppm
Mn = Manganese 50 ppm
Zn = Zinc 20 ppm
Cl = Chlorine 100 ppm

Edward


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Check out these references under nutrients to give you some good info:
DFW Aquatic Plant Club Articles-- Beginner Basics: Introduction
Rex's Guide to Planted Tanks


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## Marcom1234 (Aug 16, 2006)

ok laugh as you will i suppose. but what i meant was which ones were which. i know the basics just wasn't sure which ones were the micros and which ones were the macros.

im assuming micro's would be csm+b plantex from greg watson? and if so is that all id need for micros or would i need other supplements for micros?


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## banderbe (Nov 17, 2005)

I thought you were joking. You have posted 128 times after all.

CSM+B is a lower end option for micronutrients. Think of it as an old pickup truck. It works and gets the job done but there are better (more expensive) alternatives.

Then there are the Mercedes S-Class sedans like Seachem Flourish and Tropica's Aquacare Plant Nutrition (formerly Tropica Master Grow).

I prefer TMG myself, I found it gave better results than CSM+B.

That will cover all your micronutrients, although some folks like to supplement with additional iron by using Seachem Flourish Iron. It's what I do. I think it's made a difference by making plants more vibrant and robust.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

*Micro - trace elements:* Plantex CSM+B, Tropica aquacare (TMG), Seachem Flourish. Extra dosage of iron is considered as a micro/trace mineral too.

*Macro Elements:* Nitrogen (N), Phosphates (P), Potassium (K)

-John N.


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## Marcom1234 (Aug 16, 2006)

so for a 20 gal tank how much csm+b should i use?


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Generally it's about 1/8 tsp of Plantex 2-3x a week.

Just in case you missed this thread, here's are some Fertilizing Dosing Guidelines, with brief information regarding macro/micro ferts, along with liquid mixtures for Plantex if you chose to add it solution wise.

-John N.


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## Marcom1234 (Aug 16, 2006)

well i used the guidelines for my gw ferts for a 10 to 20 gal tank and people have told me im WAY under dosing micros as the reason i have green thread algea.
so i figured i was not dosing something.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

Thats dosing is for Fully Planted High Light Tank with Co2 injected i assume. Give us your Tank Spec.?


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Marcom 1/8 tsp is good enough for 3x a week on a 20 gallon. You can bump it up to 1/4 tsp without ill effects though, but it's not necessary since many of those trace elements are found in tap water too.

For your thread problem, I had a massive issue with thread algae (everywhere) about 1 month back in my 10 gallon. I took a look at the "excel killed my algae" thread and decided to try overdosing (2-3x) recommend amount, and a little over a month later the green thread algae disappeared. During the overdosing, I would remove whatever strands that came up easily, while leaving the hard to reach green thread algae in the tank. Eventually everything went away on it's own. Regular dosing, 40-50% weekly waterchanges as usual.

-John N.


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## Marcom1234 (Aug 16, 2006)

ok ... 20 gal tank with 65 watts of cf colormax 6700 .
id say medium planted not heavy thats why i used the 10-20 gal specs for dosing ferts.
and am using DIY co2 pumped through a glass diffusor. 

anything else you need to know?  just ask


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