# help with ei fert solution



## masroberts9 (Mar 29, 2009)

i made a solution of 3.125 tsp gh booster, 5.5 tsp kno3, 1 tsp kh2po3 and 250ml of distilled water. after a day the solution precipited. i am trying to have as few bottles of fert as possible so i dont measure and dose 3 things every day (ofcourse a different 3 things on other days....csm+b, fe, etc). do i need to make seperate solutions for each fert?

which of these need to be refridgerated or at least in protected from the sun? im asking because i have a bunch of clear bottles and only 3 not clear bottles to make my solutions.

thanks in advance.


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## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

you can dose dry to avoid that


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## masroberts9 (Mar 29, 2009)

i really hope to find another answer, but maybe i will need to do dry. gosh i hope not. i really like the ease of open the bottle dump in a cap or 2 caps full. i mix in the kitchen and carry my bottles to each tank around the house. i would hate to carry the bags and spoon, then go get another bag and go around to all the tanks again for each fert.


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## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

i have a big plastic jug with a lid - when i am ready to dose i put some water in it - add my dry ferts - shake well - and add to the tank - it really doesnt take that much time to do


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## masroberts9 (Mar 29, 2009)

k i got my answer. i was told, "Mixing GH booster and KH2PO4 will precipitate out calcium phosphate. You will need three bottles: 1) Iron chelate + CSM+B, 2) NPK, 3) GH booster."


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I don't advise fertilizers like what you're using for El Natural tanks. In El Natural tanks, fishfood and soils provide most of the plant nutrients. The only exception is adding calcium, magnesium, potassium and bicarbonates to extremely softwater. 

You may get better advice in another forum.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

+1 on the advice you got about needing the 3 bottles. +1, again on dwalstad's advice on not dosing ferts in El Natural. If you have a soil substrate, once it gets to kicking out the ferts, you will find that adding other nutrients = algae of all kinds, IME.

-Dave


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## masroberts9 (Mar 29, 2009)

right on. i just saw ei and assumed it meant estimated index. lol. well if mods or admins want to move this thread... i wont have any problems with it.


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## OldMan (Sep 22, 2007)

I have both kinds of planted tank so have a little experience with mixing dry ferts into liquid. I ended up mixing enough solution to fill a mason jar of each. The nitrogen and phosphorus dissolve easily. The CSM+B is a little more difficult to get into solution and needs to be refrigerated or you will get a cloudy fungus looking stuff growing in it. The potassium never really seems to dissolve completely so I swirl the jar before measuring out the fertilizer using a pipette. I never combine the chemicals because I see no reason to limit my choices to a predetermined blend. I am using the PPO plus concentrations because I like the concept that, if I need to boost fertility, I simply dose 1 ml per 10 gallons of water. If I also had to calculate each individual dose I would quit dosing entirely. As it is, I don't expect to ever set up a high tech tank again. 
With all of that said, I have lost fish to CO2 problems and find my NPT works just as reliably as the higher tech approach with none of the negative potentials. Even the nasty problem it had with BGA when I first started it running went away on its own fairly quickly when I simply stopped feeding during a 2 week vacation away from home. I had bought and was considering using maracyn but was relieved to see that I didn't need it.


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

I make 2 stock solutions: Macos, Micos (CSM+B and Iron). (Keeps iron and phosphate separate)
I use GH booster only for a water change, the plants and fish do not use that much Ca or Mg between water changes, and using at water change time I can make the new water match the tank water for the least osmotic issues for the fish. I you need to use it, though, a third bottle of stock solution would be the way to go. 
I do not refrigerate, but I make only about a week's worth at a time. I do get some sort of stuff in the micros solution, but only if I take longer than a week to use it up. (I am sure it is growing in there before that, but in small enough pieces not to be noticeable)


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## OldMan (Sep 22, 2007)

Whatever it is that grows in the micro solution can be removed with a coffee filter and the refrigerated solution will then last a very long time. I had the issue with my first ever batch and it was about 3 months before the micros were used up and it was time to make a new batch. Simply filtering the solution only worked for a week or two but refrigerating it afterward made it just last and last. I have never added anything but fish food and fish waste to my El Natural so would not know where to start using the trace mix on that tank. I have assumed that it is not needed and so far that seems to be proving true. Many people would consider my tap water ridiculous for growing plants because it comes from the tap quite hard with a high KH, a 7.8 pH and 325 ppm of TDS. When I am getting ready to do a water change after about 4 months, it has a TDS of about 320 to 340 and I do not bother to measure anything else because I figure the plants are keeping up between water changes. One thing I have noticed is that the vallisneria roots in the substrate on this tank while the runners seem to run far from the substrate in the tanks that don't have the potting soil in them.


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