# help with dosing dry ferts!!!



## jdigiorgio (Jan 29, 2004)

HELLO,

I have a few questions about dosing dry ferts. I just received several of products and want to make sure. My tank parametrs are;

150 gallon
ph = 6.7
temp = 78 - 80
PO4 = <1.0
GH = 12
KH = 5
CO2 = 28 - 30mg/l
nitrite = 0
ammonia = 0
nitrate = <.25

I have been using all of the FLOURISH products for over a year and it was just getting too expensive. I had Tom Barr over my house and he reccommended that I start doising ALOT more then what I was previously dosing. I was adding about 15ml of Flourish a week, he suggested around 30 ml three times a week. I have noticed a dramatic increase in plant growth over the last 7 weeks since I upped the dosing, with no algea!!. The same is true with dosing Flourish Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potassium and Micros.

The question I have is that Tomm stated add 1 tsp of KNO3 and 1/8 tsp of KH2PO4, 4 times a week. Now looking and double checking on Chuck Glad's calculator, It states add around 6 tsp of KH2PO4 to achieve around .6ppm of PO4. Is this for just a once a week dosing schedule or what Tom suggested at every other day? Also on Chuck's site for KNO3, is the target states 5ppm. Is that 5.00ppm or .5ppm? If it is 5.00ppm, then I have to add 414 tspns!!!!! or 138 Tblspn!!!!!!! that seems like quite a bit.

So with the above parameters in my tank, the plants are growing well, but could be better, curling leaves and black/brown veins through the leaves on some of the "green" stem plants, what would you suggest?

The dry ferts that I have are ;

KNO3
KH2PO4
K2SO4

Micros = 
PLANTEX CSM+B
MAG SULFATE
Iron Chelate

I would really appreciate the help.


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## TWood (Dec 9, 2004)

With all respect to Chuck, I now use this:

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forum/fertilator.php

I test PO4 and NO3 after the water change and dose accordingly. If NO3 doesn't decline during the week, I'll add K2SO4. I watch the new growth on h. difformis as an indiactor for Fe (iron) but it's looking like a twice-weekly dose of CSM+B at .1 ppm Fe is working.

TW


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