# The 'I stopped using Tropica Plant Nutrition because it is too expensive' Club



## Brilliant

I started using Tropica Master Grow about three years ago. In 2006 I bought the 5 liter bottle for $49.99. Now Tropica Master Grow is called Tropica Plant Nutrition and it is $119.99 for a 5 liter.

I am not tolerating that and purchased 2x2 liters of Flourish Excel for $61.98. I am also looking into CSM+B to make my own trace ferts.

Is anyone else feeling the same way? Join the club...


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## Supercoley1

Make it yourself 

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/allinone.htm

AC


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## surpera1

but dry ferts for far less


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## ashappard

Brilliant said:


> I started using Tropica Master Grow about three years ago. In 2006 I bought the 5 liter bottle for $49.99. Now Tropica Master Grow is called Tropica Plant Nutrition and it is $119.99 for a 5 liter.
> 
> I am not tolerating that and purchased 2x2 liters of Flourish Excel for $61.98. I am also looking into CSM+B to make my own trace ferts.
> 
> Is anyone else feeling the same way? Join the club...


not yet, CSM+B didnt perform as well for me and I gave it several tries.
I'd drop back to seachem flourish before going to CSM +B but I notice the price on it is up also.

I'm glad I'm sitting on a stockpile of 10L TMG - thats a hefty price jump. 
I had to go to bigals to see if it was really that high now.. gulk!


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## ashappard

surpera1 said:


> but dry ferts for far less


yeah, dry ferts for macros - but for traces.. you can tell the difference in fancy commercial mixes vs CSM+B if you are looking for performance and getting difficult plants to reach potential. yes, I know CSM+B is good enough. but sometimes good enough really isnt, and a nice trace mix can make it much easier to reach a goal without struggle.

I've seen some pretty good results on plant color from guys using mineralized soil substrates. If quality trace mixes get out of my price range, that may be my next option.


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## Jim Lockhart

I'm switching to CSMB. I'm a long time TMG user. I have been using the CSMB and TMG in side by side tanks, I see no difference in color or growth. The experiment was intended more to test CSMB effect on shrimp, no significant effect that I can tell. Even although I dose enough for one week at a time (35 ml) of the solution in a 50g.

The one difference I would offer is the chelation. Dont keep CSMB in solution for a really long time. It's fine with TMG, I think it has a better more expensive chelation. Mix only enough CSMB that you will use in about a month.


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## Supercoley1

The recipe above is made from dry ferts at Tropica levels.

I use dry ferts EI with trace element dry powders.

AC


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## Brilliant

Yup, its true. Now I wish I bought 10L at those prices. 

Thanks for the recipe. I'm actually looking to replace TMG/Plant Nutrition trace mix. I do mix my own macros from dry ferts tho.

Thanks for the feedback on the TMG vs. CSM

I got Flourish this time around but I will purchase some CSM+B to try next time I make a purchase.


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## vancat

I'm in the club. Long time user but I'm using up my last bottle. 

Thinking of pfertz just because it seems so easy.


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## kekon

I also stopped using TMG but due to other reasons. It is very good fertilizer but it was also very diluted so i had to pour at least 200% of the recommended dose (i used RO water only). I also experienced zinc deficiency several times on my Aromatica. Adding zinc from zinc-chelator or ZnSO4 always helped and plants recovered in 3..4 days time. Then i began to make my of micro ferts. I bought chelators (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, preservatives etc.). The results i got weren't worse that i achieved when using TMG. I didn't copy the TMG composition in my fert but i set my own ratios and levels of particular elements.
The chemicals i bought are not expensive and they enable to make dozens of liters of mirco fertilizers.


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## Brilliant

Thats some good feedback. I am seeing the results from dosing Flourish instead of TMG now.

Does anyone else want to join the club? Better yet has anyone purchased Tropica at the new price and plan on doing so in the future?


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## vancat

I can't imagine anyone buying it at that crazy increase. It's almost like they don't want you to buy it any more. 

Any pfertz users out there?


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## Brilliant

I used the Flourish product for six months now. Everything is ok.


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## bradac56

I've been using pfertz on all of my low/medium-tech tanks for the last year and I like the results better than the Seachem line and it doesn't cost as much.

I've switched for the moment from using CSM+B to pfertz's "M" micro bottle on all my tanks with no noticeable difference.

- Brad


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## Philosophos

I've never dosed TPN, hardly relied on seachem. Why pay for excessive packaging and ridiculous markups? Products could be created and sold at 1/4 the retail price without much effort, and a healthy income.

Supercoley, that recipe looks like it'd turn into a nasty cloud of precipitates. Has anyone actually mixed that recipe up? I'm just wondering how it'd be done without the KH2PO4 wreaking havoc on the non-K+ based ingredients. For that matter, the MgSO4 mixed in the wrong order would make for some fun along side the trace/iron. Just observations from my own experience mixing stock solutions.

-Philosophos


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## barbarossa4122

Do you guys think it's OK to use Flourish and CSM+B on the day I am dosing traces?


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## bosmahe1

I dose CSM+B and macros dry, using baking spoons (Dash, pinch, smidgeon). I dose kh2P04 on alternate days of the CSM+B. If a tank is 20 gallons or more, I personally don't see the need to dilute the concentration with water and measure that.

My tank is open top so I get some evaporation. I have a container from a Mr. Coffee maker that I add a Dash of KNO3 and Smidgeon of CSM+B or a Smidgeon of KH2P04 to it and fill it with water and 2drops of Prime. I do this on a daily basis.

I used to spoon the powders directly into the aquarium but, my stupid fish would go after it like fish food. They never learned that it wasn't food. It never hurt them, they would spit it out but, it was unnerving for me.

Anyway, I used to use Flourish Comprehensive, I can't say it did better than the CSM+B. I've used Flourish Iron on alternate days of the CSM+B and Phosphate, still didn't see much difference. So, I use what's cheaper. I have an aversion to spending money for the shipping cost of water. :slywink:


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## bosmahe1

barbarossa4122 said:


> Do you guys think it's OK to use Flourish and CSM+B on the day I am dosing traces?


I personally would use them on alternate days if, you have both already.


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## barbarossa4122

bosmahe1 said:


> I personally would use them on alternate days if, you have both already.


OK, I'll do that until I finished the Flourish. Thank you.


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## Brilliant

Well I purchased Flourish again...Dr FosterSmith coupon for $10 off and cheap shipping kept me going. Pferts seemed to be the same price and Tropica price seems to keep going up!


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## barbarossa4122

If I were to dose "TPN" for my 55g and 30g it will cost me $9.00/month. Is "TPN" so much better than CSM+B ? Right now I am dosing dry ferts, macro and traces + Flourish Iron. My plants are doing Ok. Should I bite the bullet and get some "TPN" just to try it for 2, 3 months? Is "TPN" better than Flourish ?


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## nfrank

I didnt notice this discussion, which is very related to one i started last week - on chelated iron.

I am a long standing user of TPN/TMG... since i met Claus in 95! What i like best is its strong chelators which have permitted weekly dosing.

For those that switched to other trace mixes: please indicate your new dosing frequency; and hardness and pH which may be related to its stability.

I have 1L TPN left. In a few months, i will have to make decision what i will do. I want a smooth transition if i switch.


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## barbarossa4122

OK, I couldn't resist.........I just ordered 2 500ml bottles , $ 49.97 with s&h. This should last me 33 weeks, maybe more if , I alternate between TPN and CSM+B.


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## bigstick120

Something else to throw in the mix is Brightwell Aquatics. Ive used the florinmulti and just started with their Fe. Brightwell iron is ferrous and ferric iron Seems to work as well as flourish and the directions on the package call for about half the dosage of flourish and flourish iron.
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/239707/i/10/product.web

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/239718/i/10/product.web


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## Brilliant

I have an autodosing system setup it puts a little bit in every few hours. All I did was switch the solution in the bottle. 

Brightwell Aquatics Florinmulti...nice.
Wow 20L!!!!!


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## nfrank

interesting. that sounds even better than weekly dosing!

Can you please provide some details of the equipment and its setup?


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## Brilliant

I have an Aquamedic Reefdoser. They come in a few different models. The twin model and up feature built in timer system. I simply tell it how often to dose and for how long. The pumps are connected to clear 1000ml bottles. With this setup its extremely easy to increase or decrease the ferts.

A much cheaper system can be had using a larger amount of water in a bucket, a small pump and a timer. Set it for a minute or two. The magical mixture of hose size, head & duration all have to be sized correctly so the "poor man's autodoser" is not as easy as the Aquamedic. This setup also works as an autofill to a certain extent.

I forgot to add that I would never dose these expensive micros using a poor man's autodoser. I still pump the micros in manually on my other tanks.


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