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Why dose ferts daily if manufactures advise weekly?

That I could not answer with confidence :p Perhaps it's a general guideline aimed at beginners as its unlikely they will have a hi-tech tank? It does say you can vary the dosage depending on growth etc which the more knowledgeable scaper/hobbyist would pick up and know what to do, especially if they run high tech.
 
The consensus though is to split the weekly recommended dose into daily amounts so this would still equate to the same amount of ferts being dosed over the week.

Don't get me wrong I dose daily and don't really question why too much (and perhaps I should ask Tropica) but given that they grow the plants they suggest weekly dosing. Perhaps it is to make the routine simpler.
 
I know what you mean Andy, but think about this, Tropica grows most of their plants emersed, their fertilizing regimen will be different to that of submerged growth. I'm not saying they don't know anything about submerged growth as I have seen their layouts and it clearly suggests that they know what they're doing so asking them via email etc is suggested.

I think over the years people start to apply the EI method to that of liquid ferts too which suggests why even liquid ferts are suggested to be dosed daily.
 
Michael W said:
I think over the years people start to apply the EI method to that of liquid ferts too which suggests why even liquid ferts are suggested to be dosed daily.
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Perhaps this is why. Are we adopting the EI process with our ferts as we understand the benefits it brings?
 
I also believe that the commercial liquid ferts are very diluted which means that daily dosage is also recommended. Although, with EI some of us choose to mix it with water prior to dosing, we can control the amount of salts added to the recipe which means we could make solutions with the same volume as the commercial ferts but with a stronger concentration of ferts, but we can't with commercial products.
 
Martin in China said:
I think you have to see it from a commercial point. If a manufacturer would say you should dose daily, many (first timers) wouldn't buy their product..."pfffff to much work, I buy that easy one"....
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I'm not sure I buy into that either. We manage to feed our fish every day so how much harder would it be to add 1 pump (using Tropica once more as an example as their pump system is easy) of ferts each day.

I think I may email Tropica later.

:)
 
Andy D said:
I'm not sure I buy into that either. We manage to feed our fish every day so how much harder would it be to add 1 pump (using Tropica once more as an example as their pump system is easy) of ferts each day.

I think I may email Tropica later.

:)
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Some people will find it a lot harder, just like weekly or twice weekly water changes, feeding fish has instant results they can be seen to eat it, also lfs still hung up on removing nitrogen phosphorus etc etc from tanks so adding daily would make them shudder, all branded ferts are aimed towards the masses not just those who have done a little more research.
 
Interesting thread, i too have often wondered why ADA, tropica etc. suggest to add weekly, but if you follow EI you add 3 times a week or even daily. I personnaly belive there is no right or wrong way as long as you achieve the results you are after. Some people prefer to add daily, others weekly. Some add fert tabs to the substrate, others don't. More CO2 in some tanks less in others.

Maybe someone with a more technical qualification (Aquatic Bioloigst or like) could answer this! :)
 
I dose daily because the chelators used in liquid ferts don't work for long in the aquarium before the iron precipitates out and isn't as readily available to the plants. Depends on which chelator is used and your water stats, but they often only remain effective for a few hours once dosed.

Dosing daily improves availability of iron and other chelated nutrients to the plants.
 
I'm no scientist, but isn't it because the 'gradient' of ferts in the water matters? Ie the ratio of ferts outside the water to inside the plant, which will affect the diffusion and uptake rate.

With tanks the key thing is to keep them consistent. And adding weekly gives a big gradient at the start of the week and a low one at the end. If ferts are limiting growth at any point, then you'll get bursts of faster and slower growth.

Suspect it makes little difference overall compared to CO2, regular maintenance and flow though...

CEG has a post on all this somewhere!
 
three-fingers said:
I dose daily because the chelators used in liquid ferts don't work for long in the aquarium before the iron precipitates out and isn't as readily available to the plants. Depends on which chelator is used and your water stats, but they often only remain effective for a few hours once dosed.

Dosing daily improves availability of iron and other chelated nutrients to the plants.
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Tropica uses HEEDTA which I would assume lasts longer than gluconate or EDTA.

The weekly thing is precisely as above said. Many people would buy the fert that says dose weekly instead of daily. You underestimate how lazy (even unintentionally) many people are.

We dose daily quite simply because...........would it be better for the 'Im a celeb' contestants to do their tasks all week and get a massive feast at the end? No it's better they have daily. Means that if there is a shortfall then the plant can get back on it the next day. Smaller time of starvation etc. If you put it in weekly and something falls short then it's a longer wait for replenishment.

You can dose however you like in reality. dependent on how precise you are dosing and how hi-tec the tank is then it doesn't really matter in the end. The lower tec tanks can be dose weekly, bi weekly, even never. The higher tec the tank is the more important to make sure nothing is limited.
 
Response from Tropica:

I have read the tread on ukaps and understand your confusion. You’re right, it is always better to dose frequently and in smaller quantities than to dose more rarely and in greater quantities. The plants prefer to be fed regularly – like humans. When fertilizers are added more rarely, the plants might get hungry, adapt to the environment lacking fertilizers and need time to re-adapt when fertilizers are dosed again.

We recommend dosing weekly as many tanks have plants with a steady and slowly growth, and in that case, it’s okay to dose weekly. In addition, many aquatic hobbyists only spend time on their tank once a week, if not even rarer. However, in tanks with rapidly growing plants, the plants need a dosage several times a week to ensure the best possible growth conditions. In our test laboratory, we usually dose 2-3 times a week.

I hope this answers your question.
 
Andy D said:
Response from Tropica:

I have read the tread on ukaps and understand your confusion. You’re right, it is always better to dose frequently and in smaller quantities than to dose more rarely and in greater quantities. The plants prefer to be fed regularly – like humans. When fertilizers are added more rarely, the plants might get hungry, adapt to the environment lacking fertilizers and need time to re-adapt when fertilizers are dosed again.

We recommend dosing weekly as many tanks have plants with a steady and slowly growth, and in that case, it’s okay to dose weekly. In addition, many aquatic hobbyists only spend time on their tank once a week, if not even rarer. However, in tanks with rapidly growing plants, the plants need a dosage several times a week to ensure the best possible growth conditions. In our test laboratory, we usually dose 2-3 times a week.

I hope this answers your question.
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Could you not have just PM'd Mick.dk on here :lol:
 
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