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DIY ADA Ferts

Tom

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Kawanabe, Kagoshima, Japan 鹿児島県南九州市川辺町
Following on from the discussion about brighty k (and making your own from Pot Carbonate), I am wondering if I can imitate all 3 ADA ferts I use with powders? Brighty K seems easy enough, but is it known about the concentrations of each substances in Step1 and Special Lights or have ADA kept it a secret?

I'm guessing the Step1 is just micro's, but if it differs from Step 2 and 3, the concentrations would be useful to know.

If Brighty Special Lights is just N and P, to what ratio would it be? (10:1?) And how much would you add for, say, 500ml R/O water to keep the doses the same?

I'm thinking I'm going to try this when my ADA runs out, and use the same bottles I'm using now as I think I've got the dosing more or less spot on at the moment with ADA.

Tom
 
According to the ADA catalogue;
Step 1 has lots of trace elements and some iron
Step 2 has trace elements and lots of iron
Step 3 has trace elements, iron and potassium

The only guide to amounts is that it has one circle if they're present and two to indicate higher levels.

K has lots of potassium and chlorine neutralizers.
Lights and Shade have Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potassium and trace elements.

It doesn't go into any more detail than that in the one I've got.
 
This has been discussed in detail on APC.

ADA won't release their exact ingredients/compostion. Can't blame them really.

The Steps get progressively more concentrated, as the aquarium matures and some of the substrate nutrients get used up.

The smart move would be to use Step 3 all the time, just less qtys, at the start. Save some ££.

I think Tom Barr is analysing them and will publish results on his site.
 
I do know what is in each ADA liquid ferts.

All you have to do it run a test.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

Attachments

  • Analysis-of-ADA-liquid-fertilizers.pdf
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Except ADA reformulated their fertilizer line a couple years back ;)

(last I checked, there was no detail how that analysis was done so I’m somewhat sceptical of its comprehensiveness ..... perhaps it’s been updated?)
 
(last I checked, there was no detail how that analysis was done so I’m somewhat sceptical of its comprehensiveness ..... perhaps it’s been updated?)
I think Tom used ?Mass spectrometry but probably need multiple techniques and quite a bit of expertise to analyse a complex solution. It's the best result we have so far AFAIK.
 
Yes I “think” so too but even with MS etc, you only find what you look for

It would be so much cleaner if he’d actually list Materials and Methods ..... which should be such a habit for anyone that’s competed a Masters or PhD o_O
 
I simply posted here the results (and pdf) that I found on internet in this thread for the sake of completeness.
:)

I’m certain (just read an article about the Dunning–Kruger effect though so perhaps I’m just imagining my recollections :lol:) there’s another more recent thread about simulating ADA fertilizers
 
:)

I’m certain (just read an article about the Dunning–Kruger effect though so perhaps I’m just imagining my recollections :lol:) there’s another more recent thread about simulating ADA fertilizers

There might be, yet not the point here ;). I was simply closing the loop.

Refer below:
I do know what is in each ADA liquid ferts.

All you have to do it run a test.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
Hi all,
I think Tom used ?Mass spectrometry
Have a look at @xim's comments in <"Testing for EI">
but probably need multiple techniques and quite a bit of expertise to analyse a complex solution
If you had access to the analytical equipment you could do the analysis fairly quickly, but it is high spec., expensive kit.

The process is reasonably straightforward, because:
  • Everything is in solution,
  • you know which fourteen elements you are looking for,
  • and their approximate levels,
You could do all the elements in one go with an "inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometry" <"ICP-OES">, but you would need access to it and the scientist who can use it.

cheers Darrel
 
ADA has to release guaranteed analysis in terms of how much N-P-K and Traces it adds.

Brighty K: 2,6% K2O - as it also raises KH we can assume they use only KHCO3.
Neutral Brighty K: 5% K2O - as there is no N, P, KH added i'll assume its KSO4
Brighty Nitrogen: 0,4% N (total 0,4% Urea Nitrogen) - its CH4N2O
Brighty Mineral: 0,003%Mg, 0,03027%S, 0,002708%B, 0,001957%Cu, 0,01%Fe, 0,004519%Mn, 0,0002473%Mo, 0,0042074%Zn - this should be "lightly" chelated.
Brighty Iron: 0,068877%S, 0,05%Fe - this should be "slightly" chelated.
 
Hi all,
Brighty K: 2,6% K2O - as it also raises KH we can assume they use only KHCO3.
Neutral Brighty K: 5% K2O - as there is no N, P, KH added i'll assume its KSO4
Brighty Nitrogen: 0,4% N (total 0,4% Urea Nitrogen) - its CH4N2O........
Yes, they definitely look about right.
Brighty Mineral: 0,003%Mg, 0,03027%S, 0,002708%B, 0,001957%Cu, 0,01%Fe, 0,004519%Mn, 0,0002473%Mo, 0,0042074%Zn - this should be "lightly" chelated.
Brighty Iron: 0,068877%S, 0,05%Fe - this should be "slightly" chelated.
Back to the <"World's most expensive water"> competition.

My suspicion would be that most of the ADA users wouldn't contemplate investing £5 in a kilogram of "Miracle-Gro", but there is no difference in the urea (CH4N2O) or potassium in either product.

The urea will still be converted to ammonia and the potassium will go into solution as K+ ions, whether the fertiliser cost £5 /kg or £50 / kg.

cheers Darrel
 
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