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That's the one I was looking for! Thanks Iain

I can't find it! I thought it was APFUK but their downloadable one is in teaspoons.

4 weeks? Sooo, 5 years of TPN+ sitting in it's bottle? There doesn't look to be anything wrong with it - it's not gone mouldy but I was wondering whether the different nutrients were effected over time.

Quick question - do mixed ferts go bad after time?

I add mine (and Excel) a couple of hours before lights on, but only out of habit. I suppose it makes sense to add them before lights on.

No, Flourish is a Fert like TPN etc. and Flourish Excel is liquid carbon. As CeeJay says there is EasyCarbo which is similar to Excel, and you might find it cheaper (more concentrated too) Yes it will be fine with a 25% water change. Split the weekly dosage recommendation into daily doses...

Thanks Tom. Why is it that we need to dose extra in tanks even with a rich substrate, whereas they tend to be fine with just the substrate out of water?

Is there any difference in nutrient uptake between plants grown under or above water (assuming the same light intensity)? I would assume that plants would take up nutrients faster out of water due to the higher CO2 content. Saying that, I can grow plants nicely out of water in nothing but a...

Clonitza said in my journal about trimming the old leaves once the new ones start growing. Just how much hacking would you advise? Just leave the new couple of leaves and massive root system, or would the lack of plants increase my algae chances if it appears? (am still awaiting the diatoms)...

Thanks Mike and Clive. I'm using around 4 times the recommended weekly dose (but split to alternate days), so I think I'll ease off a bit. Maybe halve it and look for any problems. I didn't add any Epsom Salts to my EI mix this time, as my water is very hard anyway. All the new leaves look fine...

How much TPN should one use as a trace alongside EI Macros? I'm currently using 2ml/25l but I'm worried it might not be enough Tom

Yes, but you'll probably want to revise your light levels. What problems were you having?

:lol: :roll: Well EI is happening soon anyway, so you'll have one less person to moan at! :P Thanks Clive - I had a reply from Tom on the Barr Report and he suggests Diatoms, but to me it seems more like leaf colouration than algae. If that's all it is though, I'm not too worried. Will see...

OK, thanks. I've got some KNO3 ordered, so when that comes next week I will be increasing the current dosing to full EI just to rule out a deficiency. I did post this up on the Barr Report, but the only answer I got really was the suggestion that everyone should use EI so there's no...

Thanks Darrel - it doesn't seem to rub off, which is why I don't think it's diatoms. That was my first thought though. What chemicals might I use could have that effect?

Any thoughts?

This is one of the last remaining problems in the Mini M I hope. Brand new leaves seem fine, but as soon as another sprouts, the older one goes brown around the edges, and it gradually covers the leaf. I'm seeing it in pretty much every plant, and have the same issue in the Do!aqua cube...

I would say divide the recommended weekly dose by 7 and start there, dosing every day. Then, you can increase if you see the need to. Tom

As per title really - What visual effect would excessive Excel have on plants? Would it cause a melt?

Welcome :) Does the Profito contain N and P? If not, that's probably your problem and I'd look at dosing ferts that include these. Have a read here: http://www.ukaps.org/EI.htm Dry Ferts: http://www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/9-jt-s-ei-salts Dosage calculator: http://theplantedtank.co.uk/ > go...

I've just got some 100% MgSO4 - I hadn't realised epsom salts were 100%!! :crazy:

Thanks - it says it also contains Sucrose, so presumably that takes up the other percentage?

I've just got some Salts containing 17.4% MgSO4, 19.5% Citric Acid, and 22.6% Na Bicarb. First of all, is this Epsom Salts? I'm looking into it for the Mg as suggested in my journal, and I thought I might as well try it. Do the other ingredients matter or adversely affect anything? As far as I...

Are you going do dose dry powders? You could just dose normal EI levels, or maybe lower it a bit if you think it would be too excessive - have a look here for a calculator: http://www.jsctech.co.uk/theplantedtank/calculator.htm

If your plants are pearling, chances are you have plenty of light. Tom

James' calculator makes it 3.7g or so George. I will do this myself it it will work, and drop TPN+ on the cube

That's interesting George, I just looked mine up and there was a huge variable, but the average being 0.6ppm. Nitrate was also hugely variable, whereas K was consistantly quite high.

I'm not an expert on this by any means!! I'm just adding 1ml daily after my water change in 25 liters because it's convenient. 1ml per 50l only adds 1ppm according to the first post in this thread, which doesn't seem like much comapared to EI levels.

Those doses would make it very lean! I'm dosing double N at the moment, and am considering more. I assumed the Micros were the same so it looks like I'm way overdoing it if that's right!

Thanks again Clive and Drouthie :) I'll watch it closely

Clive, thank you! I've just discovered the calculator a minute ago, I didn't know it was there. And 0.45ppm will be enough? Thanks again, I'm such a numpty....

I'm going to have an educated guess at 16.4 grams per 250ml would let me dose at 1ml per 25l 3x weekly and get something around 1-3ppm. I'm doing daily 50% water changes, so if that's reasonable should I just dose that much daily? This gives me a headache and is probably why I went all ADA to...

Hi, My maths is terrible and I tend to go blank when thinking about numbers. I'm trying to work out how much KH2PO4 to dose daily in my Mini M (approx 25l gross). Daily doses will be too small to use spoon measures, so I'd like to make a mix in a 250ml TPN bottle. Please could someone direct me...

This would make sense as to why my last tank went so badly using the household water softener (it stripping Mg and Ca, replacing it with Na) and my HC really really struggled. Moss seemed fairly OK but not at it's best. I had completely overlooked Mg as being important until now. Maybe it's time...

Probably Spezial N along with normal ferts, or at least that's what I'm doing. I also have Flowgrow.

I had been putting 1ml in my 10 liter for the last week or so, and I did notice a slight acceleration with the HC growth. I did also change my water source around the same time though....

Just got my bottle of aquaessentials' liquid carbon through the post. Good delivery time for second class, must say. Very good value too, half the price of Excel, and seemingly more concentrated. Anyone used it? I'm assuming it's exactly the same chemical?

Good link George - Bookmarked :)

You might get shot for saying that round here these days!! :lol:

I'll be the last person to bash ADA, but it's just not cheap is all I'm saying :p

Yeah I'd be worrying more about spending tonnes of money than overdosing ferts!

Yeah, I would. Or at least pick one of them at a low dose unless you find you need it. You never need to dose both together, and they're usually only used with substrates of lower nutrition than Amazonia.

Yes, if you're using Amazonia I would hold off both of them. You might find it useful after a year or so when the nutrients in the Aquasoil become lower.

Lots of info here: http://www.aquajournal.net/na/basics/basics_07.html

I had good success using Brighty Lights, Step 1 and K together with Malaya Aquasoil. I will be using Amazonia soil next time which is richer in nutrients so will just drop the Brighty Lights.

Food colouring...

The ADA bottles are just so pretty, even in boxes! There's you're excuse!

You should be OK with water column dosing (I've got one or two perfectly fine in a "non-planted" tank), but it might be an idea after about a year or so. Tom

Chelating? But then it doesn't seem to break down at all - unless TPN+ can go "off"?

I wondered about that, or even the Seachem one, but was put off when it said somewhere it had "other essential nutrients" in

That's why I'm asking if you really need to add EDTA etc, or if you can add Iron Sulphate straight to the tank. If it's that complicated it's probably worth buying a liquid iron supplement like ADA, or at least Easylife or Seachem

So if you dose daily, why can't you just dose FeSO4 unchelated? If you kept it in solution with distilled water, would it be that extreme of a reaction when it's added to the tank that the plants don't get a chance to utilise it? I don't understand this molar stuff, so am trying to keep it...

Haha, I think I might have got my last post above a bit wrong too, but I'll wait for someone to correct me!! I've just ordered Green Gain though Graeme :) I'm OK with hardscape too, but this plant growing thing...!

So if I am understanding this right, you need to add DPTA or EDTA to dry Fe mix to chelate it. When it is chelated, it can't react with other elements, but is still available to plants? Or does it have to break down to be available to plants? We did go through all this at college, but I can't...

I'd also like to find this out peoples thoughts. Tom Barr seems to be advising people to dose Iron more - i've been trawling through the Barr Report forums recently! Would any other Iron product do the same job as the ECA? I'd be interested to see if there are any differences when adding these...

Just something I've been wondering about really. Will an excess of trace elements cause algae? People only ever seem to mention the Macro nutrients vs. CO2 with regards to algae, so does that mean the dosing rates of Micros is less critical? Would you see deficiencies of NPK/CO2 related algae...

Thanks for the explantions Clive - I was doing the water changes at lights out sometimes and before lights on sometimes. I had assumed that as the plants weren't photosynthesizing during the night then the nutrient levels weren't important. If that were true, then I thought the timing of the...

My M. Umbrosum has gone yellow and has brown algae over it just in the last couple of days and the leaves are melting. It hasn't grown since the first trim, however it was growing nicely before I trimmed and switched to TPN+ from TPN. My rocks are covered in brown and green algae. My R...

Next time I buy ferts again, I'll get ADA (powder instead of Brighty K). I know they're expensive, but I have never had good results like when I used those (and I know that's partly me not understanding the other ferts right yet). But anyway, it is so simple as well, I just had a squirt of each...

Yup, I've been using TPN and recently started with ADA special lights, which I believe doesn't include K.

Cheers Clive, So is it fair to say that a lack of K would ultimately slow down the growth of the plant? And if you add too much K, it wouldn't particularly benefit algae? Also, if there is too much K, would the plants then show deficiencies of the other nutrients, or would they only take in...

Nothing obviously K related I don't think :roll: Bit of algae in the moss which appeared last time my CO2 ran out, and I can't shake it now. Just realised I wasn't dosing any K, that's all. Tom

What would a lack of Potassium look like, just out of interest? Tom

Carrying on from a quick debate at the weekend that I don't think ever got resolved... Should you use both together or separately? Does TPN+ contain enough macros and micros, or should you use the combination? Tom

Cheers George! :D

It's around 90 litres I think, 24x16x16". I've got a 3x24w T5 unit. Fish load will be minimal, maybe a few tetras. Looks like I'll be using TPN+ then :? Tom

I'll be setting up my 2 footer in a month or two maybe, and will be using ADA substrates (Amazonia and Power Sand Special). Until it runs out, I'll also be dosing Brighty K, Step1, and Brighty Spec Lights. Once thats gone however, I want to break into my skipload of Tropica. I'm assuming the...

Am I the only muppet that uses ADA? :lol:

If you never bother, you'll never know much at all. Again, if you never try you'll never know I'm sure these were only suggestions, possibilities or people's opinions. Not a be all and end all of anything :roll:

I think my problem was, as you say, not having lots of plants at the start (big open foreground) and inconsistant CO2 more than anything else (500g bottles that ran out every week) :( I'm going to have another try starting monday and see how it goes. Tom

OK thanks. I think i want to get the powdered ferts rather than ADA because of price, but judging on my last attempt with EI I'm nervous :lol: hence thinking I might be able to to it in "ADA doses" which I can do :roll:

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...

FROM AE- Would you then use the same doses as you would for Brighty K? I'm considering this as I'm running low on my bottle now.

I've never had algae with ADA, but that's just me. EI for me has gone horribly wrong so far!! :lol: Tom