Urea

[Parablennius]

Hi all
i just read that Urea must be dosed dry as it "decomposes" if you put it into solution. Can anyone confirm this, please? TIA

 

[plantnoobdude]

Hi all
i just read that Urea must be dosed dry as it "decomposes" if you put it into solution. Can anyone confirm this, please? TIA

Hi, to my knowledge for urea to decompose, you need the Nickel containing enzyme urease. in distilled/ro water there should be none of this so you should be good to go!

 

[Parablennius]

Thanks, I made up a solution of 10g into 1000 ML and been drip feeding it to aprox 3ppm per day in addition to my usual ferts and saw a big increase, at least double the surface area, maybe more, of new Frogbit leaves, also send runners further afield than usual, I thought exploiting the extra N so I was surpised to read this. I didn't use RO but have very soft tapwater.

 

[plantnoobdude]

Thanks, I made up a solution of 10g into 1000 ML and been drip feeding it to aprox 3ppm per day in addition to my usual ferts and saw a big increase, at least double the surface area, maybe more, of new Frogbit leaves, also send runners further afield than usual, I thought exploiting the extra N so I was surpised to read this. I didn't use RO but have very soft tapwater.

I'm not sure but I think tap water may contain the enzyme urease. I wouldn't recommend using tap. anyway I hope you continue having good results with urea.
3ppm urea per day?? thats about 1.5ppm N, 6.6ppm equivelant No3 daily???

 

[Parablennius]

Using this c

lc I add 6ml to 200L Net tank daily.

 

[Parablennius]

I meant this one.

 

[plantnoobdude]

I meant this one.View attachment 186002

howmany time you are dosing per week?
if daily then it is 3.5ppm urea
3.5/2=1.75ppmN
1.75NX4.4=~8ppm no3 equivelant,

 

[Parablennius]

I should have said 3ml of solution daily, not 3ppm!!

 

[Happi]

Using View attachment 186000this cView attachment 186000lc I add 6ml to 200L Net tank daily.

You are dosing about 0.05 ppm N from urea here

I meant this one.View attachment 186002

Around 0.25 N from urea here

 

[Happi]

Thanks, I made up a solution of 10g into 1000 ML and been drip feeding it to aprox 3ppm per day in addition to my usual ferts and saw a big increase, at least double the surface area, maybe more, of new Frogbit leaves, also send runners further afield than usual, I thought exploiting the extra N so I was surpised to read this. I didn't use RO but have very soft tapwater.

Urea is fine to use with soft tap water and I wouldn't worry about Nickel because it's naturally present in the tap water.

In the solution, it will slowly degrade into ammonium over time.

 

[Zeus.]

 

[Parablennius]

Thanks all for the replies. I really wanted to know if it was correct that it will "degrade" once in solution? Given that I only use a small amount, would I
be better to mix lesser volumes or just ignore this?
The article was from Aquarium Science giving a rundown of SeaChem products.
cheers

 

[Zeus.]

When I was dosing urea as 100% source of 'N' I used it little and often via auto doser a few drops many times a week ( few drops every 12mins, so nearly 100 times a week. Making any DIY ferts in a non sterile environment eg at home, runs the risks of cross contamination which can lead to faster breakdown. One trick is to put excess mixes in fridge or freezer, which will extend the life by slowing down any degradation. As rule of thumb any thing over 6 weeks old DIY wise may have the tendency to break down/mould/fungus. Always have any ferts in a dark place.

 

[Vsevolod Stakhov]

Urea is indeed decomposed into ammonia in non-sterile conditions, as ureases are ubiquitous in nature. The speed of this process is not fast indeed but after a couple of weeks I definitely see lot's of ammonia in my urea based fertilizer (checked using the API test). But it is not a problem at all - ammonia is the best source of nitrogen for the aquatic plants after all.

My mermaid weed seems to love it in particular: