What benefits would this diy micros package provide vs regular csmb dosing? I'm very interested in buying it, but will I just end up creating the same mixture as csmb?
The whole point is to create a better micro supplement than csmb. Csmb works fine for some people, others not so much.
Aside from the fact that csmb is made for agriculture and hydroponic use, dealing with hundreds or thousands of gallons at a time, not designed to dose fractions of a teaspoon in aquariums. (It just happened to be the only economical solution back in the day when EI was becoming popular. That's the only reason it's use in the hobby is so widespread today). Aside from that, a main reason it works better for some than others is different PH levels.
Most folks making their own use Fe DTPA because the DTPA chelate has a higher PH threshold than the EDTA Fe used in csmb. EDTA starts to break loose from Fe around 6.5 PH, the higher the PH gets, the more Fe is lost.
DTPA stays bound to Fe with PH levels into into the upper 7.s. So if your PH level is much over 6.5 for any amount of time, Fe DTPA is a better choice.
The other micros in the DIY pack are non-chelated compounds. The same stuff used in all Seachem products.
Fe is the main thing that requires a strong chelate because it is very volatile in it's raw state. Unchelated Fe in a water column will quickly precipitate out of solution, or bind with something else, such as P, creating FePO4 rendering both unavailable to plants. The other micros are not so important to be chelated. And many find that unchelated versions work better in our aquariums.
It is also possible to create better ratios than csmb when you have full control over what's included. Zn for example is woefully low in csmb, and the Fe:Mn ratio is too great. Got shrimps? Use less copper.
The DIY package also includes nickel. Nickel is essential for plants to process urea, and also helps plant use Fe. Most tap waters will have enough trace amounts of nickel, and folks using Aquasoil probably get enough. But it doesnt hurt to add a dash to make sure that base is covered. It has a very low potential for toxicity. Anyone using RO water with an inert substrate should definitely include Ni in their dosing.
Here is a good starter recipe lots of folks have been using for a few months with great results.
Fe - .15 ppm
Mn - .075 ppm
B - .03 ppm
Zn - .055 ppm
Mo - .0015 ppm
Cu - .002 ppm
Ni - .0005 ppm
Tweaked version Im currently finding works a little better
Fe - .15 ppm
Mn - .06 ppm
B - .03 ppm
Zn - .042 ppm
Mo - .0015 ppm
Cu - .002 ppm
Ni - .0005 ppm
Stronger Fe version
Fe - .2 ppm
Mn - .08 ppm
B - .035 ppm
Zn - .05 ppm
Mo - .0015 ppm
Cu - .002 ppm
Ni - .0005 ppm
And of course you can add however much you want of anything. Its best to keep the Fe:Mn ratio between 2:1 and 3:1. Everything else you can experiment with a little more or less without changing the other stuff.
Just use a calculator like rotalabutterfly or Zorfox to figure how much of each thing to add for the desired ppm and make a solution. You'll have to make a solution because the amount of most things is very small