So I got turned onto this James guy's sweet page recently. Great tank, site and calculator: http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/allinone.htm
But I'm not too into an all in one solution. I am into traces at the moment and had been thinking about Neil's comparison of Fe vs Mn in Tropica, Plantex CSM+B, Flourish, and Miller MicroPlex (a trace I liked when I used it). Check it out:
Interesting when you take into account the reputation of each, right? So, I picked up some MnSO4 on the Internet the other week -- shipped fast and 5lbs for ~$17.50 from Alpha Chemicals on eCrater. The label says it is 32% Mn, so I believe it is MnSO4.H2O, which is 32.5% Mn. I didn't find EDTA chelated Mn anywhere that didn't require some permit, but also didn't look too hard.
I am assuming anyone looking to DIY this type of mix already has DTPA chelated Fe and is looking to make some enhanced trace mix. So, like Tropica, this mix has two chelators for Fe. It increases the percentage of Mn in ratio to Fe. It reduces all the other stuff in Plantex. I'm calling it Good Shit. Measurements are to the mg, adjust your scale as necessary, of course. We might be off by 10% or so because of hydrations on some stuff, but whatevs.
500mL opaque container
3063mg Plantex CSM+B (~ 3/4 tsp)
438mg MnSO4.H2O (~ 1/16 tsp)
1500mg FeDTPA 10% (~3/8 tsp)
Fill the rest with DI water. Leave some space for some acid or glutaraldehyde if you want
Shake it up!
Makes
Sweet.
But I'm not too into an all in one solution. I am into traces at the moment and had been thinking about Neil's comparison of Fe vs Mn in Tropica, Plantex CSM+B, Flourish, and Miller MicroPlex (a trace I liked when I used it). Check it out:
Code:
Fe Mn Ratio
Miller Microplex 4% 4% 1.0
Plantex CSM+B 6.53% 1.87% 3.5
Tropica TPN 0.07% 0.04% 1.75
Seachem Flourish 0.39% 0.01% 39.0
Interesting when you take into account the reputation of each, right? So, I picked up some MnSO4 on the Internet the other week -- shipped fast and 5lbs for ~$17.50 from Alpha Chemicals on eCrater. The label says it is 32% Mn, so I believe it is MnSO4.H2O, which is 32.5% Mn. I didn't find EDTA chelated Mn anywhere that didn't require some permit, but also didn't look too hard.
I am assuming anyone looking to DIY this type of mix already has DTPA chelated Fe and is looking to make some enhanced trace mix. So, like Tropica, this mix has two chelators for Fe. It increases the percentage of Mn in ratio to Fe. It reduces all the other stuff in Plantex. I'm calling it Good Shit. Measurements are to the mg, adjust your scale as necessary, of course. We might be off by 10% or so because of hydrations on some stuff, but whatevs.
500mL opaque container
3063mg Plantex CSM+B (~ 3/4 tsp)
438mg MnSO4.H2O (~ 1/16 tsp)
1500mg FeDTPA 10% (~3/8 tsp)
Fill the rest with DI water. Leave some space for some acid or glutaraldehyde if you want
Shake it up!
Makes
Code:
Good Shit Tropica Plant Nutrition
Fe 0.07% 0.07%
Mn 0.04% 0.04%
B 0.007% 0.004%
Cu 0.0005% 0.006%
Mo 0.0003% 0.002%
Zn 0.002% 0.002%
Sweet.
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