Micro-mix Solution

[Neil]

Hello,

I am trying to copy Burr740's Micro-mix v11.15 (Sorry for that ) but with a small change.
Net water volume in my tank is 445L (Tank+Sump) with densely packed stem nutrient hoggers, ~170 PAR at substrate level.

CURRENT water parameters and dosing regime:

100% RO water
KH: 0
GH: ~ 3-4 dGH (I add CaSO4+MgSO4)
pH: 6.8

Weekly front loaded dosing

Nitrate 36 ppm
Phosphate 12 ppm
Potassium 48 ppm
CSM+B EI daily

weekly i do 35% water change.

I am trying to make Burr's MicroMix with:

Fe with DTPA Iron 11%
B - H3BO3
Mo - Sodium Molybdate
Ni- Nickel Sulphate 22%
Zn - EDTA Zn 12%
Cu - EDTA Cu 12%
Mn - EDTA Mn 12%
I've planned to add Cobalt as well, with Cobalt Sulphate 20%.

Values of fertz i estimated to make a solution mix (1000 ml Solution with 30 ml Per Dose) as follows:

Daily Dosing
Fe - 20.23g .15 ppm
B - 2.71g .032 ppm
Mn - 8.566g .07 ppm
Zn - 6.118g .0.5 ppm
Cu - 244 mg .002 ppm
Mo - 49 mg .0013 ppm
Ni - 33.37 mg .0005 ppm
Co - 36 mg .0005 ppm

Will it be OK if i replace my CSM+B dosing with this micromix? Is it going to harm my Plants and Shrimps as i do less than 50% water change weekly !! Please do note I have 0 dKH and very soft water as i mentioned earlier 3-4 dGH

 

[Koen]

Hi Neil,

A few thoughts on your setup:
I would consider adding some carbonates to get a few degrees of KH. This will buffer the water a bit and prevent pH crashes if you go high on the CO2 (I'm pressuming you are injecting by the buckets to keep up with 170 PAR).

Your macro front loading doses are pretty high for doing 35% water changes. Over a few weeks you could be accumulating over 100 ppm NO3, 30 ppm PO4 and 150 ppm K. (check the nutrient accumulator on rotala butterfly). This is not life threatening to your critters, but it's definitely overkill, and way more then your plants can possibly comsume. I would consider dosing the more regular EI levels suggested: 20 ppm NO3, 3 ppm PO4 and 20 ppm K per week. This is going to be more then enough considering 35% water changes.

The same holds pretty much for the micromix. I think Burr's mix is a pretty good balanced mix and could easily replace CSM+B, but if I remember correctly he was only using chelates for the Iron, and not for the other elements? You might want to double check that. I would then advice to also dose the micro's at standard EI levels, so 0.5 ppm of Iron per week as proxy is going to be plenty with 35% water change.

Hope it helps! Let me know how your tank is coming along!

Koen

 

[Neil]

Your macro front loading doses are pretty high for doing 35% water changes.

I forgot to mention that i do Monthly 70-75% as well ... Like .. Let me put it like this (1Month) 35%-35%-35%-70%. This is just because i try to minimize the wastage of water as im living in a very dry place.

And secondly i tried that 3ppm Phosphate weekly butbyou probably wont believe. 3 weeks age when i figured out my tank is low on Phosphates (stunted tops, GSA, brown lower leaves) i done a major 70% WC and front loaded 12 ppm. On the 8th day(skipped WC to test how long my current dosing last) pearling almost reduced to less than 50% of the usual.. And from 11th day the lower leaf browning started again. And all this while i just dosed 0.05 pm IRON daily and nothing else. And that Iron was from EDDHA ... So not e than no other micros were added.

12th day again 70% WC AND front loaded all the Macros .... And things are all normal now pearlings are happening as usual, except a few plants like AR Mini, Ammannia Gracilis and Senegalensis ... It seems they aren't liking rest of the Micros except the Iron. May be because of the Root tabs beneath.

 

[Neil]

Hi Neil,

A few thoughts on your setup:
I would consider adding some carbonates to get a few degrees of KH. This will buffer the water a bit and prevent pH crashes if you go high on the CO2 (I'm pressuming you are injecting by the buckets to keep up with 170 PAR).

Your macro front loading doses are pretty high for doing 35% water changes. Over a few weeks you could be accumulating over 100 ppm NO3, 30 ppm PO4 and 150 ppm K. (check the nutrient accumulator on rotala butterfly). This is not life threatening to your critters, but it's definitely overkill, and way more then your plants can possibly comsume. I would consider dosing the more regular EI levels suggested: 20 ppm NO3, 3 ppm PO4 and 20 ppm K per week. This is going to be more then enough considering 35% water changes.

The same holds pretty much for the micromix. I think Burr's mix is a pretty good balanced mix and could easily replace CSM+B, but if I remember correctly he was only using chelates for the Iron, and not for the other elements? You might want to double check that. I would then advice to also dose the micro's at standard EI levels, so 0.5 ppm of Iron per week as proxy is going to be plenty with 35% water change.

Hope it helps! Let me know how your tank is coming along!

Koen

This photograph was taken on the 12th ...