The Custom Micro Mix Thread

[Art]

Well, as this thread exists in a few places, I figured why not have it here also. Perhaps we can take up the baton and keep it active and bring some value to hobbyists.

For those of you that don't know, I got into thinking much more about my micros when I read this thread on another forum. It was started by our very own @GreggZ. It was spurred into existence because of our own @Burr740 and his work with micro fertilizers. Some really good discussion followed and a lot was learned.

I don't want to steal Gregg's thunder with this so I hope he posts his current thoughts on the subject and we can all take it from there.

All the best,

Art

 

[GreggZ]

Well, as this thread exists in a few places, I figured why not have it here also. Perhaps we can take up the baton and keep it active and bring some value to hobbyists.

For those of you that don't know, I got into thinking much more about my micros when I read this thread on another forum. It was started by our very own @GreggZ. It was spurred into existence because of our own @Burr740 and his work with micro fertilizers. Some really good discussion followed and a lot was learned.

I don't want to steal Gregg's thunder with this so I hope he posts his current thoughts on the subject and we can all take it from there.

All the best,

Art

LOL Art yes I have a lot to say. I am actually writing an article right now about custom micros. Should have it done very soon.

I started up with them right after Joe got started and invited me along. So it's been quite a few years now. I still think it's a great way to go for many reasons. And once you understand how to make them, it only takes a couple of minutes every couple of months.

Bottom line is you can trust every dose to be the same, and can customize it to your tank needs.

 

[Burr740]

Thanks for giving me a plug guys! Yes..quite a few years ago my good friend Gregg and I began working on making micros ourself. Becaue lets face it, right now the hobby has two choices, pre-retail liquids or csm-b.

The former can get expensive quick, the latter is designed to dose pounds at a time for agriculture or hydro applications

Well it didnt take long to come up with a design that blew both those options away. Gegg doesnt sell things, not many 1%ers are interested in making 20 xtra buks a week selling plats or some new fangled fert recipe. Well...I am lol

6 years in the making, my retail version is on the verge of release. Many big name hobbyists have been using it for years and they all love it. Ask Vin

In the mean time here is my latst an greatest recipe so far. Ive reached the point where there is nothing more to tweak. The following recipe is what the retail version is gonna be

And no I dot care about posting my recipe. anyone who wants to beat me with a retain version canbe my guest! nIts only going to help the hobby

here is the recipe. The ppm listed are what it adds per dose. Of course all these amounts can be tweaked to suit an individual needs. I would suggest keeping all the ratios generally where they're at and just using fe as a proxy to go up and down

These amounts are for one dose of 2 L per 10 gal of tank water. Suggested dose is 2 ml per 10 gallons 3x per week, along with 50-60% weekly water change. I doubt anyone is gonna need more, but low dosing folks can simpley adjust the quantites

Each 2 ml per 10 gal dose adds the following

*Fe DTPA .13
*Fe gluc - .04
Mn - .027 ppm
B - .025 ppm
Zn - .023 ppm
Cu - .0022 ppm
Mo - .0011 ppm
Ni - .0005 ppm (Ni is optional)
Also add .5 gram of ascorbic acid per 500 ML. This is to set the PH and prevent mold

Im not gpoing into instruction how to do it. this is not for beginners and one should already understasnd what ppm means and how to use a nutrient calculator If you can make a macro solution based on how much ppm you want, then this no sweat, Works the sasme way just with a few more measurements

I do have diy kits available for $89 shipped. Comes with a few years worth in a heavy duty storage container and klittle jars to hold the individual compounds 9

 

[Burr740]

Also if anyone has a question feel free to ask. Gregg can answer that too

 

[GreggZ]

Thanks for giving me a plug guys! Yes..quite a few years ago my good friend Gregg and I began working on making micros ourself. Becaue lets face it, right now the hobby has two choices, pre-retail liquids or csm-b.

The former can get expensive quick, the latter is designed to dose pounds at a time for agriculture or hydro applications

Well it didnt take long to come up with a design that blew both those options away. Gegg doesnt sell things, not many 1%ers are interested in making 20 xtra buks a week selling plats or some new fangled fert recipe. Well...I am lol

6 years in the making, my retail version is on the verge of release. Many big name hobbyists have been using it for years and they all love it. Ask Vin

In the mean time here is my latst an greatest recipe so far. Ive reached the point where there is nothing more to tweak. The following recipe is what the retail version is gonna be

And no I dot care about posting my recipe. anyone who wants to beat me with a retain version canbe my guest! nIts only going to help the hobby

here is the recipe. The ppm listed are what it adds per dose. Of course all these amounts can be tweaked to suit an individual needs. I would suggest keeping all the ratios generally where they're at and just using fe as a proxy to go up and down

These amounts are for one dose of 2 L per 10 gal of tank water. Suggested dose is 2 ml per 10 gallons 3x per week, along with 50-60% weekly water change. I doubt anyone is gonna need more, but low dosing folks can simpley adjust the quantites

Each 2 ml per 10 gal dose adds the following

*Fe DTPA .13
*Fe gluc - .04
Mn - .27 ppm
B - .25 ppm
Zn - .23 ppm
Cu - .0022 ppm
Mo - .0011 ppm
Ni - .0005 ppm (Ni is optional)
Also add .5 gram of ascorbic acid per 500 ML. This is to set the PH and prevent mold

Im not gpoing into instruction how to do it. this is not for beginners and one should already understasnd what ppm means and how to use a nutrient calculator If you can make a macro solution based on how much ppm you want, then this no sweat, Works the sasme way just with a few more measurements

I do have diy kits available for $89 shipped. Comes with a few years worth in a heavy duty storage container and klittle jars to hold the individual compounds 9

Great post Joe!

I have been saving nuggets like this in a folder for years. Whenever you post something I listen!

My current mix is very close to this with a few exceptions. I'll have to tinker with mine now and see if I notice any difference.

 

[GreggZ]

So I took Joe's numbers and extrapolated that to a weekly dose of micros.

Both of us have been testing levels of various micros for quite a few years now. Funny how close we are after all this time.

Mine are the left column, and Joe's are the right column.

 

[Immortal1]

So I took Joe's numbers and extrapolated that to a weekly dose of micros.

Both of us have been testing levels of various micros for quite a few years now. Funny how close we are after all this time.

Mine are the left column, and Joe's are the right column.

View attachment 178

Exactly what I was going to do once I had some time. Happy you beat me to it. Without trying to get fancy, my weekly totals below are in the same order as above.
0.0900 B
0.0060 Cu
0.3250 Fe 11%
0.1980 Fe gluc
0.0900 Mn
0.0039 Mo
0.0015 Ni
0.0840 Zn

Looks like I could use a little more iron ;-)

 

[GreggZ]

Exactly what I was going to do once I had some time. Happy you beat me to it. Without trying to get fancy, my weekly totals below are in the same order as above.
0.0900 B
0.0060 Cu
0.3250 Fe 11%
0.1980 Fe gluc
0.0900 Mn
0.0039 Mo
0.0015 Ni
0.0840 Zn

Looks like I could use a little more iron ;-)

Here you go Linn......

 

[Achi]

Thank you Joe and Gregg! This is good stuff! I have been using similar learning from Gregg a couple years ago! I am going to adjust to this. Looks like I need more Ni I was at .0005 and dosing Urea that Ni helps! And there is much more iron than I use now. I think these numbers will help because in one of my tanks I use sand substrate and no root tabs

 

[GreggZ]

I was recently asked to write an article about custom micros. As some know I have been making my own now for quite a few years. I thought it was a good opportunity to try to take a complicated topic and make it easier to understand. Not sure if I succeeded or not. And thanks to my friends Vin Kutty and Joe Harvey who helped lend me a hand. To say I respect both of their thoughts is an understatement. They are two of the guys who are the reason that I got into the hobby. So here's what I came up. I hope it helps someone out there. And I am open to questions, compliments, criticisms or anything else you guys come up with.

Custom Micro Nutrients for the Planted Tank​

What are custom Micro Nutrients?

Advanced aquarists have been making their own macro nutrient fertilizers for many years. Macros are the nutrients that plants need in large amounts. These include Nitrogen, Potassium, and Phosphate. Rather than purchase a premade mix, many purchase the individual dry salts and create their own custom blend.

In addition to macronutrients, plants also need micronutrients. These are nutrients that are required in very small or “trace” amounts. Until a few years ago, there were not many choices when it came to micronutrients. This has slowly been changing and there is new trend that has emerged: rather than purchasing premade mixes, many are now creating their own custom blend of DIY (Do It Yourself) micronutrients.

I first became aware of custom micros from my good friend Joe Harvey (2017 AGA Dutch 1st place). Joe and I have shared ideas on how we manage our planted tanks for many years. He explained that he had purchased the ingredients and was making his own custom micro mix. He asked if I wanted to go down this road with him. I am always looking for new ways to improve my tank and gladly said yes.

Why would someone want to create their own micronutrients?

Until recently, there have been limited options when it comes to micronutrients. You could purchase a premixed liquid solution, or you could purchase a dry mix like CSM + B. With larger tanks liquid solutions are not cost effective, and dry salts like CSM+B were not developed with the aquarium hobby in mind. It can have real issues with consistency when dosing in small amounts. With either you can’t change or adjust the ratios or the ingredients that they put into their formulas. When you make your own, you can custom tailor a solution to your own needs and be assured that the amount of every nutrient is the same in every dose.

As an example, let’s start with iron. There are several types of iron commonly found in micro mixes. These include Ferrous Gluconate, EDTA, and DTPA. They all have different chelating agents and work best at different pH levels.

Ferrous Gluconate is the easiest for plants to uptake and works best in low pH environments. It also has the weakest chelate, so it only remains available to plants for a short time. It is absorbed rapidly, like in hours. As you add stronger chelating agents, the iron is more stable and is released more slowly. For instance EDTA has a stronger chelate and will be available or a longer period of time. However keep in mind that it is most available at lower pH levels (below 6.5). DTPA has the strongest chelating agent and is best for tanks with a higher pH (6.5 to 8 pH). Many people don’t understand that the mix they purchase may not be providing the most effective source of iron for their tanks.

Other advantages of custom micronutrients are that they provide a lower average cost over time, the ability to customize the formula, and the confidence that each dose is consistent. And that consistency is one of the keys to success. In my experience, most micronutrients work best in a range. Too much or too little can have a harmful effect on a tank. When we create our own mix, we can be sure that we are always providing our preferred amounts.

What ingredients do you need to make your own custom Micro Nutrient Mix?

The first thing you will need to do is source the ingredients. Most of the components are sold in ½ or 1-pound bags. For most of these items that is enough for a lifetime supply! Remember we are using these to dose very small trace amounts. Here is a typical list of elements that go into a custom micro mix (Note: Some people consider Nickel to be optional). I’ve also listed the weekly ppm that I dose into my own tank. Over the course of many years I have experimented with various levels of each element. I’ve also compared those levels to others I know and respect in the hobby. All in all I have found this a good general starting point for most tanks.

​

The main component in a micro mix is Iron (Fe). As we discussed above you could use Ferrous Gluconate, EDTA, or DTPA. Which one works best for your tank depends on your tank’s pH level. Personally, I use both DTPA 11% and Ferrous Gluconate in my mix.

In addition to the elements, you will also need the following.

• 1000ml container
• Jeweler type gram scale (Minimum 0.01g accuracy)
• RO or distilled water
• Either distilled white vinegar or potassium sorbate (mold prevention).

When I first sourced everything above my initial investment was about $100.00. That’s lasted me about 5 years now and with many of the elements it is pretty much a lifetime supply. There are also kits you can buy from places like BurrAqua (www.burraqua.com) if you don’t want to source everything yourself.

How do you make your own custom Micro Nutrient mix?

The next step is learning how to calculate how much of each item to add to your customized mix. Keep in mind that you are making a custom solution that is unique to your tank. The good news is it’s much easier than you think. There are planted tank calculators available that make the process very simple. You can use either RotalaButterfly (Rotala Butterfly | Planted Aquarium Calculators & Information) or the Zorfox Planted Tank calculators (Zorfox's Planted Tank Calculator). Once you understand how to use these tools, they will become one of your best friends as you advance in the hobby.

To use the calculators you will need to know your actual water volume, your container size (1000ml), the size of the dose you prefer, and how many ppm of each item you want to provide per dose. For instance in my tank my actual tank water volume is 105 gallons. I am using a 1000ml container for my solution. I dose 20ml of solution into my tank daily.

Let’s start with iron. I would like to dose 0.40 ppm of iron weekly, so that means I need to dose 0.0571 daily. When I enter these numbers into one of the calculators it will calculate that I need to add 10.32 gm of DTPA 11% to my 1000ml solution to provide 0.0571 ppm iron per 20 ml dose. Once you understand how to perform that calculation it’s easy to calculate the rest of the elements.

Here's how that calculation looks on Rotala Butterfly.




Here’s the actual recipe for my custom solution.

​

Once you have added the elements to the solution it’s a good idea to add a mold inhibitor. I use either 20 ml of distilled white vinegar or 0.4 gram potassium sorbate added to a 1,000ml container. I also recommend storing the container in a dark area like a closet, so it’s not subjected to sunlight.

How do I measure such small quantities of Cu, Mo, and Ni?

This is a question that comes up often. These three elements are needed in miniscule amounts. It is very difficult to measure these tiny amounts like 0.01 grams of Nickel accurately and consistently.

That is why I recommend creating a separate second 1000ml solution for these three minerals. You’re essentially making a super-concentrated solution of these three minerals instead of measuring teeny tiny amounts of powder. You then add some of the super concentrated solution to the primary solution (serial dilution). This will make your dosing more accurate and consistent.

Once you make your secondary solution, you add a little of the secondary solution to raise the ppm to the targets in our primary solution. It also saves a lot of time each time you need to make a new batch of micros. No more struggling to measure very small amounts of powder.

How do I make a secondary solution?

If you make a secondary solution, you will need two 1000ml containers.

The primary solution will contain Fe, B, Zn, and Mn.

The secondary solution wil contain Cu, Mo, and Ni.

In my case, I create my secondary solution and then add 60ml of it back to my primary solution.






My primary solution is enough for 50 days of dosing. But the 1000 ml of secondary solution will last for 800 days!

It’s a bit more work up front but saves lots of time in the long run. It also helps to make sure your mix is consistent and accurate.

I’ve been making my own custom micros for years now. I can tell you that once you have purchased everything and made the calculations it takes me less than 5 minutes to make a new batch. If you look at the effort and time we spend creating our underwater gardens, in my opinion making your own DIY micronutrients is relatively easy and well worth the effort.

 

[Immortal1]

Great write up Gregg !!!

 

[Burr740]

That's a fantastic write up Gregg. It really breaks it down how to do it for anyone curious. Im glad to see it getting published in a few places.

And holy typos in that post of mine up there, lol. Looks like you cant edit a post after a few days or I'd tighten it up a little..

 

[GreggZ]

That's a fantastic write up Gregg. It really breaks it down how to do it for anyone curious. Im glad to see it getting published in a few places.

And holy typos in that post of mine up there, lol. Looks like you cant edit a post after a few days or I'd tighten it up a little..

Thanks Joe! As you know once you figure it out it's really not difficult at all. I can make a new batch in less than five minutes.

And making a secondary solution of the items measured in VERY small quantities makes it even that much easier.

 

[BigWave]

One of these days after the holidays I'm going to try making this.

 

[GreggZ]

One of these days after the holidays I'm going to try making this.

Steve it you need any help or have questions reach out to me I am glad to help.

 

[Art]

Guys -

I may be missing this but I think it would be helpful for newbies to have a baseline. Can you please provide your suggestion on a starting point that is relatively safe for a newbie to target in their water column?

Specifically, what amount of each micro are you trying to maintain in your water weekly? With this, each person can develop their dosing to meet this target amount of nutrients.

Thank you!

 

[GreggZ]

Guys -

I may be missing this but I think it would be helpful for newbies to have a baseline. Can you please provide your suggestion on a starting point that is relatively safe for a newbie to target in their water column?

Specifically, what amount of each micro are you trying to maintain in your water weekly? With this, each person can develop their dosing to meet this target amount of nutrients.

Thank you!

Art I listed the weekly ppm I dose above. It's in the chart that shows the list of ingredients. I listed it as weekly total ppm and folks can divide that up for daily or every other day dosing. Personally I dose micros daily but I doubt there is much difference from dosing every other day.

That dosing is very, very close to what Joe Harvey and others that I know have been using successfully for quite some time and is a good starting point.

 

[Art]

Thanks, @GreggZ.

My understanding is that that is what you actually dose weekly. My question is what are you targeting as a stable concentration in the water column that led you to decide on your weekly dose?

If we assume we are not starting the week at zero post water change, what are the target amounts we are after so that we know how much to dose weekly to maintain the target steady over time?

 

[Immortal1]

May not pertain exactly to what Art is asking above, but I just ran across this tid bit of info and wanted to add it to this thread.
Someone on the other forum spent a bunch of time figuring out what micro ratios were in other products. This was his result. Note, the base line for each product was 0.1 FE
(Interesting, used Rotalabutterfly to generate data for Miller's Microplex. Odd that the MN is the same as the FE)

 

[BigWave]

@Immortal1 lots of talk around about how Mn helps with stunting. Especially in the case of raised Ca and Mg. Does this coincide with the above, no idea.