The Custom Micro Mix Thread

[Burr740]

I change about 70% each water change. Right after I do a triple micro dose, then dose daily. Seems to work pretty good, but like you said likely plenty of wiggle room.

Riiiight, so that triple dose initially compensates for the big drop you'd have otherwise

 

[BigWave]

Is that one dose of micros or?

I'll get back to you once home and run all the numbers.

 

[BigWave]

@Burr740 and anyone else folowing along here are my numbers. Mixing fertz and adding numbers gets complicated becase you cant do it on say the Rotala Butterfly Calculator... Hint hint hint.

My DIY All in One Solution.


The latest version I'm using of Burr's Micro's.


The grand total results.


Here is a pic of my 93 gallon rimmless cube. 25 gallon sump with hang on back overflows. Have been running it without CO2 for about 1.5 months now without issues. Had to refill a 5lb bottle almsot weekly and quite frankly I got tired of doing it.

 

[Burr740]

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!

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?

Good question Art. There really are no target levels when it comes to micros, for a couple of reasons

One is, unlike macros and gh, and Fe to a lesser extent, plants dont really need a certain concentration of micros in the water at all times. Exactly why that is a little above my pay grade, but the gist of it is all plants really need is small, but adequate sips, as needed. Then it can even zero out until the next 'meal' and it really doesnt matter. Thats why except for Fe, none of the others even need to be chelated to stick around much. No retail liquid uses chelated non-Fe micros

Fe does do best when present at all times at a certain concentration. What that concentration is is anybody's guess, .2 to .5 probably. But its too hard to measure close enough even with the most sophisticated hobby grade tests, at least that Im aware of. You'd have to chart uptake as well

Thats another reason theres no target for the others. It would take at least high-level ICP capable of double-digit ppb to really get an accurate idea of whats happening as far as plant uptake vs residual

But mainly its the first reason why target wc levels are not even a thing with micros

 

[Burr740]

View attachment 2057

Holy crap I never knew this was 93 gal, thought it was maybe half that

Whats the floater on top? Pretty sure I found some in a creek down here in N AL...

@Burr740 and anyone else folowing along here are my numbers. Mixing fertz and adding numbers gets complicated becase you cant do it on say the Rotala Butterfly Calculator... Hint hint hint.

I know this is old post and seems like we mightve metioned it on fb one time, but did you ever get this sorted? I dont really understand the quoted parts question tbh

And fwiw that is a very old recipe, its v25 vs v63 now. And while it seemed ok at the time its frankly its one of the worst, mainly B Mn and Zn are way too high

This is the last and final one. Pic says thats the final one so just so nobody gets confused

v63.15
Fe dtpa - .12 ppm
Fe gluc - .03 ppm (can use dtpa for all of it)
Mn - .025 ppm
B - .023 ppm
Zn - .025 ppm
Cu - .0021 ppm
Mo - .0011 ppm
Ni - .0003 ppm (optional)

Thats per dose and dosing 3x/week should work pretty good for high-light co2 tanks

 

[Yugang]

v63.15
Fe dtpa - .12 ppm
Fe gluc - .03 ppm (can use dtpa for all of it)
Mn - .025 ppm
B - .023 ppm
Zn - .025 ppm
Cu - .0021 ppm
Mo - .0011 ppm
Ni - .0003 ppm (optional)

@Burr740 there is no doubt for me, your tank proves it as well, that you know very well what you're doing here. Also a great gift to the hobby sharing your knowledge and data here, thank you for that.

My question is, what is your methodology to circle through as many as 63 versions to an optimum? Are you reading some indicator plants for deficiencies, or have you decided (perhaps unconsciously) on a "team of plant species" that get to vote on every soup recipe that you serve them?

What is your philosophy and methodology?

 

[Burr740]

@Burr740 there is no doubt for me, your tank proves it as well, that you know very well what you're doing here. Also a great gift to the hobby sharing your knowledge and data here, thank you for that.

My question is, what is your methodology to circle through as many as 63 versions to an optimum? Are you reading some indicator plants for deficiencies, or have you decided (perhaps unconsciously) on a "team of plant species" that get to vote on every soup recipe that you serve them?

What is your philosophy and methodology?

Hah, well Ive learned a lot of what not to do. Thats probably a better way to put it lol

I didnt have any strict methods really. At the time (7-8 years ago) I had a main tank and 4-5 farm tanks. A couple with aquasoil-type subs and the rest with blasting sand. One or two I was dropping the kh to 0-1, most were in the 5-6 range

So from the start I had three different conditions to test with - inert sub with higher ph/kh, soil sub with a little lower kh/ph, and both soil and sand with 0-1 kh and lower ph from that. Guess thats four separate conditions. Which coincidentally covers just about everyone in the hobby

Around 100 species of plants. Soft water stuff had to be in low kh obviously, but otherwise I didnt discriminate. All the tanks got the same dosing, whatever I was doing at the time. Same as I do now, all tanks still get the same dosing

As for method, its never been what youd call scientific. I just try stuff and see what happens. Adjust accordingly. I kept written logs of everything. Im a big fan of taking voice notes. Every day or two Id go around and record what I saw, any little changes, what plants were doing what etc. Anything significant Id add to the log, minus the cuss words

As for the versions. Techically speaking there've been A LOT more than 63 versions. I didnt name a new version every time I raised one little thing. Lets say v27 might be testing the limits of Zn, up a little, up a little, etc. This was all kept personally. Then if I published v27 it was whatever the best Zn level seemed to be at the time. Thus the previous v26 got officially improved to v27 via better Zn. If nothing improved, on to the next version using the last "best" formula

I didnt test multiple formulas at the same time or anything like that. It was always one formula being tested across a wide range of conditions

That is a very broad and simplified description. As you can imagine there's a million other factors of influence always in play. There's no way I could account for them all. For one thing the above example assumes all the other micros besides Zn were optimal in v26. And its all relative so what's optimal with one level of other stuff may not be optimal if those other levels change. That includes macros, co2 and everything else

The need for a solid control to start with is always there. It can be a deep rabbit hole with fake doors and distorted mirrors everywhere, if one is not careful

Back to the versions. Again I didnt post/publish them all. I think v13.x was the first one. Lots of people used that one for probably two years. I was of course posting about some ongoing things in a thread or two like my old journal or custom thread on tpt. But the next official version I felt worth putting out was probably in the 20s. Then a couple in the 30s

Later on v43.x was the standard for 2-3 years. By that I mean the one that was out there and people were copying or buying. Like Vin said on fb the other day, theyve all been good. And he's tried literally dozens of them, especially in the beginning "30 or 40 in the last 10 years" is how he put it. And theres always been a small section of the public backing that up

***Speaking of that, I'd like to sincerely thank everyone who ever used these recipes, especially in the beginning. The feedback and solid confirmation that it worked for others besides just me was, absolutely priceless ***

Fun Fact about version number: The last number is always Fe ppm - v63.15 adds .15 ppm Fe per dose. Thats just for me because many versions were also tested with different Fe levels. So in my personal notes there's been a 43.1, 43.13, 43.2 etc

Like I said, rabbit hole lol

 

[Yugang]

It can be a deep rabbit hole with fake doors and distorted mirrors if one is not careful

I think this is not at all an exaggeration.

With 7 micros to optimize across multiple plant species, and this is not even taking into account the other variables that may confuse any experiment, this is probably (or I would suggest definitely) the most complex scientific problem to optimize in our hobby. A mathematician would prefer searching the needle in the proverbial haystack over this challenge. It is very interesting, and a great example, to read how you approached it.

 

[SingAlongWithTsing]

Been using this the last 3.5 years across my tanks

 

[Uncle_R]

Been using this the last 3.5 years across my tanks

@SingAlongWithTsing Nice to see a hard water tank, Thanks.

 

[tylergvolk]

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​

View attachment 269

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.

​

View attachment 270

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).

View attachment 271


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.

View attachment 272


Here’s the actual recipe for my custom solution.

View attachment 273

​

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.

View attachment 274




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.

View attachment 275

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​

View attachment 269

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.

​

View attachment 270

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).

View attachment 271


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.

View attachment 272


Here’s the actual recipe for my custom solution.

View attachment 273

​

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.

View attachment 274




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.

View attachment 275

Could someone explain the math from both creating the secondary solution and then adding it to the primary solution? I just can’t seem to figure out the math and it wasn’t clear in Greggz write up as great as it was. Everything else I understood just fine.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

Could someone explain the math from both creating the secondary solution and then adding it to the primary solution? I just can’t seem to figure out the math and it wasn’t clear in Greggz write up as great as it was. Everything else I understood just fine.

What part are you confused on? I'd say it's pretty clear/straightforward!

In container #2 (secondary solution), add your copper, molybdenum, nickel, 0.4g potassium sorbate, and 1,000mL water. Mix really hard and let it sit overnight, then mix again.
Once it's been mixed and left to sit, add 60mL of this secondary solution you just created to your primary solution (the one with iron, boron, zinc, manganese).

The reason for this line of thought, is that measuring grams of the secondary solution elements (Cu, Mo, Ni) would be REALLY hard to do because we use them in such small amounts. By using more to create the secondary solution, we avoid this issue, and all we have to do is add 60mL of this solution when we make our primary solution.

 

[GreggZ]

OK @tylergvolk let me expand on this a bit. And hopefully make it clearer but let’s see.

And a warning……you might feel lightheaded after reading this so I would be ready to lay down with cold compress on your forehead for a while.

The first thing is to calculate how much you would be raising the ppm of your primary container if you dosed the tiny amounts without a secondary solution.

So for instance let’s take a look at my micro spreadsheet and work on adding Copper. If I was going to measure the tiny amount and add it to my primary solution I would add .067 grams of CuSO45H2O to my 1000 ml container. These small amounts are difficult to measure with much accuracy.



Next we need to calculate how much that raises the PPM of copper in the 1000ml primary mix.
So if I add .067 grams of CuSO45H2O to a 1000 ml container it raises the ppm of Cu to 17.05 ppm in the container. Notice I am using “the result of my dose” in the calculation.




So if you are still with me now we will calculate how much we need to add to our secondary solution to raise the PPM of Cu to 17.05 ppm in our primary solution. So to be clear I want to make a 1000ml solution with a dose size of 60ml that will raise the primary solution to 17.05 ppm.

So the calculation tells me that I need to add 1.1165 grams of CuSO45H2O to my secondary solution.



Now every time I create a new batch of micros I add a 60ml dose of secondary solution to my primary solution. This provides the correct amount of Cu for the primary solution.

And then calculate the same way for the others.

I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[tylergvolk]

Greggz I really appreciate you taking the time to lay this out in a way that is easy to understand. Also, I'm sure anyone else who might be following along will find this valuable as well. I have one other issue that I am hoping you can help with. I've lost my copy of the Zorfox Nutrient Calculator and I cannot seem to find it anywhere online. Could you send it to me or point me in the right direction? I always preferred the Zorfox because it keep a running total of all the nutrients as you continue to add compounds.

 

[GreggZ]

Greggz I really appreciate you taking the time to lay this out in a way that is easy to understand. Also, I'm sure anyone else who might be following along will find this valuable as well. I have one other issue that I am hoping you can help with. I've lost my copy of the Zorfox Nutrient Calculator and I cannot seem to find it anywhere online. Could you send it to me or point me in the right direction? I always preferred the Zorfox because it keep a running total of all the nutrients as you continue to add compounds.

@tylergvolk here is a link to a shared Google Drive folder where you can download the zip file. Extract the file and run the Calculator file. There are also some other files which I have shared over the years that might be helpful.

Gregg Z Shared Planted Tank Files

And anyone can go to this Drive and download any of the files they would like to use.

I hope that is helpful. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[tylergvolk]

I'm doing a dark start dark start at the moment and I am using APT Feast as a substrate because I wanted to try something new. I'm seeing everyone's Macro and Micro numbers and I'm remembering most of you folks use an inert substrate (its been several years since I rolled my own ferts). My question is: how would you change your dosing numbers if you were using a nutrient rich substrate versus and inert substrate?

 

[Joel Armstrong]

I asked @Burr740 this question recently, and here is his response. Thank you by the way Joe.

Hey Joel! I missed this quote earlier. In the very beginning with new soil I'll load up PO4 for a month or so, until it stops sucking it out of the water. Sometimes I'll dose a little less no3 for a few months, sometimes I dont. But you definitely can, especially folks who want a lean water column.

Personally Im not using soil for the nh4. I actually wish it wasnt there for consistency. Because you get a big spike in the beginning, then a honeymoon period for a few months where everything is surging, then it gradually declines and you have to up the no3 or add root supplements. The only way to know when its time is to watch the plants. I dont like how those parameters change. Id rather be in full control by just adding it to the water

Usually after the first month or so I just pretend its not there and dose the same as the sand tanks. What I do like about aquasoil is the acidic base and cec . It does make a big difference with sensitive plants, even when its a few years old. But Id also say 90% of plants will do just as well in sand as long as the KH is right, Syns, Tonina etc

 

[TRyan]

I change about 70% each water change. Right after I do a triple micro dose, then dose daily. Seems to work pretty good, but like you said likely plenty of wiggle room.

Hi @GreggZ , I know this is an old post but I have a question about your process.

I'm a big fan of you and @Burr740's methods. I use Joe's micro mix and I copy your 70% water change and front load macro dosing method.

When you say you triple dose micros after a 70% water change and then daily dose after, are you essentially adding .78 Fe DTPA to your tank per week? Half of that total, (.39) after water change and another .39 divided up into 6 daily doses?

Joe's recommend dosage of 2ml per 10 gallons 3 times a week (3 doses equals .39 Fe DTPA) is the amount I've been dosing.

 

[Burr740]

Hi @GreggZ , I know this is an old post but I have a question about your process.

I'm a big fan of you and @Burr740's methods. I use Joe's micro mix and I copy your 70% water change and front load macro dosing method.

When you say you triple dose micros after a 70% water change and then daily dose after, are you essentially adding .78 Fe DTPA to your tank per week? Half of that total, (.39) after water change and another .39 divided up into 6 daily doses?

Joe's recommend dosage of 2ml per 10 gallons 3 times a week (3 doses equals .39 Fe DTPA) is the amount I've been dosing.

We'll see what Gregg says but personally I dont do any extra micros, even when I was changing 70-80%. Micros dont scale up and down relative to macros. I find that .4-.5 ppm Fe per week is optimum with pretty much any macros or water change routine

PS BurrAqua Micros adds .15 ppm per dose, not .13. Youre probably skipping the gluc which is fine too. Id bump dtpa up to .15 per dose, 3x per week = .45 total

 

[TRyan]

We'll see what Gregg says but personally I dont do any extra micros, even when I was changing 70-80%. Micros dont scale up and down relative to macros. I find that .4-.5 ppm Fe per week is optimum with pretty much any macros or water change routine

PS BurrAqua Micros adds .15 ppm per dose, not .13. Youre probably skipping the gluc which is fine too. Id bump dtpa up to .15 per dose, 3x per week = .45 total

I am using your micro mix, Joe. I'm not trying to make my own. I've been dosing my tank with your recommended amount. Here's my math and thought process....

My tank is 40 gallons of water. 2ml x 4 = 8ml per dose. 8 x 3 = 24 ml total per week. 24 ÷7= 3.43 per day. I dose 7 ml on water change day and 3ml daily until near water change for a total of 25 ml per week. Does this sound like a logical approach?

I'm confused on Greg's method of 3 doses after water change. If I did that with your mix, that would be the total for the week, unless I'm not understanding correctly.

Thank you for the detailed response. I appreciate it!