# Macro/Micro Mix ?



## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

Could someone give me some info on this type fert ?
I'm not getting a couple of points about it. Does it come all in one container/box/bag or how ?
I work a rotating schedule so ever day fertilizing is very tedious for me as I'm up at different hrs than most people but more
important the days of each week are different on an every other week type basis. Further more I don't want awesome plant growth.
I'd just like to see that my plants get ALL the nutrients they could use as far as each type, not as far as how much I can cram into
them. So I want a once a week/after water change type fertilizing schedule. If the plants don't get a "maximum" amount I really
don't care. I JUST want to see they have every nutrient that those liquid ferts don't supply...Leaf Zone...Flourish Comprehensive
and any other like that which are not complete.
So the Micro/Macro Mix seems much more complete(or any other dry fert you might recommend) and I'd like to convert to
that but the site doesn't give much details past the list of ingredients.


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

Well if I were you I would first off get in the habit of doing weekly water changes, it doesn't matter what day you pick just make sure you do at least a 25% water change. You can also just dose flourish excel or get Metricide 14 and dilute it with distilled water, this is relatively cheaper than buying excel because you can get a while gallon of metricide for about 30 bucks and it will last for maybe 2 to 3 months. As far as dry ferts go green leaf aquariums has everything you'll need for ei dosing they have a package you can buy. There are calculators for both the metricide dilution and fertilizer ratios. 

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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

TECKSPEED said:


> Well if I were you I would first off get in the habit of doing weekly water changes, it doesn't matter what day you pick just make sure you do at least a 25% water change. You can also just dose flourish excel or get Metricide 14 and dilute it with distilled water, this is relatively cheaper than buying excel because you can get a while gallon of metricide for about 30 bucks and it will last for maybe 2 to 3 months. As far as dry ferts go green leaf aquariums has everything you'll need for ei dosing they have a package you can buy. There are calculators for both the metricide dilution and fertilizer ratios.
> 
> Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk


Great, I didn't think it was important to the question I asked but I only have two ten G tanks. I bought a 500ml bottle of Excel and use only 2ml
each time I use it so it is still half full. One ml per tank each day is as directed. AND I have medium lights in one tank and fairly high in
the other and intend to cut back to a single bulb(T8) in the med tank after the plants are larger and more of them. Just getting that one
a quick start for now. Also I regulate the amount of light/w Giant Duckweed on the top so may stick/w two bulbs but toned down ones.
The other tank has a T5 fixture and likely I won't be able to tone it down much even/w the duckweed. I'm saying I plan to discontinue
using the Excel in the med light tank later, but not in the high light tank. Still want a fert that gives the plants every nutrient they need
instead of having to use multiple kinds(after I run out of the Flourish Comprehensive that I have). One tank isn't now, but the other one is
already on a low bio-load and the high bio-load tank will be low not too long from now. I already change water as suggested amount by Aqvisor
each week.
Thanks for the info...


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## TekWarren (Oct 6, 2013)

I've just started using the green leaf aquariums EI fert pack. If you look at their site and click on the links for information on how/when (you can find a ton of info here in the forums also). I do it using the example provided: Macros (3 different nutrients), are dosed on Mon, Wed, Fri. Trace/micros are dosed Tues, Thurs, Saturday. Sunday is a 50% water change to reset the tank water. I'm still learning all this as well but I think the reason for splitting up the doses is that reactions can occur when Iron mixes with something else, but with 24hrs in between it won't cause an issue.

Someone will correct me I'm wrong on that.


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

Well if you want consistent ferts I see why you went with seachem they are easy to dose and affordable for a few months, if you have two 10 gallons I would still recommend dry ferts because you can dose the same thing in each tank and they will get all the nutrients they will need. If you want to keep high lighting in one tank you will most likely need to keep dosing excel and some ferts otherwise you'll be battling Mr. Algae but if you diminished the lighting then I'm not sure of the ferts deal ya know, but after your excel ran out is what I meant by buying the metricide 14. Everything is completely up to you though. Also the duckweed is a good idea I have floaters in all my tanks they help use up extra ferts that way if you happen to miss a water change or something g is working to be too bad. 

If you do want to go with dry ferts I can give you the link to what I use, they are easy to measure and put in some kind of bottle with di or ro water then mix it up and dump in your tank. Let me know... 

I do t mean to insult your intelligence at all just trying to help out ya know, sorry if any of the above was insulting. 

-TECKSPEED 

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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

TECKSPEED said:


> Well if you want consistent ferts I see why you went with seachem they are easy to dose and affordable for a few months, if you have two 10 gallons I would still recommend dry ferts because you can dose the same thing in each tank and they will get all the nutrients they will need. If you want to keep high lighting in one tank you will most likely need to keep dosing excel and some ferts otherwise you'll be battling Mr. Algae but if you diminished the lighting then I'm not sure of the ferts deal ya know, but after your excel ran out is what I meant by buying the metricide 14. Everything is completely up to you though. Also the duckweed is a good idea I have floaters in all my tanks they help use up extra ferts that way if you happen to miss a water change or something g is working to be too bad.
> 
> If you do want to go with dry ferts I can give you the link to what I use, they are easy to measure and put in some kind of bottle with di or ro water then mix it up and dump in your tank. Let me know...
> 
> ...


No insult taken at all. I'm just four years into these tanks, but had a couple when a teenager. So just now found this forum to add
some knowledge from you guys. I am completely full of the CRS and DKS diseases so I can use all the help I can find.
Till a couple of months ago I didn't know anything about ferts being in a balance/w Carbon and lights etc. Lately found that the 
ferts I've been using are incomplete..just trace type only(and probably an excess of iron, bought original Flourite for the high
iron content, use Tetra Pride at W/C and Flourish Comprehensive at W/c so three sources of iron) Jokingly told my favorite LFS
person I'm surprised that my water don't rust. Actually I do have a bit of knowledge, but it's a very narrow range of it.


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

The best thing I can tell you is keep things simple, figure out what you need for balance, 

Equal lighting, adequate flow, the right amount of ferts, with the right maintenance. 

Basically it was trial and error for me for a looonnnggg time, I dove head first into the planted tank addiction with no prior experience and I've learned almost everything I know from people on here or from my own mistakes. You know the things plants need to grow correctly I'm assuming you just need to find that niche for them every tank is different. As for shrimp go to the specific aspects section under shrimp and invertebrates and post any questions there.

What is your current routine now as far as ferts and maintenance? Sorry short term memory loss lol. 

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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

TECKSPEED said:


> The best thing I can tell you is keep things simple, figure out what you need for balance,
> 
> Equal lighting, adequate flow, the right amount of ferts, with the right maintenance.
> 
> ...


See above from basically-mistakes for a description of me.
I am getting much better about weekly water changes. Just hard because of my work schedule. It is a two week swap.
This week I work Wed. and Thur. only(nights x 12 hrs) and then next week I work the days I'm off this week and then the next
week it's back to Wed. and Thur. only and so on. So no two weeks in a row has the same days off. This causes me to miss a change
on one of them now and then. I try to use Aqvisor for water change % but really it's still guessing because no fish I have is
on there...Least Killifish and RCS in one tank and Banded Pigmy sunfish and RCS in the other. he healthy tank is as follows:
I only use 1/2 dose of Prime because I only do a 20% water change. But I still use a full dose of Leaf Zone in there. I do both
after the W/C. I use Excel every day in there @ 1ml. It has a new sub of Sea Chem Flourite original mixed/w API Pure
Laterite. In my pics it's the one/w more plants. And the T5's...one @ True Lumen Flora and one @ generic "Roseated"
The med light tank has Eco-Complete over API Pure Laterite. It gets Excel two out of three days, and gets Flourish Comprehensive
after water changes full dose.(as recommended) actually the dose is 5ml for 60 G and I use 1ml for the ten G so a tad over in
both the tanks. I thought I was doing something but realize not as lame as those, especially the Leaf Zone are. Good one for you.
I was talking to someone who does mostly salt water but I think knows his stuff and he mentioned that out of five fresh water
tanks he has, that they all but one have plain gravel. The one/w the Sea Chem Flourite is the only one that regularly gives him
algae problems...and the next day I ordered a bag from Petsmountain. Can't ever remember going by a stream or etc that
didn't have algae in it. It's natural so I cultivate it. That is part of my reason for the higher than normal lights. Now can
someone tell me how to train it not to grow on the glass...LOL...


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

Well the glass growing algae is of a certain type, it's inevitable if your tank is unbalanced I've on ever known manual removal of algae on the glass. When I do a water change I scrape the sides of my tank. Also if your water changes are a day apart every two weeks it shouldn't make a difference as long as you still do them you know

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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

You will notice that the macro-micro package from aquariumfertilizer.com comes in one package, and phosphates are missing from the mix due to the CSM+B in the mix containing Iron ,which if dosed with phosphates, does something to the Iron to neutralize benefit's.(I forget exactly)
Better to order the phosphates seperately (1lb) ,and dose this seperately or a day after the macro-micro ,and day after water change if using prime which neutralize's heavy metal's (Iron).
Or,,you can buy the macro nutrient's in seperate bag's, and dose macro's on one day,,micro's on the next day.
In low tech ,no CO2 or excel, I use daily EI dose for CO2 enriched tank's once a week or two.No need for full on EI dosing for the uptake by plant's simply isn't the same as for high energy tank's using CO2 or excel,glut,etc.(just wasting product).
With excel,glut,or injected CO2 or DIY, would use full EI dosing for your /my size tank.


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

roadmaster said:


> You will notice that the macro-micro package from aquariumfertilizer.com comes in one package, and phosphates are missing from the mix due to the CSM+B in the mix containing Iron ,which if dosed with phosphates, does something to the Iron to neutralize benefit's.(I forget exactly)
> Better to order the phosphates seperately (1lb) ,and dose this seperately or a day after the macro-micro ,and day after water change if using prime which neutralize's heavy metal's (Iron).
> Or,,you can buy the macro nutrient's in seperate bag's, and dose macro's on one day,,micro's on the next day.
> In low tech ,no CO2 or excel, I use daily EI dose for CO2 enriched tank's once a week or two.No need for full on EI dosing for the uptake by plant's simply isn't the same as for high energy tank's using CO2 or excel,glut,etc.(just wasting product).
> With excel,glut,or injected CO2 or DIY, would use full EI dosing for your /my size tank.


This was one item I was asking about. The part where you said you don't need to use it at full dose and use only once a week.
Thank you for that as I'm really trying to get it down to where I can use only one dose a week. I want to use it at a full dose
for the first few weeks but only once a week. With those two you mentioned on separate days. But eventually will cut it back
along/w the Excel till I can get the effect I want knowing it won't be perfect but seeing just how close etc...
The title "Algae Grower" is quite appropriate in this case as I cultivate it(and think I can eventually control it just so).
There has always been a method to my madness but now I'm adding knowledge as well from you guys..LOL...


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