# Thinking about using Greenleaf Ferts



## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Get your ferts from nilocg on TPT.

v3


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

I use the GLA PPS-Pro pack... I'd go with that for the initial purchase because you get the dosing bottles that come in handy. 

If your water source is anything more than what's considered soft water, you can forego the use of the MgSO4. You can verify that by the city water report, usually available online. 

Future purchases, you can buy the EI pack because there's no MgSO4 and includes what you need for PPS-pro.

With your plant list (not that demanding), pps-pro would seem to be a better fit IMHO. You wouldn't have to do the 50% weekly PWC's that's associated with EI. Not to mention using up your ferts at a faster rate. 

I personally love GLA. Their customer service is second to none.

Also... consider switching from excel to glut (generic excel). It's sold as metricide 14. Just DO NOT use the small mixing 'activator' agent (catalyst or what ever it is). You can dose glut less or dilute it to excel strength. I do the latter because I like to dose out of muscle memory as if I were dosing excel. 

Since Glut is a little over 2x stronger than excel, and a whole lot cheaper, you'd save a substantial amount of money going this route. Compare prices and research a bit... you'll be pleasantly surprised (at least your wallet will).


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## Michael Appleseed (Dec 7, 2011)

Wow, thank you so much for the feedback! Just some quick questions then. 
-How much do I dose, considering the package comes with 2 500ml dispensers? -Should I mix the fertilizers with water first, and at what concentration; or should I just dump the allotted amount right in the aquarium water?
-Why don't I have to 'reset' the water chemistry by doing weekly 50% water changes?

I feel much better about fertilizing already!


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## DKRST (Jan 20, 2011)

I use the GLA ferts. After comparing what I wanted AND factoring shipping, they were actually cheaper than other sites.


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Michael Appleseed said:


> Wow, thank you so much for the feedback! Just some quick questions then.
> -How much do I dose, considering the package comes with 2 500ml dispensers? -Should I mix the fertilizers with water first, and at what concentration; or should I just dump the allotted amount right in the aquarium water?
> -Why don't I have to 'reset' the water chemistry by doing weekly 50% water changes?
> 
> I feel much better about fertilizing already!


I'm no expert and some research will help yield better answers and will help you to choose between the two dosing regimens... it's like comparing apples and oranges. They both dose the same stuff, but PPS-Pro works on the premise of fertilizing just the right amount based on your tank size, so there's no excess and over compensation to account for deficiencies as you would with EI. In EI you deliberately dose more than what's needed so there's a non-limiting supply of all nutrients the plants need. But due to the copious amount of ferts, you're compelled to do large PWC 's to reset your tank each week for the next round of heavy dosing. PPS-Pro is overall lean by comparison. I started out with dosing that method as instructed, but then modified it somewhat by increasing the PO4 and micros to help with my red plants. Also more po4 contends with GSA. 

I premix pps-pro in those dispensers with RO/DI water. I bought a cheap digital gram scale on Amazon for less than 10$. Also, add 5ml of excel to every 250ml of the micro nutrient solution to prevent mold. Shake well and let it full dissolve over night before you start dosing. 

Dry ferts, especially pps-pro, last a long time and will save you money. I'm still on my first pack for about a year and I'm currently dosing 26g, 17g, 9g, 6g, and 2g planted tanks.

If you're going to dose other tanks, especially nanos, I also recommend buying pipettes. 

Plastic Transfer Pipettes 3ml, Gradulated, Pack of 100: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Here's some other helpful links:
https://sites.google.com/site/aquaticplantfertilizer/home/pps-pro

Amazon.com: American Weigh Scales AWS-1KG-BLK Signature Series Black Digital Pocket Scale, 1000 by 0.1 G: Kitchen & Dining

There plenty of EI vs. PPS-Pro threads out there. You should probably read some and make your own decision for what's best for your needs.


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## Jack Gilvey (Jun 16, 2008)

I like Brian's idea of the PPS-Pro pack. I ordered that one from GLA knowing that the ferts would cover EI as well. I did wind up choosing to go EI and made macro/micro solutions so the bottles (which are not in the EI pack) came in handy anyway. 

I love those pipettes! I grabbed that same 100 pack and use them constantly.


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## Michael Appleseed (Dec 7, 2011)

Awesome. Last question: Is there a rule of thumb as to grams per fertilizer according to how many gallons of water? Like .2g PO4/25 gallons or anything like that? Maybe I should ask if there's a target concentration I'm looking to maintain. You guys are the best.


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## Jack Gilvey (Jun 16, 2008)

If you go PPS-Pro then GLA has it all laid out for you:

http://blog.greenleafaquariums.com/2013/02/28/our-new-pps-pro-fertilizer-pack-just-mix-dose/

I use this calculator to figure out my dosing for EI:

http://calc.petalphile.com/

As OVT notes nilocg is a source as well. Looks like he'll even put what you need in the bottles and you just add water.  

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=455001&highlight=nilocg


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Another thing I'd like to add. What substrate are you using? Your crypts can benefit from a root tab placed underneath them since they're heavy root feeders.


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## mark546 (Sep 12, 2013)

Only thing I can comment on is the price was fantastic. Factoring in shipping GLA was hands down the cheapest. I just placed my first order, instead of buying the pack I ordered each ingredient separately. I'm excited to get them in.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

I have to agree here. Ive used GLA several times in the past and wouldn't hesitate to use them again.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Mixing dry ferts with water made simple:

- find how many grams of each fert you want to use per 20 gallons of tank water

- say you want to have a 100 doses

- multiply each gram above by 100

- convert each number to teaspoons

- dump those teaspoons in 1,000 ml of water

- mix it until everything dissolves

- now your 1,000 ml of water contains 100 doses

- 1,000 / 100 = 10 ml

- so, use 10 ml of mixture per 20g of tank water

v3


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## Michael Appleseed (Dec 7, 2011)

Right, so how do I know how many grams to use per 20 gallons though?


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## nilocg (Jul 12, 2010)

Are you wanting to dose dry or liquid?


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## Michael Appleseed (Dec 7, 2011)

Dry. They just came in the mail.

Micros / Trace Elements -
Plantex CSM + B - 1 / 2 lb

Macros -
Potassium Nitrate (KNO3) - 1 lb
Mono Potassium Phosphate (KH2PO4) - 1 / 2 lb
Potassium Sulfate (K2SO4) - 1 lb
Magnesium Sulfate (MgSO4) - 1 lb

They came with two 500ml fert dispensers too. 

Basically, how do I mix these? Is there an optimal water (gal) to fert (g) ratio... and what/how should I test their concentrations in the water column? 

Also, what about dosing? Daily, every other, once a week?


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Michael Appleseed said:


> Dry. They just came in the mail.
> 
> Micros / Trace Elements -
> Plantex CSM + B - 1 / 2 lb
> ...


Well they start off as "dry" but you can either decide to dose as "dry" salts or you can take a digital gram scale (cheap from Amazon) weigh and premix "liquid" solutions. Then dose via those 500mL dispensers. 

Are you going to use the EI or PPS-Pro method?


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## Michael Appleseed (Dec 7, 2011)

I'd like to try the PPS-Pro method. Again, is there a g/ml ratio for each chemical I'm trying to mix? Like .3g KNO3/500ml? or something like that?


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Michael Appleseed said:


> I'd like to try the PPS-Pro method. Again, is there a g/ml ratio for each chemical I'm trying to mix? Like .3g KNO3/500ml? or something like that?


I linked to it earlier, but here it is again:

Here's some other helpful links:
https://sites.google.com/site/aquaticplantfertilizer/home/pps-pro

Amazon.com: American Weigh Scales AWS-1KG-BLK Signature Series Black Digital Pocket Scale, 1000 by 0.1 G: Kitchen & Dining

You need to get the digital gram scale.. you premix all the grams of each nutrient and dose as a liquid. 

I have the one I linked from Amazon. Works great. It has a Tare function where you put a cup on it, zero out the weight of the cup, then scoop the dry ferts onto the scale (so you're just getting the exact weight of the dry ferts, not the cup).

You'll mix a micro and macro solution in their respective bottles. I use distilled water to dissolve the dry ferts. Also add 10ML of Excel to every 250ML of the micro solution to help prevent mold. Also buy a funnel to pour the dry ferts and RO/DI water in the dispensers. Shake well and let it fully dissolve over night before using it. 

You dose 1mL of the micro and macro solution per 10 gallons at least an hour before the lights come on. 

Tip: If you start seeing GSA, you can increase the PO4. I made a separate solution for this using one of Wet's calculators. 

Also on the GLA site, there's some links there too pertaining to PPS-PRO.


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## Michael Appleseed (Dec 7, 2011)

Brilliant. I must have missed that link. That's exactly what I was looking for. I'm pretty confident to start fertilizing. So much so I bought some filler plants today to close some gaps. Beyond excited to see the results. 

What do you guys think? Weekly water changes of 25%? How should I dose after them too? Same as usual?


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