# Easy dry fertilizer dosage



## phoenixkiller (May 13, 2012)

Hey all, I'm about to order Potassium Sulfate, Potassium Nitrate, and Mono Potassium Phosphate. I have Seachem Flourish, so I just needed the basic macronutrients. I need a recipe on how much to dose into a 10 gallon RCS tank. I found sites that said 1/32 of a teaspoon, but I would like a better way to measure if you know what I mean :redface: . I have a bunch of clean 1 gallon jugs, so how much of each do I put in each jug, and how much is a dose? 

Also, what is the best dosing schedule? Daily? Every three days? Weekly?


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

If you follow the EI method, those measurements (teaspoons and fractions of teaspoons) are just fine. Start there, then adjust as needed. 

To make a large volume (a gallon) for a single 10 gallon tank seems a bit much. Here is how I make it when I am preparing fertilizer for all my tanks (about 700 gallons worth)

1) Figure out how much I want to feed ALL the tanks for a week. 
a) Start with the EI recipe and multiply the amounts by 3 (they are daily doses to be applied every other day), 
b) multiply until I have 700 gallons worth. 

2) Put that much KNO3 + KH2PO4 + K2SO4 in a single 2 liter jug. (Mine actually holds a bit more than 2 liters)

3) Add warm water to fill. Shake a lot. 

Dosing is based on 1ml of fertilizer liquid per gallon of tank volume, and dosed 3 days per week. 

Here is why that works for me:
700 gallons of tanks would need 700 ml of fertilizer daily. Multiply that by 3 days worth and it comes out to 2100 ml (also known as 2.1 liters, and that is so close to what the jug I use holds!). 

If the plants show they need more of something then I can make next week's batch a little stronger in whatever it is. 

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fertilizers-water-parameters/21944-_dosing-regimes_.html

I use very little KNO3 because most of my tanks have a lot of fish, so the fish food supplies a lot of NO3. 
Therefore my dosing includes K2SO4 as a source of K, since I use too little KNO3 to be a good source of K. 
The dose of KH2PO4 is also too small to count as much of a dose of K.


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## phoenixkiller (May 13, 2012)

So, to mix into a 2 liter bottle, I would need to add:
1/2 tsp KNO3
1/8 tsp KH2PO4
1/8 tsp K2SO4

Right? And... how much would I have dose every other day of this mixture (This is my only planted tank at the moment)? Would it be 1/3 of the 2-liter bottle?


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## Aquaticfan (Oct 30, 2011)

This is why I just do the dry dose in a syringe every day. No need to have to figure a bunch out.


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## nalu86 (Oct 19, 2010)

I once did the math for a 10 gal liq dosing, but I forgot about it.

I take 1/8 teaspoon and take a pinch of everything. KNO3 I fill it up halfway more or less. 

I dose on feeling


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## phoenixkiller (May 13, 2012)

So, say I take 15 ml of water and put it in a small cup. Into the cup I put:
1/2 tsp KNO3
1/8 tsp KH2PO4
1/8 tsp K2SO4
Would 5 ml be a dose?

(This question is open to all who can answer it.


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## Sierra255 (Sep 13, 2007)

Another way would be to buy a set of measuring spoons for small amounts, usually referred as a pinch, smidgen, hint, drop, etc. They are from 1/8 tsp to 1/64 tsp. I know amazon sells them and they're pretty cheap. Why bother with all of this math when you don't have to. Just measure and drop the dry ferts in the aquarium, simple as that. And no, it won't harm your fish. Trust me. I've seen my fish eat some of the fert granules and have shown no ill effect from it.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

1/8 tsp KNO3
1/32 tsp KH2PO4
1/8 tsp K2SO4 (if needed. If you dose a lot of KNO3 that might supply enough K)

Is the max a high tech 10 gallon might need in one day. 
(now multiply by 3 to get a week's worth)

3/8 tsp KNO3
3/32 tsp KH2PO4
3/8 tsp KNO3

Is the max a 10 gallon tank would need in one week. 
(now multiply by 2 to get easier to measure amounts, and 2 weeks' worth)

6/8 tsp KNO3 (= 3/4 tsp)
6/32 tsp KH2PO4 (= 3/16 tsp, also known as a rounded 1/8, near enough)
6/8 tsp K2SO4 (= 3/4 tsp)

is the maximum amount for 2 weeks. 

Since 2 weeks will mean 6 feedings measure ANY amount of water that can easily be divided by 6.

ie: Put those ferts (2 weeks worth) in a jar with 1.5 cups of water and dose 1/4 cup per day, every other day. 
or
Put those ferts (2 weeks worth) in a jar with 3/4 cup of water and dose 1/8 cup per day, every other day. 
or
Put those ferts (2 weeks worth) in a jar with 60 ml of water and dose 10 ml per day, every other day. 
or 
any other variation you want. 

Assess plant growth, algae growth, water parameters and anything else you are using to determine if this is the right dosing for your tank. 

If you think you are overfertilizing in general, then make the next mix the same, but dose less. It will last longer. 
If you think you are over or under dosing any one ingredient, then alter the formula accordingly. 

For example, I found that fish food supplied quite a bit of NO3, so I reduced the KNO3 in my mix. This meant I was not dosing enough potassium so I increased the potassium. 

Do the same for trace minerals:
Figure out a 2 week dose and mix it with any quantity of water that can be divided by 6. Dose every other day (the alternate day to macros). Assess results and alter as needed.


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## Java Moss (Jan 17, 2011)




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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

^ yikes! 

If easy (or if you're just plain lazy like me...) is you're goal, Tropica plant nutrition+ is the way to go. One squeeze and dump once a week. I think root medic has a comparable product if you can't get the Tropica version. I've been dosing this way since the beginning of the year with great results.


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## nilocg (Jul 12, 2010)

oldpunk78 said:


> ^ yikes!
> 
> If easy (or if you're just plain lazy like me...) is you're goal, Tropica plant nutrition+ is the way to go. One squeeze and dump once a week. I think root medic has a comparable product if you can't get the Tropica version. I've been dosing this way since the beginning of the year with great results.


I can make a DIY version of Tropica plant nutrition if anyone is interested.


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## beedee (Jul 1, 2010)

^ You got PM!


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

nilocg said:


> I can make a DIY version of Tropica plant nutrition if anyone is interested.


TPN(micros) or TPN+(micros & macros)?


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## phoenixkiller (May 13, 2012)

Not meaning to be rude, but please take your questions to the Private Messaging system, so that all the posts on this thread are on topic! I appreciate your understanding!


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## phoenixkiller (May 13, 2012)

Diana said:


> 1/8 tsp KNO3
> 1/32 tsp KH2PO4
> 1/8 tsp K2SO4 (if needed. If you dose a lot of KNO3 that might supply enough K)
> 
> ...


Thank you soo much! You have been an incredible help! This really helps to know what to dose and what I would need to look for. Superb!

So, my tank is medium lighting with no CO2. Would I need to decrease that dose to make it adequate? 

Is there specific symptoms that I would need to look out for, if I need to dose more of a certain fertilizer? (I.E. Browned, wrinkled leaves = more ______.)

Thanks again!!


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## Aquaticfan (Oct 30, 2011)

phoenixkiller said:


> Not meaning to be rude, but please take your questions to the Private Messaging system, so that all the posts on this thread are on topic! I appreciate your understanding!


No offense meant but, Actually I thought oldpunk and nilocg's posts were completly within the topic of your discussion including the questions asked. 

They both were addresssing making dosing easier. One of them as a seller here carries a product you wouldn't have to do anything but add water. IMHO.


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

phoenixkiller said:


> Thank you soo much! You have been an incredible help! This really helps to know what to dose and what I would need to look for. Superb!
> 
> So, my tank is medium lighting with no CO2. Would I need to decrease that dose to make it adequate?
> 
> ...


Low light and no co2, you won't need to dose anymore than 1/3 EI.


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## phoenixkiller (May 13, 2012)

Aquaticfan said:


> No offense meant but, Actually I thought oldpunk and nilocg's posts were completly within the topic of your discussion including the questions asked.
> 
> They both were addresssing making dosing easier. One of them as a seller here carries a product you wouldn't have to do anything but add water. IMHO.


There is another thing that is at the very least annoying, which is called thread hijacking. It may not be in the forum rules, but I would appreciate if they could make their own threads to address their personal topics, JMO.


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## phoenixkiller (May 13, 2012)

oldpunk78 said:


> Low light and no co2, you won't need to dose anymore than 1/3 EI.


So, to make a dosing for a week, I just use the EI, but instead of making it a single dosing, I split it into three dosings?


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

phoenixkiller said:


> There is another thing that is at the very least annoying, which is called thread hijacking. It may not be in the forum rules, but I would appreciate if they could make their own threads to address their personal topics, JMO.


Seriously?


phoenixkiller said:


> So, to make a dosing for a week, I just use the EI, but instead of making it a single dosing, I split it into three dosings?


With a low tech tank, you do not need to be dosing everyday. You could probably just do it once a week. Nutrient needs of the plants are much lower since the light levels are lower. 

You should read this:

http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/433-Non-CO2-methods


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## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

hopes this helps


10-20 Gallons 
1/8 tsp KNO3 3x a week
1/32 tsp KH2PO4 3x a week
1/32 tsp K2SO4 3x a week 
1/32 tsp (2ml) traces 3x a week

20-40 Gallons
1/4 tsp KNO3 3x a week
1/16 tsp KH2PO4 3x a week
1/16 tsp K2SO4 3x a week
1/16 tsp (5ml) traces 3x a week 

40-60 Gallons 
1/2 tsp KNO3 3x a week
1/8 tsp KH2PO4 3x a week
1/8 tsp K2SO4 3x a week
1/8 tsp (10 ml) traces 3x a week 

60-80 Gallons 
3/4 tsp KNO3 3x a week
3/16 tsp KH2PO4 3x a week
1/4 tsp K2SO4 3x a week
1/4 tsp (15ml) traces 3x a week 

100-125 Gallons 
1 1/2 tsp KNO3 3x a week
1/2 tsp KH2PO4 3x a week
1/2 tsp K2SO4 3x a week
1/2 tsp (30ml) traces 3x a week


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## s_s (Feb 15, 2012)

I use a plastic drink shaker. It has ML markings on it and comes with an airtight cap. The easiest thing to do is to take these measurements from the EI Dosing sticky:



> 10-20 Gallons
> 1/8 tsp KNO3 3x a week
> 1/32 tsp KH2PO4 3x a week


Multiply them by 8, and then mix them in 80mL of distilled water. 

Then you dose 10 ML of solution as needed.


Also, from what I've read, the KSO4 should be unnecessary unless you have a high enough fish bioload (high enough nitrates) that you can't dose KNO3 as directed and need another source of potassium. 

Also, I would not use regular flourish with dry ferts. You'd either want Flourish Trace or you'd want to purchase the dry Plantex CSM+B for micro-nutrients and dose it as directed by the sticky.


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## Leaky Filter (Nov 30, 2011)

I premeasure my dry doses (macros on one day, micros on the other) and put them in a 1 week pill container. Then I dump when I'm heading to work.


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## phoenixkiller (May 13, 2012)

Ok, how's this sound:
1 tsp KNO3
1/4 tsp KH2PO4
Into 80 ml of distilled water, and 10 ml is a dose? 

Why not use just regular Flourish?

It is going to be dosed into a 10 gallon RCS tank currently, then I will be dosing into a pretty well stocked 55 gallon as well. Do I still not need KSO4?


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## nilocg (Jul 12, 2010)

phoenixkiller said:


> Ok, how's this sound:
> 1 tsp KNO3
> 1/4 tsp KH2PO4
> Into 80 ml of distilled water, and 10 ml is a dose?
> ...



Do you have an 80ml bottle and something that could measure 10ml easily? If not have you looking into dosing bottles they commonly come in 500ml and 1000ml bottles, you could very easily make up a solution that would last you a month or more. The bottles also measure out each dose very easy. You can find them lots of places, I have them as well, pm me if interested. I can also help you with the correct amount of each fert to add.


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## phoenixkiller (May 13, 2012)

Ok, sounds good. You have PM!


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