# Alternative to KNO3



## StaleyDaBear (Apr 15, 2010)

Seachem products and many other liquid fertilizers might be an alternative for you, depending on your tank size. But half a kilo wouldn't last me more than 6 months.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

KNO3 is not nasty stuff at all. Ammonium Nitrate, NH4NO3, is the one that can be used as an explosive. I don't think KNO3 is even a good ingredient, except for primitive gunpowder, but charcoal is also an ingredient of primitive gunpowder. I think many governments went overboard with restricting nitrate fertilizers before thinking it through first.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

Half a kilo isn't that much.... why not just buy that?

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk


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## izzy2 (Jul 20, 2008)

What is you nitrate level in your tank water. If it is above 10ppm just use potassium sulfate k2so4. MgSo4 is epsom salts. Is your water hard? Calcium may not be needed.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

I would just get the larger size of KNO3 as well...


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

izzy2 said:


> What is you nitrate level in your tank water. If it is above 10ppm just use potassium sulfate k2so4. MgSo4 is epsom salts. Is your water hard? Calcium may not be needed.


If you depend on tap water to supply nitrates, you need to do big water changes often to keep enough nitrate in the water. If you depend on the fish for nitrates, you need big poop factory fish to supply that much. Plants that are growing in a high light tank use up a lot of nitrates fast.


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## Crispino L Ramos (Mar 29, 2008)

you could try water soluble fertilizer from a garden/nursery store, read the label/ingredients


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## Elohim_Meth (May 8, 2010)

Ca(NO3)2


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## snafuspyramid (May 27, 2010)

Thanks for all the help guys. I guess I'll just by the half kilo; the main reason I thought it would be too much is that it's one hundred dollars per kilo from a laboratory supply company here in Melbourne. That's about $85US. None of the hydro shops nearby sell any dry fertilizers. I can't find it anywhere else!

The KH2PO4, by contrast, is eight dollars per kilogram from an outfit in Queensland which sells native Australian fish and plants. A bit more for postage, but still.

I have a feeling I'd be getting ripped off, particularly if it only lasts six months.

I currently have only a heavily planted, low light 20g with a very heavy stock, so nitrates tend to stay around 10ppm. I just use potassium sulfate, as Izzy suggested. My questions relate to a 75 gal I'm establishing though, which will have a pretty light fish load. Hence the KNO3.

Would I be paying far too much for the stuff?


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## snafuspyramid (May 27, 2010)

I just found that I can buy the stuff off - you guessed it - ebay. Buying chemicals off ebay sounds like just asking to get arrested. But it comes to about $20 a kilo, rather than $100. All I can do is hope it's legitimate and not end up buying talcum powder, can't say I'd know the difference. Thanks for all the help anyway, I greatly appreciate it


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## captain_bu (Oct 20, 2007)

$20 a kilo is still too expensive. Try contacting the following company... they ship from Napa, California and they do mention shipping internationally. If they can ship to Australia the shipping may be expensive depending on the size of the order but the KNO3 is only $3 a pound (a bit over $6 per kilo). You can get all the different dry ferts from them and they will not send you talcum powder.

http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Ditto the recommendation to try www.aquriumfertilzer.com


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## snafuspyramid (May 27, 2010)

Thanks for the suggestion, but it turns out they won't ship potassium nitrate outside of the US or Canada. I've found eBay seller in Sydney, which brings it down to about $10 a kilo including postage, which is fine (especially since buying it locally would cost me $100/k). I'm pretty sure this will work out cheaper than shipping internationally.

But man, I didn't expect this to be such a pain in the arse.

Thanks again for your help guys.


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## captain_bu (Oct 20, 2007)

$10 a kilo including postage is a good price... it pays to look around. If you keep the product dry it will last indefinitely.


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## Sharkfood (May 2, 2010)

> Thanks for all the help guys. I guess I'll just by the half kilo; the main reason I thought it would be too much is that it's one hundred dollars per kilo from a laboratory supply company here in Melbourne. That's about $85US. None of the hydro shops nearby sell any dry fertilizers. I can't find it anywhere else!


Wowee! It's more like 3 or 4 dollars a pound in the US.


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## StaleyDaBear (Apr 15, 2010)

holy crap. thats a lot of money for a little Nitrate. I used to use Schultz and so did one of my LFS @ home. It's a terrestrial plant fert but has 10-15-10 NPK and plenty of trace elements. Has a lot of ammoniacal and urea nitrogen, but adding sparingly never hurt either my fish or algae clearance. I am sure its cheaper then 43 dollars for your half kilo. Have you checked out if Rex or aquarium fert.com would ship to you?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Some stump remover chemicals contain 100% KNO3. Here in Geogia found Spectricide stump remover is 100% KNO3.


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