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I have 6 differnet plant liquids:
Flourish
Flourish Nitrogen
Flourish Potassium
Flourish Phosphorus
Flourish Iron
Flourish Excel

I was woundering if i could buy 1 bottle of stuff to give me all of that. I can see in the long run that stuff is going to get EXPENCIVE and i doubt ill buy as much as i should. I would also like to buy it in the bulk if its cheaper.

55gal Tank:130 watt coral lights,Eheim Wet/Dry 2227 Canister Filter,Powerhead, Co2 Injection and a heater.

The reason why there are so many different bottles of stuff and not one good all-in-one aquarium fert product, is that different aquariums have different needs, and a single all-in-one product will often fail in one way or another to give the desired results. For instance: my planted tank is overstocked, so it doesn't require much nitrogen, but needs phosphorus and potassium to make up for the excess nitrates. I also have some red plants like ludwigia in one tank that loves Iron, but in another tank that is mostly rotala and aponogetons, I use no iron at all. Excel I use like it's going out of style--I dose every day. So Excel is the only fert I use a lot of, and with the rest, one 8.5 oz. bottle will last me nearly a year. So once a year, I have to put down about $30 to buy ferts. In the long run, that isn't a whole lot, and I'm finding the results to be well worth it.
If you're looking for a cheaper option, you might look into concentrated dry ferts like some of the more experienced planted tank gurus use. I believe they are used for hydroponic gardening and such, but I'm not entirely sure, which is why I don't use them. I use the Flourish products because it's easy and I'm too lazy to research sources for cheap dry ferts in bulk, but they are out there.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Hello,

http://www.gregwatson.com/

For both of you this is a good location to get dry ferts from. It cost me about $6 to get enough NO3, PO4 and K to last me a few years (my tank is small).

On a side note, justin are you using preasurized CO2 in your tanks, or just in the 55g? Because as I understand it Excel is redundand if you are allready adding CO2 as a gas.

Chaos

__________________________________
- - - Humorous Bit of Wisdom - - -

I use the home made CO2 in my small tank, in the 55 i use CO2 but its not pressurized.

55gal Tank:130 watt coral lights,Eheim Wet/Dry 2227 Canister Filter,Powerhead, Co2 Injection and a heater.

Illustrae pretty much said it all

Get dry fert equivalents of Flourish Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium from the link Chaos gave - much much cheaper in the long run:
Flourish Nitrogen --> Potassium Nitrate (KNO3)
Flourish Phosphorus --> Mono Potassium Phosphate (KHPO4)
Flourish Potassium --> Potassium Sulfate (K2SO4)
1lb bags of each will last you ages. The Flourish liquids are basically diluted versions of these ferts in water.

You can also use CSM+B Plantex & Iron chelate for your micro ferts (instead of Flourish & Flourish Iron), but I personally like Flourish better in this case b/c it's easier to dose. Also you may not really need Flourish Iron if you don't have any red plants. Flourish also contains iron, just in smaller amount (enough for most common plants).

Flourish Excel is not really needed if you're already injecting CO2, but it's a nice-to-have just in case you want to spot treat some algae in the future.

-P

I prefer to use the Frourish product reason it is very convenient and easy to use also no storage of chemical powders as well as making it up all the time.

If I have any concerens I can contact Seachem with my peramiters and they will give me the correct dosages to use and how often.

I have located a company on linec in Aust where I can get a lot cheaper than over the counter.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

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How to dose is all about personal preference and what you find convenient. They ALL work good.

If cost is your main concern, get the powdered hydroponic ferts, I also suggest Greg Watson's. Once you figure how much of what you're dosing, it'll take you the same amount of time as now, just alot less $$$. The difference in price will feed me for a month or longer as well as pay for my bottle of Flourish Excel

Which brings me to part 2.

Excel can still benefit if you're already running co2 by helping keep algae in check.


The Amazon Nut...