Fertilizer for gracilaria

[returnofsid]

Don, what have you come up with as a fertilizer? Also, how are you determining how much to use? Just curious. Don't know that I'd need to fertilize it, but it'd be good info to have in the future.

 

[DonW]

Don, what have you come up with as a fertilizer? Also, how are you determining how much to use? Just curious. Don't know that I'd need to fertilize it, but it'd be good info to have in the future.

I'm going to use F2 to see how well it works. If not well Im going to mix NaNO3 and NaH2PO4 at 15:1 and just add drops until I see the results I want. I only need to grow about a baseball sized "bush" per week to feed the one tang.

Don

 

[Boomer]

Deleted or errors

 

[DonW]

Thanks for doing the math, you probably save me three hours.

Don

 

[returnofsid]

LOL Isn't Boomer great!! As for F2, is that a brand name or what?

 

[Boomer]

Deleted for errors

 

[Brie]

Just tang food for me. Cheaper than having it shipped or paying LFS prices. Petco has the best price around but doesnt have it very often.

Don

FYI, for anyone who's looking, I always carry gracilaria at my store in Lakewood. I order in several dozen bunches at a time each week, stuff goes quick between feeding my fish in store and selling it. lol.

 

[thincat]

Brie, how long have you had the Manderin pair in that 10g tank?:exclaim:

 

[reedman]

So Don, are you having success with the F2 fertilizer in getting the gracilaria to grow? I tried in the past with a dedicated tank to grow the gracilaria and had no success. The bunch that I got online was more pieces than a bunch so when I put it in the tank it broke up pretty quick. I'd love to do what you are describing if you find a combination that works.

 

[Brie]

Brie, how long have you had the Manderin pair in that 10g tank?:exclaim:

About a month or so. Its a temp/quarantine deal until I get my 45 running. If you are concerned for their health, no need. They both eat Form. 1 pellets exclusively with a little frozen mysis on the side.

 

[Pedro_Mann]

LOL Isn't Boomer great!! As for F2, is that a brand name or what?

They sell it at florida aqua farms but I've had bad customer service from them or aquaticeco.com here's a link:
http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/1367/Microalgae-Grow-Mass-Packs

Don't order the kind with silicate it is for growing brown phyto plankton.

 

[Boomer]

I deleted those post as they had some math errors And re-did the hole flippin' thing


Error
NO3- = 73 % of NaNO3 @ 15,000 mg / l or 10,950 mg / l NO3- in 15 grams

PO4 = 85 % of NaH2PO4 @ 1,000 mg / l or 850 mg l PO4 in 1 gram

If you did not work that out in molar mass values. 15 grams + 1 gram = 16 grams

10,950 / 850 = 12.88 :1 N

BUT that is a N ratio of ~13:1 but still a NaNO3 and NaH2PO4 ratio of 15:1. You are looking for an NP of 15 -16 : 1 and not a NaNO3 : NaH2PO4 ratio 15 :1

You will need 17. 5 grams NaNO3 and 1 gram NaH2PO4 = 18.5 total to get a N of 15 : 1 ( 15.029 : 1 )

1000 ml of RO/DI water - 18.5 grams = 981.5 m l of water needed to get a 1,000 ml std solution @ 15:1. That 1 liter would thus contain 17,500 ppm NaNO3 and 1,000 ppm NaH2PO4.


73 % of 17.5 grams of NaNO3 to get the NO3- content only = 12,775

85 % of 1 gram of NaH2PO4 to get the PO4- content only = 850

12,775 / 850 = ~ 15:1 N

1 ml = ~ 17.5 mg / l NO3 and 0.85 mg / l PO4

1 drop = ~ 0.05 ml so 20 drops = 1 ml

1 drop added = 0.875 mg / l NO3- and 0.04 mg / l PO4 rise, if added to ~ 1 liter of water

Lots to read here Don on the culture of Gracilaria sp

ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/007/ad834e/ad834e01.pdf