change and all that… yeah) . These first have to be produced from the elemental reactants. They are then
reacted along a series of nasty steps and we arrive at our final product, Ionic Salts.
When adding macronutrients to the aquarium, they are added as ionic salts. The exact concentrations of
each fertilizer I am not going to go into, if you aren’t capable of googling it, I wouldn’t suggest making your own
fertiliser. (I see aquagreen.com.au have an awesome range already mixed for you). But if you are capable of
googling it, you will find recipes like PMDD and you will find measures of the optimal levels for the individual
nutrients in the water column.
Some basic salts that are used for MacroNutrients and that are easily sourceable include:
KNO3- Source of Potassium and Nitrates, Ebay it. Also, don’t make the mistake I made and ask for it at
Bunnings, it’s generally not sold at shops because it is an ingredient in explosives (this is why we cant have
nice things) and they give you dirty looks whilst explaining. Also, if you cant get a hold of it, it isn’t the end of
the world, the nitrogen cycle will supply you with the Nitrates and the Potassium is easily available elsewhere.
K2SO4 – Source of Sulphates and Potassium - Ebay it. Also sold at garden centres as sulphate of potash or
some crafty deviation of that.
Phosphates – Most people don’t bother adding, fish poop, fish food and some rocks will do this for you,
Phosphates are very, very rarely