# Advice on PPS ferts



## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Planning to use PPS, but the site I found that advises what chemicals to buy and how to mix them, provides tables for mixing up whatever strength you want, calls for calcium sulfate. I can only get calcium nitrate.

Can I use calcium nitrate instead of calcium sulfate ? Or do I just leave out the calcium sulfate ?

Site info is here. https://sites.google.com/site/aquaticplantfertilizer/home/pps-pro


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## matti2uude (Jan 10, 2009)

Isn't Calcium Sulfate plaster of paris?


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## aniroc (Aug 23, 2012)

Calcium sulfate is gypsum and is poorly soluble in water, about 0.2%
I don't see Calcium salt in PPS ferts and I don't think you need it unless you start with RO/DI. Tap water has plenty in GTA.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Okkkk, then maybe I need a new site/recipe to refer to. Anybody have a good one I can go check on ?


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## futurezach (Jun 11, 2012)

Why not just buy the right chemical? Where do you'll live ? Most hydroponic stores carry the ferts you would need


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I'm in Mississauga, the only hydroponic store anywhere near me is a good one, though I forget the name just now. 

They don't carry the one other chemical the recipe I found calls for. They're not exactly close by.. half hour drive away.. don't know of any other stores that are reasonably easy to get to. Most online sources seem to be in the US.. gets a bit costly with the shipping etc.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

I tried to get potassium nitrate at my local hydrophonics store and they don't carry it. This local store is more into hydroponics and doesn't seem to know anything about our hobby. They have lots of ferts but I have no idea what would be safe for aquarium use.


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## islanddave (Nov 6, 2012)

If i can recommend a source for dry ferts for planted aquariums it would be here:http://www.theplantguy.org/Dry-fertilizers_c_27.html

I have dosed my aquariums according to Tom Barrs suggestions of Estimated Index Dosing for the past 4 months and have been very happy with the results.

Quick shipping, fair prices, and good products.

Thanks Dave


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Thanks for the info island. I think the place I went to is called Second Nature.. they are also very much a hydroponic outfit, but they get enough business from fish keepers that they're at least aware of what we're looking for and how we use it. But maybe the potassium nitrate just isn't something that's used for hydroponics. They seem to have a lot of premixed stuff, most of it aimed at maximizing either fruit production or green leafy growth, which would include certain illegal plants no doubt, rather than all around underwater gardening, which is really what we're doing.


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## LTPGuy (Aug 8, 2012)

Fishfur said:


> Thanks for the info island. I think the place I went to is called Second Nature.. they are also very much a hydroponic outfit, but they get enough business from fish keepers that they're at least aware of what we're looking for and how we use it. But maybe the potassium nitrate just isn't something that's used for hydroponics. They seem to have a lot of premixed stuff, most of it aimed at maximizing either fruit production or green leafy growth, which would include certain illegal plants no doubt, rather than all around underwater gardening, which is really what we're doing.


 *Address:* 2133 Royal Windsor Dr, Mississauga, ON L5J 1K5 
*Phone:*(905) 403-4769 
Hours:
Tuesday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm - See all

That's Second Nature Hydroponics and it's where I got all of my dry mix for Tom Barr EI. Same ingredients are used is PPS Pro. You don't need Calcium Sulfate as someone did mention how hard Mis'ga water is.

They have everything there. The guy is very knowledgeable. Even went as far as telling me that the trace mix contains boron which could be an issue with shrimps and snail.

I ask for the product label which he happily show me to take a picture of.

If I may asked, what is your motivation for going PPS. I had great success with EI, then someone point out PPS-Pro which is suppose to reduce or eliminate water change.

Despite the claim or being easy and no water change, there were a lot of confusion with regards to method, measurement.

I tried it and abandoned it. I find EI supper brainless. The only thing is the water change.

Tom Barr did mention that you can reduce the water change by adjusting the dose. He mentioned that nothing is specifically written in stone, and tweak are still possible as EI stands for ESTIMATE Index.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I've looked at EI too. I'm putting aquaponic troughs on my tanks, which are going to use up more ferts as well as take care of nitrates. 

But I wanted to use a method where I have more control over precisely what goes in, and I did not particularly care for a method that basically relies on some degree of overdosing, which is then tossed out with a water change. We have too far too many ferts and such going down the drains as it is, so I'm more inclined to use a system that uses only enough, not more.

Btw,, I must agree, the guys at Second Nature were really nice and certainly had a clue what I wanted when I told them what I was doing with it. It's simply that the recipe on the site for PPS calls for Potassium nitrate, and Second Nature does not carry it. They had calcium nitrate instead.. and I am no kind of chemist, so I was not sure if it was something I could sub for the other chemical or leave out entirely.. which is why I asked here.


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## greg (Apr 29, 2012)

Just stocked up at Second Nature on Royal Windsor two weeks ago. They keep the ferts on the shelves along the back wall. Hopefully they haven't decided to discontinue the product in the meantime. This is the most essential ingredient for diy fertilization.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Nope, that one they have.. I think there was some confusion perhaps, because Pyrrolin was talking about not being able to get potassium nitrate in his area, but "I" was talking about not being able to get calcium sulfate when I started this thread. 

But the consensus of opinion seems to be that I don't need calcium sulfate, since GTA water is so hard, so I should just go with the recipe for PPS sans calcium sulfate. Second Nature certainly has KNO3.. I just got some when I got the rest of the stuff I needed to mix up some ferts. I hope Second Nature will take back the calcium nitrate I got by mistake.

I wish I'd paid more attention in chem class way back when.. but life goes on and I keep learning stuff.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

any good way to add nitrates besides potasium nitrate that I can try to find? I barely had the lights on the last few days and nitrates are still 0


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I'm not sure. KNO3 is, as Greg said, probably the most important of the ingredients. Why not just mail order it ? A 500 g jar isn't very expensive.. even if shipping more than tripled the price, that one jar would last you a very long time. Could send you one myself for cost.. I'll be by there in the next couple of weeks.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

you are coming by Kingston? That might be a great idea, but what would the cost be?


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I wish I were coming by Kingston, sorry, what I meant was I'd be by the store in the next couple of weeks. So happens one of my cousins I'm very close to lives in Gananoque and I'd love to visit. But it's a bit too far for me to drive alone.. I get too tired. 

I was just offering to get the chemical you need here and mail it to you for cost, whatever that was. It's a 500 gm jar and it will need a box, so by parcel post, I'd guess maybe fifteen bucks or so plus the cost of the jar. CanPost has a site that lists costs, but you have to enter both the parcel weight and dimensions. you can guesstimate those and get a pretty close idea of what shipping might be. The jar is, say, five inches square, give or take.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

Maybe in the future when funds exist
Thanks


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## perfectgravity (Nov 27, 2012)

Homegrown hydroponics has them. I picked them up at the mississauga location.

The closest to you is the belleville location. I'm guessing they have it as well.

http://www.hydroponics.com/contact/locations/belleville/


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