sulphate of ammonia

[Justin]

hi all,

I just wanted to ask a question if I could. I have mentioned before that I
can only find KNO3 in 25Kg bags but when I was up purchasing my trace
element mix for my PMDD I found Sulphate of Ammonia... When i had a look at
the chemicals on the back, it has 21% Ammonium as Nitrogen and 23% Sulphate
I have done some research on the net and a chemical website says that it's
21% Nitrogen and 23% Sulphate as opposed to KNO3, which is 13% Potassium and
44% K2O (which I gather is 2 Potassium molecules bound to an oxygen
molecule??)... Can I use this as my Nitrogen source? It's in a 2kg bag and
would be easier than purchasing a 25Kg bag... I have read somewhere that
Ammonium is the preferred source of Nitrogen for plants, so i'm thinking I
should be safe...

Also, my trace element composition is a bit different from the one listed on
the krib, mainly the Fe is 1% lower... Does anyone think I should
compensate for this by putting in some Chelated Iron (which I pick up from
the local Kmart - a cheaper department store for non-aussies) for $4.00...?

Thanks for any feedback.

Justin.

[George Pontis]

In article >, says...
> hi all,
>
> I just wanted to ask a question if I could. I have mentioned before that I
> can only find KNO3 in 25Kg bags but when I was up purchasing my trace
> element mix for my PMDD I found Sulphate of Ammonia... When i had a look at
> the chemicals on the back, it has 21% Ammonium as Nitrogen and 23% Sulphate
> I have done some research on the net and a chemical website says that it's
> 21% Nitrogen and 23% Sulphate as opposed to KNO3, which is 13% Potassium and
> 44% K2O (which I gather is 2 Potassium molecules bound to an oxygen
> molecule??)... Can I use this as my Nitrogen source? It's in a 2kg bag and
> would be easier than purchasing a 25Kg bag... I have read somewhere that
> Ammonium is the preferred source of Nitrogen for plants, so i'm thinking I
> should be safe...

It is not a usable substitute in the aquarium. The ammonium sulphate would raise
the pH and result in free ammonia in the water. Also, Tom Barr has said many times
that ammonium is remarkably effective in creating an algae bloom. The one aquarium
use I know of is to use it as a source of ammonia for fishless cycling.

> Also, my trace element composition is a bit different from the one listed on
> the krib, mainly the Fe is 1% lower... Does anyone think I should
> compensate for this by putting in some Chelated Iron (which I pick up from
> the local Kmart - a cheaper department store for non-aussies) for $4.00...?

There is practically nothing that we can control in an aquarium to 1%, and the
useful concentration of iron is quite broad. The best advice I have heard about
the amount of iron in the planted aquarium is that one should maintain "a
measureable level". In other words, if you can detect iron with a test kit then
you have enough. An inexpensive Hagen Fe test kit can easily show iron below
0.1ppm. The high end of safety is something like .3 ppm, with some saying even
higher has not be shown to be unsafe.

George

[David Dufresne]

Justin a écrit :
> hi all,
>
> I just wanted to ask a question if I could. I have mentioned before
> that I can only find KNO3 in 25Kg bags but when I was up purchasing my
> trace element mix for my PMDD I found Sulphate of Ammonia... When i had
> a look at the chemicals on the back, it has 21% Ammonium as Nitrogen and
> 23% Sulphate I have done some research on the net and a chemical website
> says that it's 21% Nitrogen and 23% Sulphate as opposed to KNO3, which
> is 13% Potassium and 44% K2O (which I gather is 2 Potassium molecules
> bound to an oxygen molecule??)... Can I use this as my Nitrogen
> source? It's in a 2kg bag and would be easier than purchasing a 25Kg
> bag... I have read somewhere that Ammonium is the preferred source of
> Nitrogen for plants, so i'm thinking I should be safe...
>
> Also, my trace element composition is a bit different from the one
> listed on the krib, mainly the Fe is 1% lower... Does anyone think I
> should compensate for this by putting in some Chelated Iron (which I
> pick up from the local Kmart - a cheaper department store for
> non-aussies) for $4.00...?
>
> Thanks for any feedback.
>
> Justin.
If I were you, I'd try a drugstore for you KNO3. They name it Salpeter
and sell 250g bottles of it for about 3-4 dollars (that would be in the
first aid section imho)

[Justin]

Thanks George.

Glad I didn't buy it then!! Looks like it's the 25kg bag then....

Justin.

"George Pontis" > wrote in message
t...
> In article >, says...
>> hi all,
>>
>> I just wanted to ask a question if I could. I have mentioned before that
>> I
>> can only find KNO3 in 25Kg bags but when I was up purchasing my trace
>> element mix for my PMDD I found Sulphate of Ammonia... When i had a look
>> at
>> the chemicals on the back, it has 21% Ammonium as Nitrogen and 23%
>> Sulphate
>> I have done some research on the net and a chemical website says that
>> it's
>> 21% Nitrogen and 23% Sulphate as opposed to KNO3, which is 13% Potassium
>> and
>> 44% K2O (which I gather is 2 Potassium molecules bound to an oxygen
>> molecule??)... Can I use this as my Nitrogen source? It's in a 2kg bag
>> and
>> would be easier than purchasing a 25Kg bag... I have read somewhere that
>> Ammonium is the preferred source of Nitrogen for plants, so i'm thinking
>> I
>> should be safe...
>
> It is not a usable substitute in the aquarium. The ammonium sulphate would
> raise
> the pH and result in free ammonia in the water. Also, Tom Barr has said
> many times
> that ammonium is remarkably effective in creating an algae bloom. The one
> aquarium
> use I know of is to use it as a source of ammonia for fishless cycling.
>
>> Also, my trace element composition is a bit different from the one listed
>> on
>> the krib, mainly the Fe is 1% lower... Does anyone think I should
>> compensate for this by putting in some Chelated Iron (which I pick up
>> from
>> the local Kmart - a cheaper department store for non-aussies) for
>> $4.00...?
>
> There is practically nothing that we can control in an aquarium to 1%, and
> the
> useful concentration of iron is quite broad. The best advice I have heard
> about
> the amount of iron in the planted aquarium is that one should maintain "a
> measureable level". In other words, if you can detect iron with a test kit
> then
> you have enough. An inexpensive Hagen Fe test kit can easily show iron
> below
> 0.1ppm. The high end of safety is something like .3 ppm, with some saying
> even
> higher has not be shown to be unsafe.
>
> George