Comment on Easy-Life fertilisers

This is a fairly complete and flexible protocol, which should cover almost all needs.

It will suit those who have an aquarium with undemanding plants as well as those with rather difficult plants.
In the case of particularly demanding plants, such as Ludwigia inclinata, some Rotala (R. macrandra, R. sp. “Colorata”…), the protocol starts to show some weaknesses, especially with regard to the supply of trace elements.

Start with Profito alone…

For those with modest requirements, such as few plants, slow growing plants (epiphytes, shaders) the use of Profito alone may be sufficient.

If you notice that the plants stop growing or do not grow as they should with Profito alone, you may need to use the other products.
For example, if you notice an iron deficiency you can dose Ferro; if you notice a phosphate deficiency or measure zero (phosphate deficiency is pesky) you can use Phosphorus.

… then add only what is needed!

Statistically, the first deficiency that should be observed when using Profito alone is potassium deficiency, as Profito contains very little potassium (taking for granted the use of Iron, Nitro and Kalium which all contain more potassium).

From a technical point of view, the protocol is chelated, which allows for weekly or even more sparse dosing, depending on the needs of the plants.
Alternatively, it is possible to use fractional dosing over time, for example daily or bi-weekly. In such cases, I recommend experimenting and finding the rate and doses that give the best results in the aquarium.

Common mistakes

As far as dosing is concerned, a common mistake is to give all the elements every week according to the doses indicated, violating the recommendation to observe the signs of the plants. By doing so, too much fertiliser will be introduced into the aquarium, which will lead to problems.

Component replacement

It is also possible to replace the macro-nutrient supplements – Nitro, Phospho, Kalium – and iron (Ferro) with individual salts, i.e. potassium nitrate, potassium phosphate and chelated iron.
A good compromise can be garden and horticultural solutions that are already pre-diluted but more concentrated (e.g. Cifo liquid supplements sold in Europe).

This substitution can lead to some savings if the aquarium requires large amounts of macro-nutrients, such as a large Dutch setup.

Cost of the fertilizing system and a final note

Speaking of savings: the protocol is relatively cheap compared to the quality. It is in fact one of the cheapest (at least in Italy) separate component protocols.

As far as EasyCarbo, the carbon supplement, is concerned, one could say a lot of words without reaching a conclusion. Various tests have shown that it can help in set-ups without an artificial supply of carbon dioxide; however, the results are less obvious with an artificial supply of carbon dioxide already present.
It is extremely important, however, never to exceed the dosage.

Credits

Products images are from the Easy-Life website.