In this article we will look at the Easy-Life fertilisation protocol, showing the various products that make up the protocol and how to best use them.
Easy-Life was founded in 1998 in the Netherlands and has since developed a unique separate element fertilisation protocol, which consists of a base fertiliser to be supplemented as required.
Let us now look at the components of this protocol.
Trace elements supplements
Easy-Life Profito
Profito is the basic product in the protocol and should be dosed regularly, adjusting slightly the doses according to the response of the plants.
It contains trace elements and chelated iron, magnesium and potassium.
Profito composition: 1% potassium oxide (= 0.83% potassium), 0.31% magnesium oxide (= 0.18% magnesium), 0.24% iron, 0.1% manganese, 0.02% boron, 0.003% copper, 0.003% aluminium, 0.003% cobalt, 0.003% nickel, 0.003% lithium, 0.003% vanadium, 0.002% zinc, 0.002% molybdenum, 0.002% selenium, 0.002% tellurium, 0.002% niobium, 0.001% scandium.
Chelating agents: EDTA, DTPA, NTA.
Dosage: 10 ml per 100 litres, once a week. It is advisable to increase or decrease the dosage by 40% according to plant response. It is also possible to dose 1/7 of the weekly dose daily.
Easy-Life Ferro
Ferro, as the name suggests (in Italian, Ferro means Iron), is a chelated iron supplement. It also contains a small percentage of potassium.
It should be used in cases where an iron deficiency is detected, for example when the leaves turn yellow (chlorosis).
Ferro composition: 1% iron chelated with DTPA, 0.35% potassium oxide (= 0.29% potassium).
Dosage: 5 ml per 100 litres, equivalent to 0.5 mg/l iron, every week until the deficiency is resolved.
Macro-nutrients supplements
Easy-Life Nitro
This is a nitrate and potassium supplement; it is in fact a solution of potassium nitrate.
Unlike other protocols, Nitro does not use ammonia or urea nitrogen, so the nitrate supply is fully and immediately detectable by a nitrate test.
Nitro composition: 17.5% potassium nitrate.
Dosage: 2 ml per 100 litres increase nitrate by 2 mg/l and potassium by 1.3 mg/l. Try to maintain a nitrate concentration around 10-20 mg/l.
Easy-Life Fosfo
Fosfo is a phosphate supplement. Use in case of slow growth or stunted plants.
Fosfo composition: 0.1% potassium phosphate.
Dosage: 2 ml per 100 litres increases phosphate by 0.1 mg/l. Try to maintain a phosphate concentration between 0.5 and 1 mg/l.
Easy-Life Kalium-Potassium
Kalium-Potassium supplements potassium. Use it if the potassium already introduced with Profito, Iron or Nitro is insufficient: white or discoloured leaves at the top of the plant or holes in the leaves are symptoms of potassium deficiency.
Kalium-Potassium composition: 10% potassium sulphate.
Dosage: 10 ml per 100 litres increases potassium by 4 mg/l. Use weekly until deficiency is resolved.
Other components
Easy-Life Root Sticks
Root Sticks are sticks of clay, naturally rich in iron, enriched with trace elements, to be buried in the substrate.
They are particularly suitable for root-feeding plants such as Cryptocoryne, Echinodorus or Nymphaea lotus. They can be broken up.
Root Sticks composition: not declared by manufacturer, but it is likely that the sticks contain iron and trace elements.
Dosage: apply one piece of stick every 10 cm approx. A stick may last several months.
Easy-Life EasyCarbo
EasyCarbo is a carbon supplement. It is a solution of glutaraldehyde, a carbon compound that is taken up by plants to synthesise the sugars they need.
Composition of EasyCarbo: glutaraldehyde solution.
Dosage: 1 to 4 ml per day per 100 litres, depending on the needs of the plants. Do not exceed the recommended dosage.
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.