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nwestwood
3rd October 2009, 05:58 AM
I want to get a handle on minimum nutrient levels, rather than guessing. I have a complete test kit coming so I can monitor the levels of:

Potassium
Nitrogen
Iron
Magnesium
Calcium
Phosphorus
Sulfate
and some other duplicate stuff that I already have (PH, Nitrate, Ammonia, Nitrite)

My question is, is there any data on required minimal levels for aquaponics? Maybe UVI? Has anyone tested to see what the Iron and Calcium needs to be for Cucumbers and Tomatoes?

Soon I will know what my levels are, but I want to figure out what they need to be.

Ravnis
3rd October 2009, 05:40 PM
What test kit are you using to do these test kits. Have not found a test kit for magnesium or potassium other that soil test kits?

nwestwood
4th October 2009, 03:11 AM
I'm using (or will be when it gets here) the Lamotte Hydroponics Test Kit, Model AM-41, also as kit 5406. They are expensive $490 US plus shipping, but sometimes you just gotta know what those levels are!

Clarkson Lab had the best price.
http://www.clarksonlab.com/vLam.htm

The manual can be seen here:
http://www.lamotte.com/pages/common/pdf/instruct/5406.pdf

Happyhen
20th May 2010, 01:07 PM
Well done nwestwood, I would like to do exactly the same.
Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Primary nutrients:
The primary, or macro, nutrients required by plants are
Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K).

Secondary nutrients:
Sulphur (S), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Ma), Chlorine (Cl - not always essential), Sodium (Na).