My test kit is Aquarium Pharmeseuticals... int he past i never had any problems with accuracy that i know of- of course i didn't know a whole lot more then than i do now, and i forgot most of it anyway
I did use some "Flourish" brand waterplant liquid ferts for the two tub ponds i had in the back yard last summer.... had mini water lilies in it...seemed to work nicely, got a couple flowers out of it
But i was advised to not use liquid ferts too soon as they can lead to
algae blooms because if the rooted plants aren't utilizing the nutrients in the water, the waterborne algae surely will- at least untill the rooted plants are established- but why go through green water if it may be preventable?
I plan to put together a DIY Co2 dosing system based on the design that can be seen here (the first illustrated design) :
http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html
but there's really no sense in setting it up untill i have plants that will need it.
As for the substrate, i don't understand all of what plants need and how the EcoComplete stacks up, but i was advised that it would save me from having to do the guesswork of blending substrate myself or of even locating sources for the ingredients and then calculating the recipe to make a balanced product that may or may not be as good- especially if i goof something up, which in my case is all too likely
But the EC stuff did seem to have good reviews and some people i have spoke to online who have been keeping planted tanks for a fair amount of time, they had a favorable opinion of the stuff, and that opinion was based on their comparisons with their own personal formulations, seemed good enough for me
Thats it so far i think
