Phyto fertilizer & Guillard F/2 formula

[Chumpo]

Hi
Does anyone know the Guillard F/2 formula for making Phyto fertilizer??

Can this be bought as a ready mix (or ready mixed) formula??

Any info on the formula, or places to buy appreciated.

Thanks

[graveyardworm]

You can buy F/2 here, Florida Aqua Farms

[jmanrow]

I am currently using some f/2 for my phytoplankton cultures. I know people that are using Scott's Miracle-Gro as suggested at Melev's Reef
http://www.melevsreef.com/phytoplankton.html They tell me it makes their phyto grow vey fast and dark in color. This is hardly reason to believe that it is totally safe.
I know some do not use it because it supposedly contains copper. Does anyone know if the copper is in high enough concentrations to be harmful? Artificial seawater mixes contain trace amounts of copper for that matter. I would also be concerned about the amounts of phosphate it may contain. I don't have any Miracle-Gro to check the ingredients, and not feeling up to making a trip to the garden center right now. Does anyone have any insight on this?

[piercho]

Melev switched to Miracle Gro because his Nanochloropsus culture kept failing with FAF-branded f/2. Many other people have no problems with FAF-branded f/2.

Graveyardworm found this CCMP website with the ingrediants for f/2. Unless you are planning to use a metric butt-ton of f/2, you will probably find the small bottles from FAF the best bet, IMO.

Miracle Gro:
• 5.8% Ammoniacal Nitrogen
• 9.2% Urea Nitrogen
• 30% Available Phosphate
• 15% Soluble Potash
• 0.02% Boron
• 0.07% Copper
• 0.15% Iron
• 0.05% Manganese
• 0.005% Molybdenum
• 0.06% Zinc

Both contain copper. So does every living thing and seawater and synthetic seawater, often in higher concentrations than what is found in f/2, so I don't have any clue what they are fussing about. Now top-of-the-food-chain fish like tuna they might want to avoid if they have concerns about copper content.

[graveyardworm]

Thanks Piercho, I looked for the thread that link was in but for the life of me couldnt find it.

[jmanrow]

Great info, thanks. I couldn't find much on the web about it.

[zuzecawi]

Part of the reasons most fertilizers have copper is to kill the fungus. I don't know, I'd feel a little odd using miracle gro in my phyto cultures too, but I feel better about it when I think of the incredible amount of toxins in the ocean. Most of us forget that nutrient poor and pristine are hardly the same thing.... marine life can be more forgiving than we think. I mean, look at all the flame retardent levels in our Oregon salmon and steelhead? Who needs to worry about spontaneous ignition after eating that?!!

[zuzecawi]

Hmmm... thinking this over more, a good test would be rotifers. If the phyto kills the rotifers after being fed miracle gro, you know there is too much copper. If it doesn't, it's golden.