I just started building my first Setup ( Raft System for Lettuce nd Basil).

Im a little confused now about the Ingredients of the what they in the books call Solution A..

In some books its Calzium Nitrate, Potassium Nitrate and Mono Amoniac Phosphate

In others its Calzium Nitrate, Potassium Nitrate and
Potassium Phosphate Mono

My Question: Mono Amoniac Phosphate and Potassium Phosphate Mono are the same? (I think not)

Are both of this Nutrientsalts working good? If yes, are the concentrations the same?

Can somebody please post a Formula for lettuce and basil which he/she tested succesfully?
Please help me, its already hard to get the Informations, cause English is not my Mothertongue and im reading the Hydroponic books with the dictionary next to me hehehe

Thank you very much

Greets Tom

>>Im a little confused now about the Ingredients of the what they in the books call Solution A..<<
With solution A they mean 1 of 2 components. You probably found out that you can't mix certain salts in concentrated form and hence need to split them in A and B.

>>My Question: Mono Amoniac Phosphate and Potassium Phosphate Mono are the same? (I think not)
Are both of this Nutrientsalts working good? If yes, are the concentrations the same?<<

Both are not the same but very distinct ingredients/components.
Hence the concentrations are different as well.

Both are used to provide P (Phosphorus) and either N or K to the formula.
Potassium Phosphate Mono is more commonly used, and Ammonium Phosphate-mono (or Mono-ammonium Phosphate) can only be used sparingly in a formula (added in small amounts) because it has 12.x parts of ammoniacal Nitrogen. Only a max of 15% ammoniacal Nitrogen can be added to a formula, because of it's relative "toxicity".

I am not posting any formulas publicly (anymore) for professional reasons. But you can email me at chiliparadise(at)gmail.com anytime for more details and formulas. I am perfectly fluent in German and French, and I guess one of them should do fine for a swissman, right? ;-)

If you want to go on your own instead, a standard lettuce formula (compared to others) is quite easy to get hold of with some more extensive googling. You mainly have two types 1. Higher in Nitrogen (in relation to K) for cooler climates and indoors, and 2. Somewhat higher in Potassium (compared to N) for hot-, summer or tropical climates. Any lettuce formula should do for basil, as basil thrives quite well with almost any formula.

And if I understood the principles of "neo-aquaponics", the point is to improve and insure best decomposition (oxygenation and bacterial activity) to have optimum release and availability of all nutrients that are required.

Although it is (well, apparently it truly is) possible to provide sufficient nutrients in (newer) well balanced and leveled systems, there is indeed another approach and strategy. Because In case nutrient balance is difficult to realize for some reason or with some setup, the most commonly observed deficiencies are of Potassium and Fe. The magic word here is seaweed extract, - and for others, the right dose of potassium sulphate and EDTA chelated iron simply does the trick.

This is the best and most up to date Aquaponic Forum I know of ->

@ urbangardenfarmer: funny that you bring in the topic aquaponics, because thats my final vision, maybe i will seperate the two systems, so its not realy aquaponics anymore, but the idea is to use the space under the growingbeds of the lettuce and herbs to raise Tilapia. Im located in the southern Philippines, both lettuce and fish are getting more and more expensive, because the lettuce consumption is increasing and the amount of catched fish out of the sea decreasing...there i see my chance to generate income for my familie.

Good luck with your aquaponic experiments...

Go ahead in "classic" German (Hochdeutsch), I am not bragging but am truly fluent ;-)

Jö, Hochdeutsch ist Ok, aber ich kann notfalls auch eppes uf Schwitzerdütsch verzelle odder in Berner oder Baslerdütsch verseckle. Chunnsch druus? LOL.

Impossible to translate, sorry guys...

Btw: As I am in Northern Thailand (expatriate from a small constitutional Monarchy of Europe) climate and other conditions (also availability of materials and stuff) are quite similar here. I guess it's a good thing to exchange some ideas in private. Looking forward to it!

Werde für 3 Tage abwesend sein, die letzten Schritte für mein Residency Visa und Arbeitserlaubnis erledigen, sobald ich zurück bin schreibe ich ein Mail..

Bis dann und danke nochmals für deine Hilfsbereitschaft..

Gruss Tom

Don't get me wrong here, I actually meant keeping the "foreign chat" for later. Some people may not exactly appreciate it as they can't understand a thing. Nothing wrong with it I guess (well I hope), as long as we do not exaggerate. ;)

Catch you later!

So i will go on with English, if you folks dont mind the grammar and the spelling ;0)

I recommend going with an easy 1 part nutrient such as Pure Blend Pro Grow or Ionic Grow. These are easy to use, mix, and provide excellent growth for vegetation. Make sure you have plenty of oxygen for your raft system. This will increase nutritional uptake and vigor.

T-5 fluorescent lamps will work well, as will metal halides. If you decide to use Pure Blend or another organic nutrient, a 2-stage dechlorinator and sediment filter system will be a worthwhile investment.

Good Luck!