Mixing Your Own vs Ready-Mixed Plant Food
Mix your own from dry compounds, or buy bottles that are ready to go? Here’s how cost, convenience and control compare.
Every liquid plant food starts life as dry compounds dissolved in water. The only question is who does the dissolving: the manufacturer, or you. Doing it yourself takes about five minutes every few months, and it changes how much you pay and how much control you have. Here’s an honest comparison.
The two options
Mix your own (Full PPS-Pro Kit)
You get pre-measured dry compounds, two 500ml bottles and two syringes. Add tap or RO water, shake, and you have macro and micro solutions. When they run out, mix another batch.
Ready-mixed (2 × 500ml)
The same macro and micro solutions, already dissolved for you. Open and dose. When they run out, order more.
Cost compared
The ready-mixed kit costs £10 for two 500ml bottles. On a 100-litre tank at the standard dose (10ml of each a day), that lasts around 50 days, or roughly 20p a day.
The Full PPS-Pro Kit costs £39 upfront and, for a 100-litre tank, typically lasts around six to eight months. Day to day, that works out at a similar cost to ready-mixed. The difference is in how you use it: fewer orders, and because each compound is sold on its own, you only top up the one that runs low.
| Ready-mixed | Mix your own | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | £10 | £39 |
| Effort | None | About 5 minutes to mix |
| Cost per day (100L tank) | Around 20p | Around 20p or less |
| Adjust one nutrient | No | Yes, top up any compound on its own |
| How often you reorder | Every couple of months | Every six months or so |
| Best for | Trying it out, small tanks, no fuss | Long-term keepers who like control |
Both are copper-free and shrimp safe, and both use the same 1ml per 10L daily dose.
Control: the hidden benefit
With ready-mixed bottles, every nutrient goes up or down together. With your own compounds, you can fix one problem without changing everything else. Pinholes in old leaves? Add a little potassium sulphate. Yellow between the veins? Add magnesium sulphate. Lots of fish already supplying nitrate? Use less potassium nitrate. That kind of fine-tuning is what gets a planted tank from good to great.
The ready-mixed kit is a low-cost way to see what daily dosing does for your plants. Once you’re happy, the Full Kit gives you the same results with fewer orders and full control over each nutrient.
Is mixing difficult?
No. The compounds are pre-measured, so there’s nothing to weigh. You add water, add the compounds, shake until dissolved and label the bottle. Full instructions come in the kit and are on our how it works page. It’s no harder than making squash.
Quick answers
Is it cheaper to mix your own aquarium plant food?
Day to day the cost is similar. The Full Kit costs more upfront but lasts around six to eight months on a 100-litre tank, and you can top up single compounds instead of buying everything again.
Is ready-mixed plant food as good as mixing your own?
The solutions are the same. Ready-mixed saves you five minutes; mixing your own means fewer orders and lets you adjust each nutrient.
Can I use tap water to mix plant food?
Yes. Tap water is fine for mixing. Some people use RO or distilled water for a longer shelf life.
How long does mixed plant food last?
Stored somewhere cool and dark, mixed solutions keep well for several months.
Products mentioned in this guide
Macro and micro solutions already dissolved and ready to dose. No preparation at all.
Best valueEverything to start dosing on day one: pre-measured macro and micro compounds, two 500ml bottles, two dosing syringes and a full dosing guide.
Potassium boostAdds potassium without adding nitrate. Ideal when fish already supply plenty of nitrogen.
MacronutrientFixes yellowing between leaf veins. Especially useful in soft-water areas where tap water is low in magnesium.
Copper-free aquarium plant food.
Dose on day one.
Pre-measured compounds, bottles, syringes and a full dosing guide. Shrimp safe, made in the UK, free UK delivery on every order.
Everything you need to get the most from your planted aquarium.
