About project
Hello! My name is Mikhail, and I'm the creator of "Samomes" — a fertilizer calculator for planted tanks.
This project was born at the intersection of my professional web development skills and my childhood hobby — aquaristics. The project evolved gradually, along with my own experience, and continues to grow thanks to feedback from aquarists who use it.
My Journey in Aquaristics
My first aquarium appeared back in 1995 when I was in first grade. At that time, I read my first book on aquaristics by a German author, which described an amazing underwater world. Even then, I was very interested in plants.
After 10 years of active involvement, there was a long break of 15 years. I returned to aquaristics after inheriting a severely neglected aquarium. And then everything resumed with new force — but at a completely new level (below are my tanks in chronological order).
Birth of the Idea
The idea for the calculator appeared in 2019 when I started growing plants using modern approaches. I remember standing with fertilizer bottles in my hands and not knowing how to properly calculate dosages.
The nitrate bottle indicated nitrogen and potassium concentrations. The phosphate bottle — phosphorus and potassium. The micronutrient fertilizer listed many elements, including the same potassium. Plus I had a separate bottle of potassium. Potassium, potassium, potassium!
On top of all this, the manufacturer gave different instructions on each bottle: on one — "add 2-3 times a week, 1-2 ml per 100 L", on another — "once a week 3-5 ml per 50 L". And potassium, as I already noticed, was contained in each of them. Calculating its total sum — what a pain!
Project Development
At first, I calculated the necessary dosages on paper several times. But when a second aquarium appeared and I had to recalculate everything again, it became clear — enough from me! That's how the first page with dosage calculations appeared.
Then it seemed to me that buying branded fertilizers was quite expensive, and they could be made myself. Micronutrients were complex to prepare, and their consumption was lower, so I focused on macroelements. That's how the recipes page appeared, and for micros I made a separate section with branded fertilizers.
The project was growing, new tools were adding, and now it's not just a calculator for homemade fertilizers. It's a complete system that helps calculate any chemistry for aquariums and see the complete picture of elements, eliminating the need for infiniti testing.
About Quality
You might ask: "What kind of growth habit and complexity of plant cultivation is discussed in a project named Samomes?" I'll answer — the highest level imaginable. The project sets itself the goal of helping achieve aquariums of maximum complexity level.
All photos and videos on the site are my own aquariums or aquariums of people who use the project. The name "Samomes" is just historical legacy; the project has long outgrown the framework of simple DIY recipes.
Your Journey in Aquaristics
On your journey, you will make many decisions — a planted aquarium is not that simple. I want Samomes to become your loyal companion in making the right decisions.
Every aquarist has their own path: some buy branded fertilizers, others make everything themselves. Even one person can change their views over time — as it was with me. I changed fertilizers, the number and types of aquariums, approaches to maintenance. Yesterday I used the recipes page, and today I'm only interested in preparing osmotic water. You never know what wait you ahead!
You'll have to recalculate dosages hundreds, maybe thousands of times. Constantly adjust and change something. I want Samomes to help you with all its tools — or that one tool that's needed right now.
This way you can get more enjoyment from your aquarium, rather than spending time on boring calculations.
Gratitude
Over the years of existence, the project has come a long way from an unknown website to a tool used by thousands of aquarists around the world. The geography of users is constantly expanding and has long since crossed the ocean.
I'm grateful to everyone who uses Samomes and shares their experience — your feedbacks help the project become better.
Mikhail Lapshin,
Founder of Samomes
The life of this aquarium is shown in detail on my YouTube channel.
You can write any questions and suggestions in the Telegram channel. Just leave your question under any of the posts, or in private messages to the project author.