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Not A Clue About EI Or Dry Ferts !

S

Swan900

Member
Joined
9 May 2010
Messages
27
I really want to change my fertilizing system to a dry fert one due to im fed up of going through bottles of branded fertilizers. But the problem is Im very confused and have no idea where to start. I have read the UKAPS EI article and still am lost. I am also a member of an american plant forum and have asked alot there too, yet still lost! The thing is with american advise is that its different here due to different measuring systems and differing product availability in the US and UK.

So what do I know? Well I know that I will need to weigh and make up my own dry fert concoctions. Thats it. I dont know what to use, how much of it to use and when! So please help me. For your help ive put bellow the current tank I would use the EI system on. Thanks for your help and please, keep it simple!

63 Litre Tank
Two 15W T8's (Hagen Aqua-Glo & Arcadia Tropical Original) for 8 and a half hours a day
Inejcted C02

Plants; Bolbitis Heudolotti x1
Cryptocoryne Wendtii Red x1
Anubias Nana x1
Ludwgia Mullertii x1
Cryptocoryne Beckettii x1
Cryptocoryne Pontederiifolia x1
Cryptocoryne Ciliata x1
Vesicularis Dubyana (bunch)
 
Hi,
The EI article has a sample dosing program that you can use since your tank is close enough to a reference 20G tank. I'll cut and paste from the article here:

Sunday – 50% or more Water Change then dose [3/16 teaspoon KNO3] + [1/16 teaspoon KH2PO4] + [½ teaspoon MgSO4]
Monday – 1/16 teaspoon Trace Mix
Tuesday - [3/16 teaspoon KNO3] + [1/16 teaspoon KH2PO4] + [½ teaspoon MgSO4]
Wednesday - 1/16 teaspoon Trace Mix
Thursday - [3/16 teaspoon KNO3] + [1/16 teaspoon KH2PO4] + [½ teaspoon MgSO4]
Friday – Rest
Saturday - Rest

NPK (Nitrogen+Phosphorus+Potassium) Mixture for 20 Gallon Tank
1 month = 4 Weeks
3 doses of NPK per week
Therefore there are 12 doses of NPK per month.
Multiply a single dose teaspoon value by 12 => [3/16 tsp KNO3]*12 = 2 ¼ tsp KNO3
[1/16 tsp KH2PO4]*12 = ¾ tsp KH2PO4
[1/2 tsp MgSO4]*12 = 6 tsp MgSO4
Add these to 600ml of tap or distilled water

Now this mixture must serve 12 doses so each dose is 600ml/12 = 50ml
This makes life easier because you need only dose 50ml of this NPK solution 3 times per week.

Always separate the trace mix from the NPK because it has a tendency to react with the phosphate. You can dose the trace mix as a powder or if it more convenient add 8 * 1/16 tsp => ½ teaspoon to 200 ml of water and dose 25 ml two times per week.

Cheers,
 
Hi Swan
Download the calculator below to your desktop and away you go.
Just change the aquarium dimensions at the top of the page.
You can also change the weights of salts to get the desired ppm ratio for your aquarium.
Then you just add all the ferts to 500ml of water.
Except trace done in a separate 500ml bottle.
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=11885
All the information is there in the above topic and the calculator.
Regards
hoggie
 
Ok so I've looked around at suppliers and found the following;

Potassium Nitrate - 500g = £7.82
Monopotassium Phosphate - 500g = £7.82
Magnesium Sulphate - 500g = £4.96
Trace Elements - 500g = £19.36

Is that all of the dry ferts that I will need? Also the calculator was a bit too confusing for me. I would rather use the tablespoons and teaspoons way. But how do you know or measure 1/16 of a teaspoon? Isnt that really hard? Thanks again for the great help!
 
You might not need the Mag. Sulphate - ceg4048 would be the best person to advise on that. Get a copy of your local water report (can sometimes be found online) and it'll tell you how much mg is in your tap water.
Best way to measure 1/16 tsp is not to do it! multiply up your figures (eg multiply by eight to get half a teaspoon) and work it out accordingly!
Hope this helps,
Matt
 
Guys, you don't need K2SO4 if you are dosing the proper levels of KN03.

A half kilo of the powders will serve a 20G tank for about 3 years, so you might want to think about buying smaller amounts if it's cheaper.

Swan900 said:
I would rather use the tablespoons and teaspoons way. But how do you know or measure 1/16 of a teaspoon? Isnt that really hard? Thanks again for the great help!
Click to expand...
You need to relax and to re-read my previous post. Can you not see where I advised to make up a one month mixture at a time? Can you measure out 2 ¼ tsp of KNO3? How tough is is to measure ¾ tsp KH2PO4? If that's too tough then measure out a full teaspoon. How about 6 teaspoon MgSO4? Add all these to 600ml of water and be done with it. then dose the 50 ml instead of the tsp values I show in the top part of the post.

Cheers,
 
Hi all
ceg4048 said:
A half kilo of the powders will serve a 20G tank for about 3 years, so you might want to think about buying smaller amounts if it's cheaper.
Click to expand...
This is even more relevant to the Trace (the expensive one), if you're on a budget.
To give you some idea, I'm running a 45 gallon tank and I bought 100g of the Trace when I started EI some 14 months ago and have still got enough for another 3 months dosing :wideyed:, therefore 100g of Trace would last you the best part of 3 years on your 20 gallon (although I note that AE now only sell it starting at 250g :( ).
 
Ok so here is where Im at. So my list now would be the following dry ferts;

Potassium Nitrate - 250g
£4.75 £4.75

Monopotassium Phosphate - 250g
£4.75 £4.75

Magnesium Sulphate - 250g
£2.91 £2.91

Trace Elements - 100g

I cut back on the amounts due to you guys said it would be cheaper and 500ml is a lot. So with the KN03,KH2PO4 and MgSO4 I will make my own solution by adding 2 ¼ tsp KNO3, ¾ tsp KH2PO4 and 6 tsp MgSO4 to 600ml of water. I will then add 50ml of this on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. With the Trace elements I will add ½ teaspoon to 200 ml of water and add on Monday & Wednesday. Just then a 50% water change on the Sunday. If thats it then I have it. Im now scared thats not it! Thanks again for the help!
 
Hi Swan900,

That's it... Nothing to it really. No hidden gremlins pure and simple. Its no harder than making a cup of coffee. A few teaspoons of this and a few of that, stir/shake, and your good to go.

The only thing that you may want to consider is changing your dosing days. I find it easier to remember to dose Trace on Tuesdays and Thursdays .i.e. if the day stars with a T then its a trace day. That means Macros are dosed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Water change Sunday evening or Monday morning.

Regards, Chris.
 
chris1004 said:
Hi Swan900,

That's it... Nothing to it really. No hidden gremlins pure and simple. Its no harder than making a cup of coffee. A few teaspoons of this and a few of that, stir/shake, and your good to go.

The only thing that you may want to consider is changing your dosing days. I find it easier to remember to dose Trace on Tuesdays and Thursdays .i.e. if the day stars with a T then its a trace day. That means Macros are dosed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Water change Sunday evening or Monday morning.


I second that if you do miss a day or do a extra dose it wont make much difference to the water column.
hoggie
Click to expand...
 
Swan900

It sound hard but is not - easy peasy.

Measure out 600 mls of water tap water in a plastic jug and add the following ingredients: These quantities are as per previous thread posting.

KN03 = 2.25 tps - http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/potassi ... p-474.html
KH2PO4 = 0.75 tps - http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/mono-po ... p-475.html
MGS04 = 6 tps - http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/magnesi ... p-555.html

Stir until all the powdered granuals have disappeared, they dissolve quicker using warm water and tip the fliud into one of these: http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/dry-fer ... 5_274.html - this has increments of 10,15,20 & 25 mls, then on Mon / Wed & Fri squeeze the bottle until the desired about of fliud required and pour into tank.

As for the trace mix measure out 200 mls of water tap water in a plastic jug and add the following:
CSM-B = 1/2 tps - http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/trace-m ... -3906.html

Stir until all the powdered granuals have disappeared, they dissolve quicker using warm water and tip the fliud into one of these: http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/dry-fer ... 5_274.html - this has increments of 10,15,20 & 25 mls, then on Tues & Thurs squeeze the bottle until the desired about of fliud required and pour into tank.

Once you have done your first batch of fertz, you will say to yourselve "Well that was easy" what the hell was I panicing about.

Regards
paul.
 
Well there you go! Thanks guys and members of UKAPS. Alot better help than the other plant forums! SO THATS IT! EI from now on then. Only question I have is does anyone know any suitable retailers of dosing bottles? I can only seem to find a 250ml one which is too small for my 600ml batch. Thanks again!
 
Very good Paul :lol: :clap:
Walk into any supermarket preferably Marks and Spencer's go to the bottled fruit juice section purchase 2 bottles of your favourite juice they come in various sizes 300ml, 500ml and there may be a 1litre also not to sure.
Drink the contents, there you have 2 empty bottles, clean with fresh water peel the label off, make up another label
with Trace marked and dosage/days, do the same with NPK label stick them on the bottles add the mixtures too the bottles.There you go re-cycled bottles. :thumbup: Nice cheap fertilizer.
Easy peasy :thumbup:
hoggie
 
CeeJay said:
You could also use one of these, as they have dosing increments marked on the bottle at 10,15, 20 & 25ml.
500ml bottle
or
1000ml bottle
Quick and easy to use :D
Click to expand...

Yeah thanks guys. I think Im going to get the above ones. I was looking at the the other day actually and there fairly cheap. Thanks again! By the way with the whole EI thing. I have a little bit of Cynobacteria and an even smaller bit of hair algae. Its it safe to start doing EI or will it cause it to grow? Thanks!
 
Ok so I have purhcase my Dry Ferts and have my new found knowledge all ready. Thanks agian guys. Just a couple more questions. As said before I have a little HA and BGA, is it ok to start EI or not? Also is it detrimental to the fish in anyway due to Nitrates? I suppose adding the Nitrate part will be good to rid the BGA. Also I have posted a picture of my tank, is it planted enough to start EI? Thanks again! Swan

IMG00200-20100721-2155.jpg


IMG00203-20100723-1805.jpg
 
Hi Swan900,

IMO I'd plant a lot more plants than that and you could kick the BGA in the shins first by overdosing Flourish Excel and doing 50% water changes every other day for a week or two. I'd still dose ferts though whilst doing this but more of them than you normally would just to make sure there is an excess in the tank all the time.

Some fast growers will help to start you off but not Vallis sp if you intend to dose Flourish Excel as you'll add to your problems if you do as the vallis will rot as it doesn't like the flourish Excel, which in turn may cause ammonia spikes.

Limnophillia sessiflora commonly known as Ambulia, sagitaria subulata or any of the hygrophilia sp are all pretty intense growers which I have grown in the past and I'm sure there are others which I've yet to try. Any fast growing species will help to get you going initially and help to keep the algae at bay. You can always take them out later.

In my limited experience the crypts (which are quite slow growers) will take several months to get established and the worst thing you can do is disturb them during this period. They also don't in the main need a great deal of light (Crypt Parva excluded) so if you had some plants shadowing them it could prove beneficial initially.

There's a lot more to planted tanks though than just the ferts and the dosing regime that you employ. To really succeed you need to get to grips with the other disciplines as well. Namely co2, light and flow (or more specifically co2 and fert distribution), as well as the individual needs of the specific plant species that you keep.

Don't be afraid though the learning curve albeit steep isn't insurmountable and the rewards are well worth the effort.

Regards, Chris.
 
just a couple of quick questions on this! do you just use tap water here or do you use tap water with tapsafe already added to the dry ferts cause im be quite worried about chlorine and chloramine! also if I make up a big batch of the stuff how long will it last? I work away sometimes for 4 months at a time and would need to make up a batch for the missus before i went. thanks
 
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