Auto dosing EI ferts on open top tank idea??

[Iain Sutherland]

Hi, as my new tank is open topped i bought an TMC V2 auto top up system normally used in reef tanks which got me thinking...
Could i add both EI ferts to the RO water in the jerrican?

I guess i will first have to measure over a few weeks if the evaporation is consistent on each 7 days so dosing will be regular.

My query would be if i can could mix the ferts all together in what i guess will be about 10ltrs of RO a week?? I guess i would need a powerhead in the jerrican also to keep the ferts equally mixed.

How important are the 2 rest days in the EI regime?? Will i need to set up a 7 day timer to go off for 2 days?

If the evaporation isnt exactly consistant what would the problems with this be? I guess slightly under dosing will be the issue rather than slightly overdosing....??

Just tossing the idea out there... dont know if its possible?

Thanks

 

[CeeJay]

Hi easerthegeezer

Could i add both EI ferts to the RO water in the jerrican?

No reason why not. The only precaution you would have to take is that you will have to add Ascorbic acid to the mix to stop the Iron in the Trace reacting with the Phosphate.

I guess i will first have to measure over a few weeks if the evaporation is consistent on each 7 days so dosing will be regular.

It won't be consistent. Think Winter - Summer evaporation rates. They vary immensely. It depends how much moisture is already in the air on a given day, this will have a direct effect on the evaporation rate.

I guess i would need a powerhead in the jerrican also to keep the ferts equally mixed.

It would be advisable to have some sort of mechanism in there for agitation.

How important are the 2 rest days in the EI regime?? Will i need to set up a 7 day timer to go off for 2 days?

You can split your dose up into 7 equal doses without any issue. I have tried all sorts of variations of this with EI and never had any problems.

I guess slightly under dosing will be the issue rather than slightly overdosing....??

It most certainly will. You just need to make sure you get enough ferts in there every week.

 

[Iain Sutherland]

I can see that monitoring the evaporation will be more hassle than regular dosing.

Guessed that might be the case.. shame, could have made life easier.

 

[CeeJay]

Hi Iain

Guessed that might be the case.. shame, could have made life easier.

I know what you mean. I have often thought about automated dosing then I just couldn't be bothered with all the hassle of finding reliable peristaltic pumps, agitation etc.
I got into the habit of chucking it in before I go to work. I've been running like this for 3 years and never got round to auto dosing, and probably never will

 

[steveninaster]

I'm going to give this a try.
I've decided that by marking a container and diluting my weekly dose so it matches how much water was lost in the previous week I will be close enough.