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2000L tank EI Dosing with drip water change

Filip Krupa

Member
Joined
13 Oct 2016
Messages
642
Location
Liverpool
Hello Fine Underwater Gardeners,

I am an ambitious noob starting a 2000L high tech planted tank.
Here is my issue, (well one of them!) I am reading up on EI dosing, and planning to implement it, however I would like to avoid having to do a 50% weekly water change in one go! (1000L PITA)

Would it work, if I continuously dripped out a sizable portion of the water every day? 10%? 20%?

If so, would I have to adjust the EI dose? I.e. make it less or more than standard dose for a 2000L aquarium.

Any advice appreciated!

Filip
 
Probably would be best making a tailored dosing regime rather than doing straight EI? i wouldn't know where to start with 2000L myself though! sounds like an epic project, make sure to post it here please. :D :nailbiting::woot::clap:
 
Tailored? I feel way too stupid for that... but that's never stopped me before!

I am hoping to put a proper journal together at some point.
For now, I built the stand, sump and am in the process of buying cut acrylic for the DT.

20180320_162432.jpg 20180401_172133.jpg
 
Are you going to dose CO2? And if so how?
 
I suppose you have a faucet and drainage to the sewer in place?
My large tank has a sump wich has a compartiment which overflows into the sewer. I have a 90 lit/day RO unit hanging over it, i can choose to use the RO water or both the RO water and the waste water to be added to the tank. Once in a while i will flush the whole system with just regular water from the garden hose. I will run the wayer for a few hours doing a "big waterchange" the temperature will drop but the fish never mind.
I add EI salts ( 1 teaspoon PO4, 3 teaspoons NO3 and 1 teaspoon MG) three times a week and micro's (half a teaspoon CSM B) twice a week. I figure having the continuous waterchange works as the 50% weekly waterchange.
 
I suppose you have a faucet and drainage to the sewer in place?
My large tank has a sump wich has a compartiment which overflows into the sewer. I have a 90 lit/day RO unit hanging over it, i can choose to use the RO water or both the RO water and the waste water to be added to the tank. Once in a while i will flush the whole system with just regular water from the garden hose. I will run the wayer for a few hours doing a "big waterchange" the temperature will drop but the fish never mind.
I add EI salts ( 1 teaspoon PO4, 3 teaspoons NO3 and 1 teaspoon MG) three times a week and micro's (half a teaspoon CSM B) twice a week. I figure having the continuous waterchange works as the 50% weekly waterchange.


You suppose correct. I've put the plumbing in during house refurb, dreaming ahead!
It works similar to yours, sump overflows out of the return pump compartament.

Just checked out some of your tank pictures. Impressive...
Glad to hear salts + drip water change can work!
 
Great project, good luck with all the planning.
I would think a motorised reactor useing a separate venturi pump to spin the water would work well.
Everything will be in giant scale... great fun to build...

Thanks Foxfish.
Worst case scenario, I will have 2000L of water on the floor. But thats no biggie, I will just open my patio door and it will all flow out! ;)

It's a lot of fun already, buying pond equipment for an aquarium...

Looking forward to needing diving goggles to trim the plants too!
 
I did a 500l high tech tank as my first Scape so when I read your plans I thought OMG.
That monster is going to use some CO2 and judging by the size of the base maintiance is going to be a nightmare.
Lucking forward to your journal.

May be worth sticking a PLC in there to control it all, they do give a great level of control.
 
I have worked on a few big tanks, the biggest one that I actually built, was a 2000 gallon commercial display tank.
Another one was a private 800 gallon reef tank. In both instances the tanks were built in situ useing steel & concrete with acrylic front and side viewing.
What are your tanks planed dimensions & glass thickness?
 
I did a 500l high tech tank as my first Scape so when I read your plans I thought OMG.
That monster is going to use some CO2 and judging by the size of the base maintiance is going to be a nightmare.
Lucking forward to your journal.

May be worth sticking a PLC in there to control it all, they do give a great level of control.

Lol. I relish the challenge! :D
Gotta do something for the 12 months Ive given up drinking for!!!

I am trying to set everything up so that it requires as little daily attention as possible (hence drip water change system, fert dosing pumps, everything on smart plugs + app), so I can focus on monitoring and tweaking.

We are normally VERY frugal, so this is a "hard work treat" for us. If running costs become an issue, we will go low tech or large fish (maybe a viv with poison dart frogs??? Im salivating already).
But for now, we want a lush underwater garden. I dabbled with plants and diy Co2 on my 400L sumped (now) oscar tank, and the plants looked delicious, despite my crap fert regime, poor soil, and cheap DIY GU10 light fixture.

Thanks for the tip about PLC, perhaps I can avoid it with the use of my smart plugs.
 
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I have worked on a few big tanks, the biggest one that I actually built, was a 2000 gallon commercial display tank.
Another one was a private 800 gallon reef tank. In both instances the tanks were built in situ useing steel & concrete with acrylic front and side viewing.
What are your tanks planed dimensions & glass thickness?

Thats big...
Mine will be 1700x1700x750mm tall (water up to aprox 700mm). Acrylic, 12mm base, 25mm walls, 12mm braced top.
Is that about right?
 
water up to aprox 700mm

Thats deep, mine has 500mm water depth, tank is 600mm deep and with hindsight I wish I had only done it with 400mm water depth, as keeping the carpet going is hard with deep water getting the light right is hard eg carpet struggles so up the lights, CO2 consumption increases with the higher light then the CO2 levels fluctuate then the taller plants melt with the higher light and fluctuating CO2 levels.

Have a braced tank myself and getting reach to the substrate is tricky, hood really needs to be off, how your going to reach the centre of tank substrate level if your 7 foot tall you would still struggle IMO.

I use 6.5Kg of CO2 a month with a high [CO2] light yellow to clear on the Drop Checker (DC)

smart plugs.

Weighed up that option when I did mine and they sound good but they can be hit and miss with there connections. PLC can be used to control your dosing pumps, auto topup, dim lights and temp control even pH, but not cheap. But once setup easy to change settings Via PC or smartphone once programmed via 'LOGO! softcomfort'. Plus we do have a DIY Wizard 'Ian_m' on the forum helped me loads with mine :thumbup:
 
Thanks Zeus, all good points/questions!
I will get 15kg co2 tanks delivered, we will see how much it will gobble up each month. I will defo consider a PLC if the plugs get on my nerves, thanks for the heads up.

Getting to the middle of the tank will be fun.(I am not planning a hood). Either, long ass tweezers, diving goggles, and a wet face. Or I will literally get into middle of the tank once a week (displaced water will overflow down the sewer, then get top up once Im out). I could also lower the water level to say 400mm, and have 300mm for emersed growth? Still a pain to acces the middle, but perhaps a little easier?

Good point on carpeting plants, I am hoping to get something not too hard to keep (dwarf vallis any good?) Other than that, it will be a matter of moving around lights, co2 and fert levels until i find a semblance of a balance.
 
Agreed maintaining plants is a chore in tanks this size, i can't reach the plants in the back of my tank without 1) either standing in my tank or 2) using swimgoggles and going underwater, On the other side you can get swordplants to grow out to their full size;)
 
Agreed maintaining plants is a chore in tanks this size, i can't reach the plants in the back of my tank without 1) either standing in my tank or 2) using swimgoggles and going underwater, On the other side you can get swordplants to grow out to their full size;)

:eek:

What a problem to have! Can't wait!
Note to self: get swordplants.
 
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