In 2005 Tom Barr and a handful of other aquarists developed a eutrophic fertiliser dosing method know as Estimative Index (EI). They contended that inorganic nutrients do not cause algae therefore it is safe to dose ferts in excess.
am not quite sure how they came to that conclusion because algae almost require the same nutrients that plant needs. neither plant or algae would care weather the N is from Organic source or Inorganic source. the most common algae found under the EI regime is GSA and GDA, both present under inorganic fertilization. at the same time 50% water changes weekly are recommended to lower the nutrients/organic buildup to avoid algae. on the contrary most people do not change 50% water weekly and some go on without water changes and yet get no algae while dosing less nutrients in the water. we would have expected the organics to buildup to very high levels along with massive algae issues in those lean dosed aquariums.
It initially met with a lot of resistance from the old guard, but in time it caused a paradigm shift and became the standard way of fertilizing a planted tank. The advantages are, plants always have enough nutrients, so there are no limits to growth, and there is no testing involved, just a weekly water change.
but despite having plenty of unlimited nutrients, majority of people are having Nutrients deficiencies.
But recently EI appears to have fallen out of favour with some aquarists. I thought it might be worth investigating further to find out if this is actually the case, and if so why.
I do not believe that EI has lost its mojo, at least not in the USA. the primary reason is that people want cheap and hassle free dosing, somehow they believe otherwise it would be difficult. but, since DIY your own fertilizers are becoming easy and more affordable, the shift in that direction is happening. people are also looking into less maintenance, less water changes as well and they are looking for methods that could help in those areas and they find that lean dosing is one of them.
Algae is another factor, more and more people are looking for a way to get rid of algae and they find lean dosing approach to help in that area. if someone dose lean and still have algae issues, there are several factors that can influence the algae which might be beyond their control. for example many members use
this recommendation which is viewed as lean to most users but it could potentially cause some algae, because you do not have full control over all the nutrients.
majority of people are also switching over to ADA (lean) like approach as well. where they rely on rich substrate. It make no sense to dose EI with rich substrate like many people do. they can dose lean and continue to provide nutrients to the plants as well as recharging their substrate.
1. Is EI still the most popular method of fertz dosing?
2. Does dosing inorganic fertz in excess cause algae?
3. Is EI potentially harmful, or the cause of some problems?
4. What specific dosing methods are preferable to EI, and why?
1. don't know, it would be hard to determine weather EI is most popular. But, its popular here in the USA because people prefer dosing random things in their aquarium, by random I meant using scoops or spoons.
2. I guess people can just buy one of these
kits and find out, so far all the listed nutrients are inorganic salts. but, the simple answer to the question is "Yes" and in general, excessive dosing will always contribute to algae.
3. answering this would cause never ending debate just like
this one.
4. answering this would cause never ending debate just like
this one.
also nicely covered by
@MichaelJ #14
sure, I don't doubt it works for you.
