• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

I think i'm missing something!!

RossMartin

Member
Joined
2 Nov 2007
Messages
358
Location
Hemel Hempstead
Hi all,

I want to start dosing E.I in my tanks but i also want to have soft water. I have an R.O unit that i have been using for well over three months and my Rams are loving the soft water. I have no nitrates or Ammonia, my PH is around 6.4 - 6.7 and my GH and KH are 0. I add some electro right to put my GH to about 5 and my KH is about 5/6. My question is if i use EI dosing (I have KNO3 KH2P04, MgSo4,K2S04 and ther trace mix..all from Aquaessentials) do i have to make allowances for the fact that i'm using R.O water and is therfore stripped of everything?? I have an 18 Litre Nano tank and a Rio 180. I use CO2 on both tanks (well Excell on the 18 litre, preasurised on the nano) and i have about 4wpg on both tanks. I think what i really need is someone to tell me use 10ml of this and 12ml of that. I'm not the best with Maths and i think i'm getting confused!!! I have made my own solutions up using the directions from the aquaessentials website and am happy to throw them away to start again!!

Sorry to be a pain! You probably get a lot of stupid peolpe like me!!!
 
Well you can make the calculations easy if you pretend your tank is 200 L. That means you can do the following scheme:
3X per week 1/2 teaspoon KNO3
3X per week 1/8 teaspoon KH2PO4
3X per week 1.5 teaspoon MgSO4
2X per week 1/4 teaspoon Trace

If you add this there should be no need to add any much more electrolytes as these salts provide all you'll need except for Calcium. I reckon you can just halve the amount of electrolytes you normally add but really there is no rule which says you can't add the full amount either. You don't need a whole lot of calcium so I really wouldn't worry too much about target GH or target KH values.

4 WPG is an awful lot of light, especially if that's T5. That level of light will cause a lot more problems than any electrolyte
issues.

Cheers,
 
Thanks Ceg!!

Yeah i have four T5 bulbs. I did an eight hour period with the middle four hours with all four tubes and the other hours with just two bulbs. I have had algae problems so i have reduced it to a 6 hour period with the middle three hours on all four tubes and then 1.5 hours at the start and the finish. Do you think this could be too much still??

So another stupid question here, how do i transfer your suggested measurements into a 500ml stock solution? I think the people i am going to ask to fertilise the tank while i'm away would prefer to add a water solution than dry powders!

Many thanks again and apologies for sounding thick!!

Ross
 
Ok no worries about the mixture, i've read your article on the UKAPS forum. I have made a 600ml solution with:

6 tsps of KNO3
1.5 tsps of KH2P04
18 tsps of MGS04

I will create a trace mix once i have got another dispenser!!
 
Yep, just multiply by 12. :D

I'll say once again that duration of the photoperiod can only marginally compensate for intensity issues. Intensity is what does the damage. If your CO2 and flow are not absolutely perfect then the plants will be overdriven for the period that the 4WPG is occurring. Damage occurs and algae attack during this overdriven period. It would be a much better strategy to simply cut your lighting by at least 50%. That way you needn't worry about intervals. ;)

Cheers,
 
Back
Top