Dosing Scheduler - Updated 11/25/05

[Spar]

Finally had time to work on it a little more. I am liking it more and more each time, thanks to all who have given me advice on how to improve it.

I will be making a post soon that explains the Lighting and co2 effects on the dosing calculations. Basically went along with what Tom Barr had recommended in my previous version thread, but went slightly off track for various reasons. Basically know now, that if you have low light and low co2 that your dosages will be about 1/4 the EI recommended dosages.

Also the lighting types factor into it as well. I need to ask around to make sure people agree with the factors that I placed in to the calculations. Will do that soon as well. It really shouldn't matter much anyway.

Things I will be working on:
Litres vs. Gallons option
Adding in Tom's GH mix

I would still like people to let me know what products they use that are not in the menu's so I can add them. Only 2 I have heard of so far (which I added in this version) were TMG and Barr's GH mix (forgot what he calls it).

Anyway, try it out again, and let me know what you think. Thanks!

http://www.fwstingrays.com/DosingCalculator.htm

 

[wob]

Re: Dosing Scheduler - Updated 11/25/05

Spar,
I am using the new version of the beginners version of the spreadsheet.
Works great, I do like the layout much better.

As I get used to EI and observing my plants, I will play with the advanced version but right now the beginners version is working great for me!

Robert

 

[Russ]

Re: Dosing Scheduler - Updated 11/25/05

Spar,

I used the beginner's version for a week and really like it. It doesn't do FE so I tried the advanced version, but when I try to change the gallons of tank water cell it doesn't give me a little pulldown menu. If I type in the gallons manually it doesn't change the rest of the values. What am I doing wrong?

BTW: Thanks for offering this to the rest of us dosing retards, it's a big help. You're a gentleman and scholar (or something like that).

-Russ

 

[Spar]

Re: Dosing Scheduler - Updated 11/25/05

Spar,

I used the beginner's version for a week and really like it. It doesn't do FE so I tried the advanced version, but when I try to change the gallons of tank water cell it doesn't give me a little pulldown menu. If I type in the gallons manually it doesn't change the rest of the values. What am I doing wrong?

BTW: Thanks for offering this to the rest of us dosing retards, it's a big help. You're a gentleman and scholar (or something like that).

-Russ

I will look into the Advanced one problem. Not sure why it isn't registering. I actually haven't touched it in a long time.

As for the Fe, I left it off due to it really being a judgement call on how much to add. I may just unlock those cells and allow people to manually add in what they want to dose. If anyone has any better ideas, I am open for them. I just don't want to have the auto-settings kick in saying "add .1ppm Fe 3x a week" if it isn't necessary, too much, too little, etc. No real way to know. Most traces already have enough Fe as is.

Thanks for the compliments!

 

[Russ]

Re: Dosing Scheduler - Updated 11/25/05

One more question on the beginner's doser. On the traces, it says Flourish Trace, not Flourish. Flourish Trace doesn't have iron, which is why I've always used both. Should I be using only Flourish Trace?

Thanks again,

-Russ

 

[Spar]

Re: Dosing Scheduler - Updated 11/25/05

One more question on the beginner's doser. On the traces, it says Flourish Trace, not Flourish. Flourish Trace doesn't have iron, which is why I've always used both. Should I be using only Flourish Trace?

Thanks again,

-Russ

No, it is supposed to be "Flourish". I updated on my computer version, just haven't published it yet on the website.

I originally thought they were the same thing. Seachem shouldn't have made it that confusing!

 

[Russ]

Re: Dosing Scheduler - Updated 11/25/05

Seachem shouldn't have made it that confusing!

You've got something there. I was confused when I first started using it too.

Thanks once again.

-Russ

 

[Spar]

Re: Dosing Scheduler - Updated 11/25/05

I tried the advanced version, but when I try to change the gallons of tank water cell it doesn't give me a little pulldown menu. If I type in the gallons manually it doesn't change the rest of the values. What am I doing wrong?

I see now. The gallons are to be manually typed in. I never added a drop-down menu. I will add that into it.

Also, the Advanced version allows for you to do 2 things:
1) Select the "Normal Dry Dosage" you will be dosing per dosage
2) Select the days to dose that Normal Dry Dosage and the frequency.

where as the Beginners editions does:
1) Automatically chooses the Normal Dry Dosage amount for you (i.e. no choice by the user)
2) Automatically makes you dose 3x per week of each product, with 1 off-day.

That meaning, to see any change in the schedule you have to physically go into the Products table and change the values of the Normal Dry Dosage (pull-down menus exist), and then go alter the dosing schedule manually as desired.

The difference between the Beginners scheduler and advanced is that you don't get a choice in whether to dose more or less than EI recommends in the Beginners Edition. If you just happen to want to dose 2x CSM+B than EI recommends, then the Advanced edition will allow you to put in 1/8t per 20g's (as an example) rather than the pre-set 1/16t per 20g's that is in the Beginners edition.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[aussietanker]

Re: Dosing Scheduler - Updated 11/25/05

Hi Spar ...

i have just done a test run of the beginners calculator again ....

i seem to have struck a problem with it ..... i have sent an email to the gmail address listed on the calculator page ... i have also attached a copy of the spreadsheet that the calculator generated so that you can have a look at it .... i would really value your opinion on this .....

thanks
regards
aussietanker

ps ... i don't suppose that you would consider adding the Yates Traces to the drop down list .... i am not sure how much work there would be in doing that .... but it is a product that is very commonly available here in australia ... whereas the other traces in the dropdown list are NOT available here at all .... i have listed it's contents here Here

 

[Spar]

Re: Dosing Scheduler - Updated 11/25/05

I have been insanely busy at work this past couple weeks, so sorry I haven't been ablet o respond to the post or your PM's...

The GH/KH warning on the page saying "Make sure your GH/KH is ppm/d choice is correct.." is just a warning that is always there. The recommendation below to increase GH to 7d really should be lowered to 5d by me on teh calculator as 7d is a little excessive and unncessary.

In other words, you can just ignore those too fields from what I saw in your calculator results.

Looking at the Dosing Calculator Summary, the ppm dosing per week seems good to me. You had mentioned that Tom had recommended something totally different for you. Send me a link to that post and I will see if something isn't calculating properly on my sheet. With your highlight and co2, it should be giving you results exactly as EI method would give, so should be right. Looking at the Summary again looks a lot like EI results anyway. Could be rounding errors though that I need to look into.

Thanks for trying out the calculator! I will add that product over christmas break... hopefully work will calm down then!

 

[aussietanker]

Re: Dosing Scheduler - Updated 11/25/05

Hi there Spar ...

no problem ... i have always thought it such a pity that work has to occassionally interfere with our hobby ... so unfair

i was initially very concerned about what i thought was a very low GH of 5 and KH of 3 ... in my rested tapwater and hence my tank ...

several books etc that i had read said that this was the absolute minimum needed to grow plants in tanks ...hence i had started to add a product to increase them both ...

funnily enough ....there are plenty of plants here in the rivers, streams, dams etc ... ie the glosso that many planted tank enthusiasts "lust" over as a foreground plant is actually native to my home state of NSW... and ironically almost impossible to buy here in the local aquaria shop) ....

but tom seemed to think that the KH was ok ... he advised NOT to continue to add the GH/KH + .... but just 1/4 teaspoon MgSO4 after waterchange ...

so that part of the calculator's result confused me a little ...

then the calc suggested to add 3/8th teaspoon NO3 + a solution of 1 teaspoon in 100ml of KH2PO4 (cmpd to a dry measure as discussed in This Thread here ... See Post # 3 ).....

also ... because i was unable to find small enough measuring spoons i was going to try to make all the doses up as solutions and then just use some calibrated medicine syringes to add the required amount each day ....

so i tried to convert the dry measures that the calculator came up with to a 100ml solution using the "dry to solution converter" on the RHS of the calculator spread sheet ... mmm.... maybe its just because it's 2am here ... but i just couldn't figure how to use that ..... ie my calculated dry dose for nitrates is 3/8ths .... how do i enter 3/8ths (or any fraction such as 3/32nds) in that first box ... and for the second box ... where do i get the figure of dry teaspoons added (to what?) ...

i think it's too much of a brain drain at the moment ... i will look at it again tommorrow ...

thanks for helping .... it's gonna be a great tool

regards
aussietanker

 

[Spar]

Re: Dosing Scheduler - Updated 11/25/05

there is section in my calculator that allows you to 1) pick the size of bottle to use for solutions and 2) pick the largest size of measuring spoon willing to use.

you had left it as 235ml bottle (my default) and 1/8tsp (default as well). instead of using that extra dry to liquid conversion on the page, just change these 2 values to 100ml and 1/4tsp or 1/2tsp, respectively. This will give you a better ml/dosing value.

3d KH and 5d GH is perfectly fine. That is actually what my tank is at. My tap water is 2d KH, so I increase it after each water change to 3d. Just in case my KH decides to nose-bomb one day.

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Dosing Scheduler - Updated 11/25/05

I tend to leave my KH Gh alone if they are 1 or higher for KH and 3-5 or higher for GH, I'll add just a tad, maybe 1 degree for GH once a week.


Spar, the cal has come a long way and looks great!

Regards,
Tom Barr