E I dosing amounts?? HELP!!

rs18alpha

Subscriber
Feb 3, 2017
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Pennsylvania
I've read a lot articles on using the E I method. Some say to dose 5 days and rest 2 days. Some say to dose 7 days a week. I don't know which to try.

The ones I've seen say to dose 15 mils of Mac ans Mic each dose.

The amounts are Mac 79grams KNO3-22grams KH2PO4
Mic 34grams CSM+B

Question: Do I need to use any other ferts?

Tank size 40 gal
Moderate plant load
30 or so Nano fish, 8 Amano shrimp. 6 Oto cats
Moderate to high light
Pressurized CO2

Can some one give me good starting point with dosing amounts??

Question: Should I dose 5 or 7 days a week?
 

burr740

Micros Spiller
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Feb 16, 2015
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When you list the dosing in grams or teaspoons, people have to go to a calculator and run the ppm values for your tank size, bottle size and all that - before they even have a clue what you're talking about. That is asking a lot. And in this case, you didnt specify what size bottle you're using to mix the ferts - 500 ml, 250, 1000, etc.

Truly Im not trying to sound like a jerk here, but lazy questions get lazy answers. :)

You'll get much more accurate and faster advice if you list you're dosing in ppms. If you're unsure how to do that, then it's the first question you should have.

Standard EI calls for roughly the following amounts, dosed 3x per week, with a 50% weekly water change.

Macros
7.5 ppm KNO3
1.3 ppm KH2PO4
7.5 ppm K (the above N and P adds around 5 ppm K already, some folks dont bother adding more, some do, most probably dont need it but it's a case by case thing)

Micros
.2 ppm Fe from csmb or whatever

These amounts are not carved in stone, just a basic starting point that should be good for most high tech set ups.

Dose macros back right after the water change. That's day one. Next day dose micros, next day macros, next day micros, and so on through the week. Skip dosing on the seventh day. Then the next day starts a new week off at day one with the water change.

Not sure where you saw 5 days and skip 2, but you should dose both macros and micros 3x each between water changes, on alternating days. That's 6 days of dosing.
 

rs18alpha

Subscriber
Feb 3, 2017
240
26
28
Pennsylvania
Thanks for the info. Sorry for the incomplete question.. I see what you mean.
You've provided me with the info I need to start dosing with the E I method.
I'll be using a 500 mil bottle so now I can figure out how much I need to mix and to dose to get the numbers.

I appreciate your help!!
 
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rs18alpha

Subscriber
Feb 3, 2017
240
26
28
Pennsylvania
When you list the dosing in grams or teaspoons, people have to go to a calculator and run the ppm values for your tank size, bottle size and all that - before they even have a clue what you're talking about. That is asking a lot. And in this case, you didnt specify what size bottle you're using to mix the ferts - 500 ml, 250, 1000, etc.

Truly Im not trying to sound like a jerk here, but lazy questions get lazy answers. :)

You'll get much more accurate and faster advice if you list you're dosing in ppms. If you're unsure how to do that, then it's the first question you should have.

Standard EI calls for roughly the following amounts, dosed 3x per week, with a 50% weekly water change.

Macros
7.5 ppm KNO3
1.3 ppm KH2PO4
7.5 ppm K (the above N and P adds around 5 ppm K already, some folks dont bother adding more, some do, most probably dont need it but it's a case by case thing)

Micros
.2 ppm Fe from csmb or whatever

These amounts are not carved in stone, just a basic starting point that should be good for most high tech set ups.

Dose macros back right after the water change. That's day one. Next day dose micros, next day macros, next day micros, and so on through the week. Skip dosing on the seventh day. Then the next day starts a new week off at day one with the water change.

Not sure where you saw 5 days and skip 2, but you should dose both macros and micros 3x each between water changes, on alternating days. That's 6 days of dosing.

Does this sound right. According to the calculator,if I mix 66grams of KNO3 in 500 mil of water and dose 14mil at a time that will give me a total of 7.48ppm per dose.
And if I mix 10 grams of KH2PO4 in 500 mil and dose 14 mil at a time that will give me a total of 1.29ppm per dose. Sound good?

I haven't found a number on how much of the CSM+B to use so I'll have to keep looking for it.
 

Phishless

Lifetime Member
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Jul 13, 2017
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Arnold, MD
Roll with it, it's estimative???
You could download Zorfox calculator and test these numbers.
I just ran them and they look good.
 

burr740

Micros Spiller
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Feb 16, 2015
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Id use this one.

http://rotalabutterfly.com/nutrient-calculator.php

More fields will appear as you fill in the boxes

It defaults to EI numbers. See beside the "I am calculating for" field it shows "Estimative Index". To target a specific ppm of something, change that to "dose to reach a target", then enter the desired ppm.

For example, lets say you wanted to add an additional 2.5 ppm K using K2SO4. If you calculate for estimative index, it's going to give you a dose to hit 7.5 ppm. But you're already getting about 5 ppm from the other N and P, so you arent looking for the whole 7.5, so you'd calculate for 2.5 instead
 
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rs18alpha

Subscriber
Feb 3, 2017
240
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Pennsylvania
Sounds good, thanks for the help people! I just got done reading a few articles and checking out the calculators. Now I've finally got it!! It all makes sense..
 
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