EI dosing - questions

Hi all,

I have reviewed the sticky for EI light and that document is the basis of all my questions:

The text states:

'The primary fertilizers are the macro nutrients - Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), Potassium (K), and the micro nutrients – trace elements (Plantex CSM+B, Flourish, Tropica Master Grow-TMG). Iron (Fe) can also be supplemented if necessary.'

Also it states the dosing for a 100-120 gallon tank:

100 - 125 Gallon Aquarium
+/- 1 1/2 tsp KN03 3x a week (N)
+/- ½ tsp KH2P04 3x a week (P)
+/- 1.25 tsp once a week(water change only) What is this element? See #3.
+/- ½ tsp (30ml) Trace 3x a week
50% weekly water change

Questions:

1. Where does Potassium (K) fit in here? I see no reference to it in the dosing parameters above.

2. I have a 180 gal. Should I increase the above dosing by about 30-35% for my size tank?

3. What is the third parameter above at '+/- 1.25 tsp once a week(water change only)' ? Is the the GH booster?

4. My water parms are: GH 140-160 MG/l CaC03 and KH 90-100 mg/L. Should I use the GH booster, or is my water ok?

5. I intend to use Flourish Excel for my trace elements. Is this adequate or is the Plantex a better product.

I have my mouse on the ORDER button (from Greg Watson's site) for the ferts and want to ensure I order correctly. The three ferts I have in my cart are for 1 lb each:

1 Potassium Nitrate KN03
1 Mono Potassium Phosphate KH2P04
1 Potassium Sulfate K2S04


1. Are these the correct items? Am I missing any?


2. I have 450 watts of MH hung 15" above the tank. Should I lower this when I start EI to ensure I have more light to use the ferts, or should I monitor and adjust only if appropriate?

Thanks for all the help. I apologize if this data is in the sticky and I missed it.

 

All,

Thanks so much for the answers......

1. So HOW MUCH of it do I dose??? I never saw a measurement

3. I thought so, but wanted to be sure....It was indeed the only one that made sense.

5. Thanks to you all for confirming this and pointing out the differences in the products. I actually have a bottle of both in front of me and it is labeled right on the front. Getting old lol.

ceg4048,

I agree about the 50%. I do have a new larger trickle wet/dry and the capacity is about 20 gallons, so right around 200 total. Yes it makes perfect sense.

I have yet to even start EI, so don't feel comfortable substituting as you suggest until I gain some experience.

I also agree on the volume of nutrients that may be required. I will order some of the CSM and compare to the other product to see the rate of consumption and go from there.

As far as the light, remember that the tank is 24" deep and 180 gallons. 450 watts is 2.5 wpg. I was under the impression that it was on the higher side of this crude measurement, but not I had 2/3 too much light!

Add 15" to the depth of the tank and it is over 3' or 1 meter to the bottom. Too date, I have not yet 'burnt' any plants, and it has also been lower. I have no real algae issues, other than on the sides of the glass, which I clean weekly anyway.

My plant load is relatively light at the moment (for the tank), and I have no high light requirement species either (yet), so it is at the highest adjustment possible. Do you really think I have that much light????

One last note on the light. I have 14k bulbs and have 3 6500k replacement bulbs on the way. So, same wattage, but different temp rating.


Thanks again to all for the prompt and courteous replies!

 

Hi Charlie,

Thanks for the info.

As an FYI, I cut and pasted my original thread from the EI light thread including the dosing for 90-125 gallon tank. It did NOT contain the reference of:

+/- ½ tsp K2S04 3x a week

Now that you point out it is there, I checked the thread again, and it IS different than what I cut. I will assume it is my bad, but I could SWEAR it was not there before.

Not sure how I missed it (that age thing again), but that is why I asked for enlightenment

Thanks again to all. I think I might now have a clue........

 

Dosing

Okay, I obviously have some more learning/reading to do, but I am getting there, albeit SLOOOOOWWWWWLY

Thanks for all of the help/tips/info.........I have read some more of the EI articles/threads/etc and have more to go...........

I was thinking of the following dosing with is INCREASED by 50% from the 100-125 gal dosing, assuming I have close to 200 gallons of water including the sump.

I will NOT be dosing K2S04.
I will NOT be using a GH booster.
I do have a high fish load.

180 gallon tank + 20 gal sump

+/- 2 1/4 tsp KN03 3x a week (N)
+/- 3/4 tsp KH2P04 3x a week (P)
+/- 3/4 tsp (45 ml) Trace 3x a week
50% weekly water change


This brings me to (I hope) two last questions, one practical and one ethical:

Practical - vacation

1. How is EI dosing affected if not done due to vacation or some other absence? Should we just resume the normal schedule upon return? Should we dose a little extra the week prior? Let's say a vacation of 7-10 days as an example.

Ethical - drought restrictions and large WC

2. I live in South FL which experiences SEVERE drought restrictions pretty much every year, and getting worse. During these times, there are many restrictions on water use, lawns, car washes, etc.

I feel that using 90 gallons of water a week during this time is using more than my fair share. I feel that others are giving things up, why shouldn't I?

How can I ETHICALLY and ENVIRONMENTALLY accomodate EI during these times?

I appreciate all of your thoughts and responses.

Thanks again to all and have a great day!

P.S. Sorry about all the questions, but I have NEVER fertilized. Just a little afraid of failure I guess (like killing all my inhabitants), but try to remember that:

FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real

 

Hi Vaughnh,

Thanks for your thoughts. I appreciate the time you took to think about this. I think a certain amount of rationalization is required for my question.

Hi Carissa,

I understand what you mean. That makes sense to me.

I would go back to the weekly schedule ASAP after restrictions are lifted.

I ordered my ferts and can't wait until they get here

Same goes for my drop checker

P.S. Should I expect very accelerated growth rates if all goes well with EI, or will it be a gradual process to better growth.

Thanks again to all!