Hi,
First, many thanks for this great forum. I recently fell on EI method and for me it is a complete success.
I have the tank in my signature, with this actual photo (I pruned the plants yesterday night, and the backward plants are no longer covered by the too huge Limnophila)
My big concern is dosing Iron using TMG: I have a big stock of TMG that I bought before hearing about CSM+B :-(
For my tank, the recommended dose by TMG is 20ml weekly. If I follow the EI recommandations, it will be 10ml twice a week.
The problem is that 10ml of TMG will add only 0.05ppm Fe for a 40G tank, so I'll end up with only 0.1ppm /week. If I follow this scheme, my tank will be always low on Iron (undetectable). I actually add about 60-80ml of TMG/week, so about 0.3-0.4 ppm Fe and my Iron is kept between 0.1-0.2ppm
I'm concerned about my dosing and what I read from people using TMG. Am I dosing too much? Should I dose TMG only 10ml twice a week and add Iron separately like in E15?
Why Am I being concerned? Because of the look of my Alternanthera reineckii:
You see that new leaves are healthy, but older leaves are a pity. I'm being concerned since the bad looking leaves are not that old (only 3 generations), are well exposed to light and I don't see any deficiency in my tank:
- CO2 is dosed by a PH meter (verified by RedSea PH drops) + permanent drop checker and they coincide
- I dose PO4 to maintain it between 0.5-1ppm
- I dose NO3 to maintain it between 10-25ppm
- I add K2SO4, 20 ppm on water change and 10ppm on otherdays with macro
- I dose TMG to maintain Iron 0.1-0.2 ppm
- I have 4x54W T5 Osram Lumilux De Luxe 965 (216W) for a 60G tank (but only 40G water, measured for sure)
- PH 6.6, KH 3 and GH 3-4
- I don't dose Ca or Mg
Other plants are doing fine (Crypto, Echino, Ludwigia Repens, Ceratophyllum Demersum, Egeria, Limnophila sessiflora and aquatica, anubia B. var nana, Hygrophila Polysperma and Corymbosa), the growth rate is amazing and I have no algae problems at all. Maybe one concern is my Limnophila aquatica that doesn't stay well dense at the bottom if I don't prune and replace the stems. The foliage quickly dies into a burned black aspect. The Sessiflora variety is doing much better
Limnophila aquatica:
continued on next post...
First, many thanks for this great forum. I recently fell on EI method and for me it is a complete success.
I have the tank in my signature, with this actual photo (I pruned the plants yesterday night, and the backward plants are no longer covered by the too huge Limnophila)

My big concern is dosing Iron using TMG: I have a big stock of TMG that I bought before hearing about CSM+B :-(
For my tank, the recommended dose by TMG is 20ml weekly. If I follow the EI recommandations, it will be 10ml twice a week.
The problem is that 10ml of TMG will add only 0.05ppm Fe for a 40G tank, so I'll end up with only 0.1ppm /week. If I follow this scheme, my tank will be always low on Iron (undetectable). I actually add about 60-80ml of TMG/week, so about 0.3-0.4 ppm Fe and my Iron is kept between 0.1-0.2ppm
I'm concerned about my dosing and what I read from people using TMG. Am I dosing too much? Should I dose TMG only 10ml twice a week and add Iron separately like in E15?
Why Am I being concerned? Because of the look of my Alternanthera reineckii:


You see that new leaves are healthy, but older leaves are a pity. I'm being concerned since the bad looking leaves are not that old (only 3 generations), are well exposed to light and I don't see any deficiency in my tank:
- CO2 is dosed by a PH meter (verified by RedSea PH drops) + permanent drop checker and they coincide
- I dose PO4 to maintain it between 0.5-1ppm
- I dose NO3 to maintain it between 10-25ppm
- I add K2SO4, 20 ppm on water change and 10ppm on otherdays with macro
- I dose TMG to maintain Iron 0.1-0.2 ppm
- I have 4x54W T5 Osram Lumilux De Luxe 965 (216W) for a 60G tank (but only 40G water, measured for sure)
- PH 6.6, KH 3 and GH 3-4
- I don't dose Ca or Mg
Other plants are doing fine (Crypto, Echino, Ludwigia Repens, Ceratophyllum Demersum, Egeria, Limnophila sessiflora and aquatica, anubia B. var nana, Hygrophila Polysperma and Corymbosa), the growth rate is amazing and I have no algae problems at all. Maybe one concern is my Limnophila aquatica that doesn't stay well dense at the bottom if I don't prune and replace the stems. The foliage quickly dies into a burned black aspect. The Sessiflora variety is doing much better
Limnophila aquatica:

continued on next post...