Beginning Ei, Etc..

[Fowlersrs]

Right, my tank is now up and running, and as you can see some of the plants are doing better than others, lets just give u an idea of what ive got planted in the tank at the moment...

I have the following species..

* Rotala Bossil - Doing well
* Limnophyla - Doing extremely well
* Rotala Wallichi - doesnt look happy
* Ludwigia Mullertii - Died almost instantly after addiing, pruned what was left and replanted, ok so far

So after 2 weeks im having mixed luck..

the tank has settled down and nitrates are sat at 15ppm at the mo, with all other readings 0, co2 isnt too bad but im stuck with using tank water for testing at presnt while I wait for reference solution!! anyway heres a quick pick..

Anyway things arent looking too shabby but I really want to create a dense jungle in there full of lush plant growth, so as soon as I get my reference solution and new testing phial I can start dosing co2 correctly and nutrients aswell accordingly. At the mo im using JBL's ferropol with my water change and the ferropol 24 daily, I have been told this isnt the greatest tho and that I should go down the Estimative index route? what do u guys reckon.......

with EI can I use RO water, at present I remineralise my ro with tropic marin stuff, does this have to stop if start EI dosing because il be adding chemicals to my water change water anyway?

ive read the EI thread and I know roughly what I need but il be damned if I can find all the stuff on the site mentioned, can anyone point me precisely to what I need to be dosing?

 

[aaronnorth]

EI is ideal for large tank as it is cost effective and it can be "fine tuned" to suit your plants, The main nutrients you need to dose are KNO3, KH2PO4 and CSM+B (trace elements)

Another ideal fert regime is Tropica Plant Nutrition+ (TPN+) as it contains NPK & trace in a all in one solution. This will be dearer but it is easier to use/ dose (1ml per 20l daily or every other day)

Either method would suit your needs. But what i would say is dont use the dosing method in the EI thread, perhaps use half the dose as your plant mass is low.

what size tank is it?

 

[Fowlersrs]

EI is ideal for large tank as it is cost effective and it can be "fine tuned" to suit your plants, The main nutrients you need to dose are KNO3, KH2PO4 and CSM+B (trace elements)

Another ideal fert regime is Tropica Plant Nutrition+ (TPN+) as it contains NPK & trace in a all in one solution. This will be dearer but it is easier to use/ dose (1ml per 20l daily or every other day)

Either method would suit your needs. But what i would say is dont use the dosing method in the EI thread, perhaps use half the dose as your plant mass is low.

what size tank is it?

its a 24gallon tank but after displacement I think we are looking more realistically at 19-20 gallon to be fair, I think im gonna go down the TPN+ route to be fair, its easier on my brain for now..

my calculations make this roughly 3 drops daily, or would u say every other considering my plant mass is low atm..

?

 

[aaronnorth]

4ml every other day will do.