Can Someone Post Up Their E.i Routine?

[danski]

i was wondering what others routine is like..so i was wondering if anyone would put up their routine starting with after the 50percent water change..thanks..
wanna know if im on the right track..if possible please post how much you dose..i am already aware that you need to do a wc then dose macro alternating days with micros..i have a 29 us gallon..what ive been doing is this..
1)50%wc add 20ppm nitrate then 1.5ppm phosphate
2)1 capfull micros flourish
3)7ppm nitrate no phosphate
4)1/2 cap flourish
5)nothing
6)nothing
7)50% wc start over
this routine isnt working and im still fighting algae off..if i add more nutrients on more days i get more algae..if i add less i still get algae
so i think i need some help setting up my E.I
i was getting what seemed like even more algae when dosing with tropica mastergro..
i only dose nitrate,phosphate,and micros such as flourish and seachem iron..dan

 

[Themuleous]

First off I take it you have everything else you need for an EI tank? High light, Co2 and substrate? I will assume you have.

The dosing you've been doing does seem a bit all over the place, once you've worked out the tank and what the plants need then it should be a simple case of adding the same amount each time. Also why dont you add anything on days 5 and 6?

Why do you dose flourish and iron? Flourish from what I know of it (never actually used it myself) is mostly iron anyway, this could be you're problem to much iron. Does the flourish contain anything else?

Do you or have you been testing the tank water? What are the results? What PO4 and NO3 levels are you aiming for?

Gonna need a bit more info to sort this one, but I'm sure we'll get there

BTW my nano EI tank is always full of algae, this whole EI thing just doesn't want to work for me either!

Sam

 

[danski]

Sam..i havent been dosing the iron for a while now because i thought i was getting too much iron..however with the yellowing of the leaves and some disintegration i read i may be lacking iron..im running a little over 3wpg 6700k..pressurised co2 at 4bpm..and 3inches of eco..im pretty heavily planted and often have to pull out some dwarf sag because it seems to carpet the whole tank..on days 5 and 6 i cut back because the thread algae has been rather prolific and my no3 was close to 30ppm..
.my po4 usually stays round 1-2ppm..i stopped testing because i know i have enough or more than enough macros..i read Toms reply in the other EI thread and im not sure if dosing dry is better and if im dosing enough flourish..seems like when i dose my micros i almost instantly get thread algae so thought i would cut back..i only dose 1/2 capful now..my plants seem to grow nice and green now but the algae is still there..Tom says to dose 3xs a week in his reply so now maybe im doing too much..also i dont know if he is talking about dosing macros and micros at the same time..i thought this would cause problems..any help is appreciated..also according to Greg Watson i shouldnt need to dose potassium since im dosing mono potassium nitrate and mono potassium phosphate..he say i should get more than enough there..hmmmmm..ive been all over with this..adding more cutting back..cant seem to figure my dosing routine out yet..my plants pearl regularly but im still missing that golden step..thanks dan

p.s ph is at 6.6 and kh of 6degrees..

 

[plantbrain]

If you follow the EI method, note it's pretty flexible, and you have algae or get an increasde of algae, it's not the primary cause for the algae, it's a secondary effect.

This is very easy to see, how?

Simple, many folks have dosed EI for a decade now, they do not have algae.
So if EI causes algae, where is my algae? Other folks?

Clearly the EI alone is not the cause.

So........what might be the cuase if the nutrients are covered well, and we assume you have decent lighting, say 2-4w/gal, acceptable sand/substrate?

CO2.

CO2 accounts for 90-95% of every algae issues I see and field.

Yep, that much.

EI does a great job of isolating things for folks to see if their CO2 has issues, generally green algae and BBa appear with poor CO2.

Plants shoukd pearl well at least the last 1/2 of the day, good current, good CO2 systems are critical and the thing folks should really focus on, nutrients and the dosing is easy.

Also, you can dose the PO4 2-3x a week also, that should help.
GH is also over looked often, so make sure you have enough of both Ca and Mg, not just general GH.

To a 29 gallon tank, I'll add a fair amount of CO2, generally 30-40ppm or so.
Good current, say a 200gph filter (canister) fair amount of surface movement(slight ripple).
A good diffuser(like aDA, Azoo etc) or a simjple DIY reactor makes a better option.

Just recall, 95% of the algae issues you have, they are CO2 related.
Do not forget this.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Themuleous]

Interesting Tom, I have read you mention CO2 being 95% of the problem several times, but I have kept mine at over 40ppm for months now and yet the green spot and especially the staghorn just wont budge. However, having read your post and thinking about my nano the water flow in the tank is very slow, the plants barely move. Im using a eheim classic 2211 so 300l/h in a 24ly tank would seem plenty, or could I be suffering from a lack of water flow? Also how do you know if you've not got enough Ca and/or Mg?

Whats your experience of very small tanks? Difficult to maintain algae free?

Sorry hijacked the thread here a bit!

Sam

 

[plantbrain]

Sounds like you are either low of CO2 or low on PO4.

If the PO4 is being dosed 2-3x a week, try adding a bit more.
PO4 is easy to rule out, you add more.

CO2 ppms are subjected to many assumptions.
Try this: measure a smaple of tank water that's sit out for 24-48 hours and then measure the pH.

Lower this by 1.0-1.1 pH units using only CO2 gas.
That pH should correspond to 30ppm or so and removes most of the pH/KH/measurement issues.

A good pH probe,metter is a very useful tool.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[danski]

thanks Tom, for your time and expertise..i have two questions..should i dose dry or pre mix like i use..if i should dose dry can you give me some help with measurements? i have premixed my powder in distilled water to equal 1ppm each dose..sorry if im a bothersome but i see how you were able to give some measurements in your other EI post so thought i would ask..thanks again .dan

 

[plantbrain]

I suggest dosing dry.

29 gal:

2-3x a week:

1/4 teaspoon KNO3
1/16th(divide a 1/4 into 4 equal parts) KH2PO4
5mls of traces.

*GH booster: 1/4 teaspoon after water change

weekly water changes, 50%.

That's it.
Easy, simple and cheap.

CO2 is the bigger issue.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[plantbrain]

I suggest dosing dry.

29 gal:

2-3x a week:

1/4 teaspoon KNO3
1/16th(divide a 1/4 into 4 equal parts) KH2PO4
5mls of traces.

*GH booster: 1/4 teaspoon after water change

weekly water changes, 50%.

That's it.
Easy, simple and cheap.

CO2 is the bigger issue.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[plantbrain]

I suggest dosing dry.

29 gal:

2-3x a week:

1/4 teaspoon KNO3
1/16th(divide a 1/4 into 4 equal parts) KH2PO4
5mls of traces.

*GH booster: 1/4 teaspoon after water change

weekly water changes, 50%.

That's it.
Easy, simple and cheap.

CO2 is the bigger issue.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[plantbrain]

I suggest dosing dry.

29 gal:

2-3x a week:

1/4 teaspoon KNO3
1/16th(divide a 1/4 into 4 equal parts) KH2PO4
5mls of traces.

*GH booster: 1/4 teaspoon after water change

weekly water changes, 50%.

That's it.
Easy, simple and cheap.

CO2 is the bigger issue.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[danski]

thank you very much Tom..i cant wait to do my 50% wc and start this new system..Dan

 

[Jen]

I dose as follows (well.. when I remember, that is)
Monday 20ppm nitrates, 2ppm phos
Tuesday 22.5mls trace
Wednesday 20ppm nitrates, 1ppm phos
Thursday 22.5mls trace
Friday 20ppm nitrates, 1ppm phos
Saturday 22.5mls trace
Sunday Water Change

I really should be measuring my stats again since I ripped out a whack of plants, but in the long run I bet it's ok with the number of times I forget to dose.