EI dosing

[Jen]

How long after dosing should I wait to test the water?

 

[zig]

How long after dosing should I wait to test the water?

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If your starting out at 0 there is really in point in testing until at least 3-4 days, the first landmark in testing nitrates is when you reach about 5ppm (most kits only go in stages of 5pmm anyway) once you register 5ppm i would test more often, but dont forget the plants will be consuming the nitrates also each day, so the results will be up and down, but once you register 5ppm it should only take a day or two to reach 10ppm.

Dont worry if you dont hit 10ppm exactly before you are due a water change as long as you have been increasing the dosage each day, its possible the plants have been useing it up, if you hav'nt hit 10ppm and you do a water change dose 10ppm nitrate into the tank and 1ppm phosphate, and test a couple of days later and see how much no3 and PO4 have been consumed and top up accordingly, the dosing will take on a pattern as the plants will generally use up the same amounts each couple of days, so you should be able to guess the uptake rate after a couple of weeks and just add topups.