ChrisC
Fish Fanatic
Hi all,
having read Tom Barrs Barr Report Post and a few other articles on the subject (one on here), I must the admit the Estimative Index sounds very tempting from my point of view, seemingly fitting in perfectly with hatred of frequent water testing and my my fairly heavy water change regime. So, before taking the plunge, I just need to clear up a few things, and hopefully get some feedback from those who have tried EI before, or are using it/plan on using it.
Dosing
This seems to rely on a good understanding of your tap water stats, and basically the idea is to supply a little more in terms of nutrients then the plants require, using large weekly water changes to keep things under control? From what I've read, it seems NO3, PO4, CO2 & Fe are the required nutrients (presumably this calls for a bulk garden direct order of dry ferts), along with a fairly high light level.
I'm just wondering what experiences anyone's had with EI and if I've missed anything out.
Chris
EDIT:
Ok managed to get a full list of water stats at customer's taps off my water supplier (although that was as of 2003). I've picked out what I think is the useful stuff:
NH3 = 0.5 mg/l
Ca = 200 mg/l
Mg = 50 mg/l
NO3 = 50 mg/l
NO2 = 0.1 mg/l
pH = 5.5-9.5 (haha I think I'll have to get this tested myself
)
K = 12 mg/l
P = 2200 ug/l
Sulphate = 250 mg/l
That seems to cover most things apart from alkalinity.
Chris
having read Tom Barrs Barr Report Post and a few other articles on the subject (one on here), I must the admit the Estimative Index sounds very tempting from my point of view, seemingly fitting in perfectly with hatred of frequent water testing and my my fairly heavy water change regime. So, before taking the plunge, I just need to clear up a few things, and hopefully get some feedback from those who have tried EI before, or are using it/plan on using it.
Dosing
This seems to rely on a good understanding of your tap water stats, and basically the idea is to supply a little more in terms of nutrients then the plants require, using large weekly water changes to keep things under control? From what I've read, it seems NO3, PO4, CO2 & Fe are the required nutrients (presumably this calls for a bulk garden direct order of dry ferts), along with a fairly high light level.
I'm just wondering what experiences anyone's had with EI and if I've missed anything out.
Chris
EDIT:
Ok managed to get a full list of water stats at customer's taps off my water supplier (although that was as of 2003). I've picked out what I think is the useful stuff:
NH3 = 0.5 mg/l
Ca = 200 mg/l
Mg = 50 mg/l
NO3 = 50 mg/l
NO2 = 0.1 mg/l
pH = 5.5-9.5 (haha I think I'll have to get this tested myself
)K = 12 mg/l
P = 2200 ug/l
Sulphate = 250 mg/l
That seems to cover most things apart from alkalinity.
Chris
