Whats All This El Stuff About?

[Ps3Steveo]

Keep hearing people say I'm dosing El with easy carbo or what ever, I know easy carbo is liquid carbon for smaller CO2 requiring scapes but whats all the El stuff? I always use TPN+ for my scapes, is this good or is the El route better?

 

[lljdma06]

How big are your scapes?

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Well i'm setting up an 8litre, 2 x 35litres and a 450litre over the next year, but recent ones were 100litres and 30litres.

 

[lljdma06]

I personally wouldn't bother with EI for little tanks. Dosing with TPN+ is so effective & easier. At least for me. Now the 450 is a different matter & EI ( estimating index), a method of fertilization based on dosing the nutrients & then resetting the levels with a waterchange, is actually a very inexpensive way to provide nutrients for planted tanks. I did it once, and liked it, but my current setups don't really need it (small tanks or lighting is lower) Once you dose EI, though, you could produce enough ferts really do all the tanks fairly inexpensively. Some people have problems with it, but I think it's due to other factors, & not necessarily EI.

Liz

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Cool need to look in to this.

Dosing TPN+ on a large tank not a good idea then or is it fine but expensive?

 

[lljdma06]

It's fine, just expensive.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Cool

 

[lljdma06]

It's the big reason why I personally tend to go low-light and no CO2 with my larger tanks. I don't have to dose EI and the nutrient requirements aren't so much that I can keep dosing with TPN+ and then not do as many waterchanges. Of course I sacrifice my fields of glosso and HC and other types of plants, but I'm satisfied as long as the tank looks good and it saves me some labor.

Liz

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Cool, I have to go at least medium light, CO2 and ferts as I'm having a fully planted 450litre with HC and a few other high maintenance plants, most will be low light but there will be some carpeting so I need it really.

 

[lljdma06]

It's not light necessarily that HC likes, just lots of nutrients and CO2. Stuff like that. I've seen low-light tanks that grow HC great, they just have good CO2 levels and good nutrients. I'm too lazy for HC maintenance.

Liz

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Well it wont be high light tbh, more like 4 x 54w t5's over 120gallons so medium really.