What is a tsp?

[TheChinski]

I have a 'tsp' which came with some miracle grow fertiliser which I use for most things. The spoon is 1/4 tsp which it says is 1.25ml, but when I search google for a tsp it says it's about 6ml, and 4*1.25=/=6. What value does a tsp translate to, and do I need a new spoon?

Or am I just over complicating things? Does everyone else use proper measuring spoons or just regular teaspoons? I guess ei doesn't need to be that accurate, I just want to double check my tank doesn't explode...

Thanks!

 

[alto]

tsp is just a cooking/baking abbreviation for "teaspoon"

The assumption is that if one buy a set of "kitchen teaspoons" - most sets include 1/4tsp 1/2tsp 3/4tsp 1tsp & 1Tablespoon "measures" - the volumes will be standardized ... & perhaps they once were, but when various Teaspoon sets were examined, volumes varied quite dramatically, eg, tsp ranged from 5-10 ml

As you can imagine, cutlery "teaspoons" vary too

 

[Paulo Soares]

In older days a TSP was a TEA tsp.. 5 gr volume. Tea spoon
Bakers have a Tea TSP has reference for receipe cooking. This is the major reference.
Then you have 1/4 or 1/2 and so on of a TSP (5 gram).

 

[ian_m]

Or am I just over complicating things?

Yes.

I use some long handled teaspoon, Robert Dyas £2 for 6, which I leave in the EI salts bags.

Depending how I think the plants are looking or how generous I am feeling, I use a heaped or sometimes a not so heaped teaspoon when mixing the EI solutions.

If you think about it, there are bigger sources of error than the "heapyness" of your teaspoon. Like, what is the volume of your tank? Mine is stated at 180litres. What about 12l filter volume extra ? What about the water volume in the filter pipes ? What about 5cm of substrate ? What about if tank is not full to the top ?. What about volume taken up my filter media ? What about volume taken up by fish and plants ? I suspect my water volume is probably way less than 150litres in practice, in my case. So do I dose for 180litres or 150litres??? As you see, many many sources of error, so teaspoon full, heaped or non heaped will be fine. Just make sure dosed regularly.