# EI dosing and mixing strengths?



## Gary Nelson (22 Sep 2012)

I'm new to EI dosing but looking at the below recipe and looking at dosing my 200 litre tank, is it possible to make the mixture stronger by doubling the contents and just dose half the amount?
On the mixture below I'd be dosing 40ml - if I double the mix into the 500ml of water and then dose 20ml, or could i  mix it even more concentrated than that? Would this work?

Advice greatly appreciated   

Macro Solution 
4tsp Potassium Nitrate
1tsp Potassium Phosphate
6tsp Magnesium Sulphate
500ml Water

Micro Solution 
1tsp Chelated Trace Elements
500ml Water

Dosing 
Macro 3x a week. (10ml per 50ltr of Aquarium water)
Micro 3x a week. (10ml per 50ltr of Aquarium water)


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## Ady34 (22 Sep 2012)

Tis exactly what I do and it all dissolves no problem  
That's double the concentration, not sure about any more.


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## Gary Nelson (22 Sep 2012)

To the rescue again Ady   so do you mix yours in just boiled water?


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## Ady34 (22 Sep 2012)

Gary Nelson said:
			
		

> To the rescue again Ady   so do you mix yours in just boiled water?


Yeah cooled boiled water but i remember reading a post by Clive suggesting even this isn't necessary and just mix it in tap water.


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## Gary Nelson (22 Sep 2012)

Ady34 said:
			
		

> Gary Nelson said:
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Ok cool, maybe he will be along in a bit to confirm this then.  So does the recipe I've got look about what you are working to then?


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## Ady34 (22 Sep 2012)

Exactly, I think, it's the one from APFUK is it?


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## Gary Nelson (22 Sep 2012)

Ady34 said:
			
		

> Exactly, I think, it's the one from APFUK is it?



Yes that's the one mate


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## johnski (22 Sep 2012)

There are limits on how much of a salt will dissolve in water, but I cant remember the exacts.


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## Gary Nelson (22 Sep 2012)

johnski said:
			
		

> There are limits on how much of a salt will dissolve in water, but I cant remember the exacts.



Yes I did think that myself or of perhaps mixing in slightly warmer water might help dissolve the salts much better?

Also I know I'll be looking to measure the salts out in tea spoon amounts, the only dossing spoons I have are the ones labeled up (Smidgen, Pinch, Dash and Tad)
I take it the Tad one is equivalent to a tea spoon measure?


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (22 Sep 2012)

Nah, I think there fractions of a teaspoon. Can't remember the exact now. 

You should get some, APFUK sell them,   You can get them on eBay too.


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (22 Sep 2012)

Think tad = 1/4
Pinch = 1/12
Dash = 1/32 
And smidgen = 1/64 

All are fractions of a Teaspoon.
Someone please clarify?


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## geoffbark (22 Sep 2012)

johnski said:
			
		

> There are limits on how much of a salt will dissolve in water, but I cant remember the exacts.




James planted tank to the rescue for this one!

Solubility's In Water
There are limits on how much of a salt can be dissolved in water. As this limit is reached it becomes increasingly difficult to dissolve more. If you are experiencing difficulties in dissolving any of the salts then try doubling the amount of water it is dissolved in. Below are the maximum solubility's of the various chemicals used in the calculator.

Potassium Nitrate 	36g per 100ml
Potassium Phosphate 	22g per 100ml
Potassium Sulphate 	11.1g per 100ml
Magnesium Sulphate heptahydrate 	25.5g per 100ml
Calcium Sulphate dihydrate 	0.24g per 100ml
Calcium Chloride anhydrous 	74g per 100ml


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## Gary Nelson (22 Sep 2012)

Whitey89 said:
			
		

> Think tad = 1/4
> Pinch = 1/12
> Dash = 1/32
> And smidgen = 1/64
> ...



Blimey, this is getting complicated and maths was never my strong point lol - so would I be putting in 4 X tad amounts to get a tea spoon measure?


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## AverageWhiteBloke (22 Sep 2012)

Or add a teaspoon   the 5ml plastic medicine spoon that comes with most cough mixtures is a teaspoon AFAIK there's usually a 2.5ml or half tsp on the other end.


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## Ady34 (22 Sep 2012)

Gary Nelson said:
			
		

> Whitey89 said:
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Just heap up your teaspoon after making a cuppa and stick em in....no prob with a little too much and Clive always says its not an exact science and not to get caught up number crunching


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## ceg4048 (23 Sep 2012)

Yeah, no kidding. You've already expended more energy than it deserves. Just dump half teaspoon of NO3 and quarter teaspoon of PO4 and maybe a teaspoon of Epsom Salt in the tank 3X a week. It takes less than a minute to do this. For this size tank making solutions is just more trouble than it's worth, specifically because of the solubility issues. As mentioned above, if you've got your heart set on solutions then just use more water to get more powder to dissolve.

Cheers


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## Gary Nelson (23 Sep 2012)

Thanks for the info Clive - yes I think I was being a bit fussy with the amounts, I suppose being new to EI & salts its just a bit daunting to begin with. Hopefully I'll see over the next week or so how my plants respond


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## ceg4048 (23 Sep 2012)

Yeah mate, 100% guarantee that a month from now you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. I'm only ever fussy about CO2 and flow/distribution. Nutrients are as easy as making tea...  

Cheers,


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