# best EI dosing to buy?



## Jason Stanford (8 Sep 2013)

after an ei dosing kit? never used it before.
is there a brand or something that everyone gets?
anyone link me it?


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## Jason Stanford (8 Sep 2013)

Ei Starter Kit - Starter Kits - Dry Chemicals - Fertilisers

is this a good one?


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## ceg4048 (8 Sep 2013)

Yes it is excellent.

Cheers,


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## Jason Stanford (8 Sep 2013)

thanks a lot, what about best substrate? I have sand at the moment and understand its the worst


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## ceg4048 (8 Sep 2013)

It's only worst because the people who think sand is a problem usually are the same people who are too frightened to put the contents of that EI starter pack into their tank because they think nitrates and phosphates cause algae. So their plants disintegrate due to malnutrition and they immediately blame sand.

Sand is not the best substrate because it has a low CEC and it has no nutrients. But, it's also cheap, and if you live near a beach, it's free. So if you use nutrients, such as in the starter pack you linked to, then your plants will not really care that they are in sand because they will have access to an unlimited supply of nutrients.

So whether you change out the substrate or not depends on your goals, such as aesthetics, or such as whether you would rather the plants feed from the sediment so that you don't have to dose as often. Enriched substrates are not free though. So the choice is yours, but just understand the choice.

Cheers,


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## Jason Stanford (8 Sep 2013)

nice reply, thanks a lot


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## Jack12 (9 Sep 2013)

growing demanding plants in sand with EI, no problems at all - fast growth rates.


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## Jason Stanford (9 Sep 2013)

thanks jack


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## foxfish (9 Sep 2013)

Jason you might be interested in this video too


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## Andy Thurston (9 Sep 2013)

Are those spoons big enough???


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## Jason Stanford (9 Sep 2013)

thankyou, will have a watch after dinner


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## daizeUK (18 Sep 2013)

That looks like an awful lot of magnesium sulphate he's adding in that video... do plants really need that much?  I thought magnesium was supposed to be a micro fert not macro!


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## ian_m (18 Sep 2013)

daizeUK said:


> I thought magnesium was supposed to be a micro fert not macro!


Magnesium is a macro requirement. Present in every chlorphyll molecule.


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## daizeUK (18 Sep 2013)

I've never heard magnesium referred to as a macro requirement before, just NPK

Anyway I think I found the answer in one of Clive's posts Just about to order some more EI salts am I missing anything | UK Aquatic Plant Society


> The long and the short of it is that 10 grams (about 2 teaspoons) of Epsom Salt only has 1 gram of Mg. That's why when you assume the water has zero Mg you have to dose so much of the powder just to get a small amount of Mg.  If we change the assumption and assume that your tap water already has some Mg in it, then it becomes much less important to dose large amounts of the Epsom Salt.


 
My local water report lists 4-5mg magnesium in our taps so I guess I'm already good.


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## ceg4048 (18 Sep 2013)

ian_m said:


> Magnesium is a macro requirement.


This is not true. Please review post #8 in the thread Hemianthus micranthemoides doesn't like me | UK Aquatic Plant Society.

Cheers,


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## Jason Stanford (19 Sep 2013)

if I purchase the kit I linked do I need the syringes and measuring spoons as well?


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## ian_m (19 Sep 2013)

I use teaspoons to measure my salts directly into the dosing bottles. If your tank is small syringes help with getting small amounts right, but if a larger tank just dose from the dosing bottles.


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## ceg4048 (19 Sep 2013)

Hi,
	Personally I do not waste my time, money or energy on useless items such as syringes and special spoons. In your kitchen, top drawer on the left, you will find 20 or 30 spoons. Pick one that the wife/GF will not object to, and use it.

Cheers,


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## Jason Stanford (19 Sep 2013)

thanks for the replies its for 125g.
ordering ei tonight.
have all my plants finally, so will start a journal soon enough


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## ian_m (19 Sep 2013)

ceg4048 said:


> ... Pick one that the wife/GF will not object to, and use it....


This is actually one of the hardest things about EI, not get caught using the "wrong" spoon and not getting an ear full...

In the end I got 6 tea spoons from Ebay for £2 odd and just leave in the bags of salts. Still get accused of using the kitchen spoons though...


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## ale36 (19 Sep 2013)

nothing wrong with using any spoons and then putting it back after it has been rinsed under the tap or is there?


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## ian_m (19 Sep 2013)

ale36 said:


> nothing wrong with using any spoons and then putting it back after it has been rinsed under the tap or is there?


Not a problem, other than earache of being accused of using "kitchen items for the fish"... I used to slip the spoons I'd used in the dishwasher.

I make little paper funnels out of a large post-it note to make sure the salts end up in the container rather than kitchen work top. Throw funnel away afterwards.

Using warm water (from kettle) means they dissolve easier, however my mixtures sit for couple of weeks before being emptied into 1litre containers of my dosing pumps.


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## ceg4048 (19 Sep 2013)

Well, see what I mean? if you're gonna get accused of it anyway, might as well save 2 quid and be guilty of the crime....

Cheers,


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## aliclarke86 (19 Sep 2013)

The spoons are just as much mine as hers so  I use them as I wish (not been caught yet )

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 4


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## Jason Stanford (19 Sep 2013)

lol


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## KevB1 (6 Sep 2017)

If you have kitchen scales then just weigh it out on them on a piece of paper. 1 teaspoon is pretty much 5g so using the original link's site you would need 5g phosphate, 20g nitrate and 30g sulfate to make up 500ml of macro mix then 5g of the chelated micronutrients mix in 500ml for the stock micro. Some companies (eg green leaf) actually supply the sulfate as potassium sulfate as well rather than magnesium and sell magnesium nitrate as well as potassium nitrate so you have more options about customising the magnesium and phosphate/nitrate balance.


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## ManDrawer (20 Sep 2017)

Just some advise test your salts whenever you can when you buy them, don't just trust the labels.


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