# EI dosage total



## NC10 (23 Jan 2015)

Hi all, another "noob" question 

I want to give EI a try on my new tank and I've done a bit of reading, but I can't find the answer. This is what I'm looking at:

_*Dosing*:

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

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

The question is regarding the 10ml per 50ltr bit. Is that 10ml per 50ltr every dosing day, or is that the total amount for the week and then you divide it into the 3 doses?

Cheers


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## ian_m (23 Jan 2015)

If you tank is 100l for instance, then
Monday        - 20ml Macro
Tuesday       - 20ml Micro
Wednesday - 20ml Macro
Thursday     - 20ml Micro
Friday          - 20ml Macro
Saturday      - Have a rest.
Sunday        - Change 50% water.
This is is of course dosing with high light and CO2. If not using either then dose can be considerably smaller and less often.


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## NC10 (23 Jan 2015)

Ok cheers Ian, again 

So it's 10 per 50 *every* dosing day.


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## ian_m (23 Jan 2015)

NC10 said:


> So it's 10 per 50 every dosing day


Yes.

My tank is 180l, call it 200l, so I dose 40ml everyday of either Macro or Micro.


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## NC10 (23 Jan 2015)

Ok cheers mate. I'm just trying to price it up vs Profito. Just waiting on a reply on how many litres a starter kit makes up. 

Unless you know the answer to that one too?


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## Paulo Soares (23 Jan 2015)

Sorry but need to ask: How many PPM you are dosing in those 20 ML? 
Or how many PPm you are dosing a week? 

I´m asking this to understand how you rich those 10 ml.


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## Paulo Soares (23 Jan 2015)

> Ok cheers mate. I'm just trying to price it up vs Profito. Just waiting on a reply on how many litres a starter kit makes up



I think It all depends on wich target you choose .If you want a receip more concentrate or less concentrate. The more concentrate more salts less ml to add dayli

Isnt´ that so IAn?


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## NC10 (23 Jan 2015)

This is the recipe I'm looking at:

*Macro Solution*


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


1tsp Chelated Trace Elements
500ml Water


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## ian_m (23 Jan 2015)

Paulo Soares said:


> Sorry but need to ask: How many PPM you are dosing in those 20 ML?
> Or how many PPm you are dosing a week?


No idea, don't care, someone has worked it out once (including me once) and I just use that.

I think it was tank target of 7.5ppm NO3 and PO4 of 1.5ppm, looking back in my notes, but am actually dosing more than that I my solutions are 1.5 strength.


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## ian_m (23 Jan 2015)

NC10 said:


> This is the recipe I'm looking at:
> 
> *Macro Solution*
> 
> ...


This is what I use, putting 40ml per dose per day using a pump into a 180l tank. Done. No thinking, no worrying required, just fill up the 1l dosing containers every couple of weeks.


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## NC10 (23 Jan 2015)

The EI starter kit will make 8 litres, based on the most used dry salt, magnesium sulphate.

The following is based on 800 litres:

I'll be starting on half dose which is 5ml per 50ltr = 80ml per day. 8000ml (8L) will dose 100 days. Dosing macro 3 times per week means it will last 33.33... weeks.

As near as makes no difference £19, that's 57 pence per week.

Profito, again at half dose to start, based on £16 for 1l = 80ml per week. Only one dose per week (or divided daily) means 12.5 weeks = £1.28 per week.

I know that's not fair really as I don't know exactly how much nutrients each supply, maybe a quarter EI, even less, would be a more fair comparison??

Using EI though would mean using a twin dosing pump, which I'm going to add in now over the 33.3... weeks. As always it'll be a on the cheap DIY style. I'm looking at around £30 ish to setup a twin pump. Dividing that by 33.3 adds 90p per week to the cost of EI, making it £1.47, 19p more expensive than the Profito per week. Obviously after the 33.3.. weeks the EI price drops back to 57p per week.

It's nearly 8.5 months before EI will really work out cheaper, so something to think about anyway. Apologies as well for these ramblings


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## LondonDragon (3 Feb 2015)

Why make a misture? Why not just dose the dry salts straight into the tank? Thats what I used to do


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## LondonDragon (3 Feb 2015)

From my old calculations for an 800l tank!

3 x  week each

Sun, Tue, Thu
14 grams of KN03
6 grams of K2S04 
4 grams of KH2P04
35 grams of MgS04

Mon,Wed,Friday
and 3 grams of Trace

Saturday rest, Sunday 50% change and dose!


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## tim (3 Feb 2015)

Profito doesn't contain a nitrogen or phosphorus source you have to buy them separately from the easy life range, the EI starter kit is much cheaper IMHO.


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## NC10 (3 Feb 2015)

Cheers @LondonDragon & @tim 

If going down the EI route, I'd have no doubt ended up just dumping them into the tank, but there are a few other reasons I'm heading down the Profito road.

I work away a lot and I don't want to burden my Mrs with any more fish related activities, even though she wouldn't mind really. As I said, EI would need me to knock up a twin dosing pump, which although isn't expensive, makes it more expensive in the short term (or 33.3 weeks) than Profito.

Using Profito allows me to dose daily in a normal situation (if I'm home) but when I'm away and as a last resort, I can always just throw the weekly dose in. I could always just add a single dosing pump to Profito too I suppose.

Another reason against EI is that I don't fancy doing a 400l water change every week. 

I also feed quite heavily I suppose, so hopefully any missing elements will be supplied via the food and fish. All I can do is watch the plants, see what happens. May need to add extra, may not, only way I'll find out is when the tank is up and running.

In my case, It's as much about ease of use as it is cost and results. I have thought about making a VERY diluted version of EI and treating it as I would the Profito ie daily/weekly dosing and no 50% water change. This would certainly work out cheaper but where would I start? Diluted to 10% normal concentration? See where I go from there?


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## naughtymoose (4 Feb 2015)

I thought that with EI you provide a max of nutrients and then remove any surplus at the end of the week with the 50% WC, but then you could gradually bring the amount dosed down to a level which still promotes growth but doesn't leave a surplus, thus allowing a smaller WC?


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## NC10 (4 Feb 2015)

That's my understanding too, although if I went EI, I'd be starting low and getting higher instead. Opposite.

It's way too late to be messing around with maths now, but I'll work out tomorrow the EI dosage versus different percentages of water changes, based on the original recipe.


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## ian_m (4 Feb 2015)

naughtymoose said:


> I thought that with EI you provide a max of nutrients and then remove any surplus at the end of the week with the 50% WC


No no no no + no.

If you assumed no nutrient uptake, you would have to leave the tank for weeks & weeks at EI target of 7.5ppm NO3 for instance, before the nutrient levels became and issue for fish. Due to a pump failure I once dosed 1litre of double strength EI solution into my tank giving a NO3 of 280ppm and 70ppm PO4. Were fish bothered, did algae appear...nope. Main upset was waste of EI solution....

The 50% change is to remove all the organic waste produced by the plants "working overtime" under increased light levels and CO2. You may reduce EI dosing, so still sufficient for the plants, but they would still produce the same amount of waste and still require 50% water change. Leaving the waste organics will encourage algae, poor plant health and fish issues.


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## roadmaster (4 Feb 2015)

This post/thread is in el natural /low tech sub forum.
Would not need anywhere close to full EI dosing for non CO2.
My 300 litre low tech non CO2 pictured in avatar receives .
3/4 tsp KNO3 once a week
3/4 tsp K2SO4 once a week
1/4 tsp KH2PO4 once a week
1/2 tsp CSM+B once a week day after water change.
50% water change each week.
Please forgive me if original poster is planning to inject the gas.


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## tim (4 Feb 2015)

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/allinone.htm good all in one fert recipies works well IME and cheaper than off the shelf stuff even with the cost of digital scales.


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## Marcel G (4 Feb 2015)

ian_m said:


> I once dosed 1litre of double strength EI solution into my tank giving a NO3 of 280ppm and 70ppm PO4. Were fish bothered, did algae appear...nope.


Once I went out when the concentration of dust particles in the air were exceeded 15-times over the limit. Did I died, did I get sick ... nope. Does it mean that I liked the situation. Absolutely not!


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## ceg4048 (6 Feb 2015)

Once I was accosted by an old starving beggar in the street. I gave her 15 times over what she was used to getting. Did she eat well that day? Yes. Did she like it?  Absolutely!

Cheers,


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## kirk (6 Feb 2015)

tim said:


> http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/allinone.htm good all in one fert recipies works well IME and cheaper than off the shelf stuff even with the cost of digital scales.


   thanks tim enjoyed reading that. Very interesting.


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## naughtymoose (6 Feb 2015)

ceg4048 said:


> Once I was accosted by an old starving beggar in the street. I gave her 15 times over what she was used to getting. Did she eat well that day? Yes. Did she like it? Absolutely!



Oh, how naïve you are, you philanthropic do-gooder...she went and spent all that money on Special Brew and 'herbal' cigarettes...


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## kirk (6 Feb 2015)

^ no  they are never interested in food I thought I'd be helping dragging one to bon appetite for a 99p baked tattie.


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## Tim Harrison (7 Feb 2015)

Surreal....


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