# Daily EI dosing?



## Martin cape (29 Mar 2013)

Hi guys,

What is the main reason for dosing 5 days out of 7, as opposed to putting all 5 days in on water change day?


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## fish fodder (29 Mar 2013)

I would imagine because they use the nutrients daily, if you threw them all in at once they would feed for the day and the rest would be wasted.... Having no experience with EI I'm only guessing


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## AverageWhiteBloke (29 Mar 2013)

I think it may be because adding all the ferts in one go would accelerate growth and co2 consumption then leave little at the back end of the week. I do do it on occasion when I'm working away. My missus says she's dosed the ferts but I suspect many times she hasn't or puts them in late of a night when she remembers 
Not a habit I want to get in to but doesn't seem to do any harm now and again if you have to. Generally it's recommended to dose just enough often which probably applies to most living things.


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## Martin cape (29 Mar 2013)

Cheer Neil. I might do an experiment. Take water samples every day over a 2 week course. 1 week where I dose normally. And 1 week where I dose all in one go. 

Test it for nitrate, phosphate and iron at work and see what they come out as


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## AverageWhiteBloke (29 Mar 2013)

I wouldn't waste any time on it mate. Test kits won't really tell you anything. It's very difficult to get an accurate reading with thousands of pounds of equipment when it comes to nitrate and phosphate. EI is based on tests carried out where very high lighting levels and co2 were administered into a tank. The outcome that with unlimited lighting and co2 the tank never used more than 7-8ppm nitrate and 3ppm PO4(dosed every other day). So in lesser tanks we dose at them rates to guarantee the plants in theory will never want for nutrients. You dumping them in on one day will just be doing the same.
If you're adding 21ppm on day one or just the 7ppm the difference of 14ppm will not be visible on a test kit. It will only end up telling you whatever you want to believe on that day! Then you're in the mine field of if you convince yourself of a result what will you do about it, start changing your dosing? That's where the problems start and why no one bothers with using test kit results to gauge what to dose.
I've seen your tank mate, there's no need to change anything you're doing


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## Martin cape (29 Mar 2013)

Cheers pal 

I test stuff at work when I want an accurate result. Liquid Chromatography, accurate to 0.01 ppm lol. That's the thousands of pounds worth or equipment you were mentioning lol. 

Only problems I'm having at the min, is a bit of BBA on the bogwood and some leaves directly under the light, and maybe just a flow issue. Dunno if I'm getting CO2 right round the tank. 

Nothing I can do about the light really anyway. Bloody Juwel light unit won't take any other bulbs than the 45w ones.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (29 Mar 2013)

> I test stuff at work when I want an accurate result. Liquid Chromatography, accurate to 0.01 ppm lol. That's the thousands of pounds worth or equipment you were mentioning lol.


 
Nice!


> Only problems I'm having at the min, is a bit of BBA on the bogwood and some leaves directly under the light, and maybe just a flow issue. Dunno if I'm getting CO2 right round the tank.


 
BBA is the final frontier IMO. If it's any conciliation getting BBA on hardscape and a few leaves means you've put most of the problems aside that could have happened. Changing your dosing won't help anything it just adds an extra layer of something that could be wrong. While dosing EI at the right times you can eliminate it out of equation and concentrate on the flow and co2 which is generally seen as the root cause of it.

I have a little in my tank as well that I spot does to keep on top of it. Also just bought a proper Siamese Algae eater at MA in Carlisle which is supposed to like the stuff. Not earning its keep yet though! Don't be getting one round your way though. When I was looking for one all the ones round yours are wrongly labelled.

I'm hoping to get a half decent PH pen and look a bit closer at my co2 dosing to see how I can improve stability. IME without adding too much unsightly equipment plants are the biggest killers of flow. It's good to look at good plants growth and at times you don't want to spoil it but often a really good clip out improves the situation.

As for lighting increasing it just increases problems and won't affect your BBA, can't you put your reflectors back on?


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## Martin cape (29 Mar 2013)

I could put reflectors back on but then that's increasing the light intensity which wouldn't help my BBA situation. When my lights come on ill put a pic up which shows spray bar and powerheads. See if anyone thinks I could improve co2, fert and flow by moving them or changing the direction. Its jut annoying to me when I have to keep cutting off my Anubias Nana leave that have a little BBA on them 

I've got myself a pen off eBay. Comes with cal standards. But again, I can calibrate it at work lol shhhhhh. 

I reckon my co2 level is sorted. Once lights come on. The pH never changes.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (29 Mar 2013)

Why were you wanting to change the lighting out of curiosity? When I get my pen I'm sending it to yours for a calibration  Which one did you get? I have the same issue with Anubias, problems it's a slow growing plant that so has more time for the BBA to get a hold on it. Faster growing stems get cut back more often so it doesn't get time to get a hold. I have found though that cutting off affected leaves on Anubia often forces it to grow new ones quicker than just left to its own devices.

As for co2, it's still a work in progress for me so I'm not sure whether it's meant to dip or not. Looking at your other post which I'm involved with it would appear off Tom's chart it should! Hence getting the ph pen for me.


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## Martin cape (29 Mar 2013)

I was just under the impression that 90w could be too much light for a 180L tank. And given the BBA issues, its seemed to suggest so. 

I know that BBA is meant to be a co2 and flow issue, but obviously too much light isn't going to help either. 

I just got a pen that everyone seems to sell on there. A yellow one with a 0.0 readout. 

Just checked my water, 15 mins after lights on, it's ~5.9. Ill check again in a few hours. See if there is any change. KH is 5.5 so if I went off them kH vs pH relationship charts, my fish should be dead lol. They are all fine


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## AverageWhiteBloke (29 Mar 2013)

Just over 2 wpg is same as mine and generally seen as enough lighting to grow the majority of plants. Adding more light certainly can introduce more problems as sppeding up the growth process causes more demand on nutrients and co2. If you think flow is an issue now it would get worse under more lighting. Can you reduce the duration at all. What they on for now?


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## Martin cape (29 Mar 2013)

I did have them on for 6 hours. I've lowered it to 5.5, see if it helps at all. May go down to 5 if I'm still getting it. Not a problem really as I'm generally only in after work. 

I'm overdosing excel at the min to destroy it. A big portion went pink them just disappeared one day lol. I have some elusive Ottos in there that could have eaten it lol. 

BTW, just got shrimp shelters in post yesterday. Ordered them over a week ago. How they doing?


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## AverageWhiteBloke (29 Mar 2013)

Your on the min of lighting duration really. My shrimp tank has the same 2wpg lighting, no co2 and I dose some ferts when I can be bothered, WC day and if I see any yellowing of leaves. It doesn't suffer from any algae problems. Go figure, plants grow slowly but they're all healthy. My shrimp been losing a couple a day, still keeping up with the water changes every other day now to let them settle a bit. Hopefully this filter will mature and things will get a bit more stable over the next fed days.
Should mention that's only lit 6 hours while my main tank is on seven. I think the co2 accelerates growth as well as the lighting.


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## plantbrain (30 Mar 2013)

Want more accuracy? Want daily PMDD style EI dosing? - Aquarium Plants


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