# Scales for Dosing



## Superman (14 Jul 2008)

I bought some scales on ebay but they're a bit naff as I don't think it works properly but had it a while.
Could anyone recommend a model? 
I'd like to get 0.01g this time.


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## ceg4048 (14 Jul 2008)

Hi,
    The real question is: Why on Earth would you need to measure nutrients dosing to within 0.01 gram?  You can be off by 3 grams (a half teaspoon) and be fine as long as you err on the high side...

Cheers,


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## Superman (14 Jul 2008)

ceg4048 said:
			
		

> Hi,
> The real question is: Why on Earth would you need to measure nutrients dosing to within 0.01 gram?  You can be off by 3 grams (a half teaspoon) and be fine as long as you err on the high side...
> 
> Cheers,



I'm a Yorkshire man and don't like to waste things     8) 
I've always rounded up but thought it might be a good thing to try and be as exact as possible?! First time for everything I know.


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## ceg4048 (14 Jul 2008)

Yes, but you can be exact as possible and still have algae, or you can be way over the top wasting nutrients and be algae free. I leave the choice to you....

Cheers,


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## LondonDragon (15 Jul 2008)

ceg4048 said:
			
		

> Yes, but you can be exact as possible and still have algae, or you can be way over the top wasting nutrients and be algae free. I leave the choice to you....
> Cheers,


Yeah I dose double the recommended amount to be on the safe side and since then no algae


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## keymaker (3 Dec 2008)

Have been looking for a good description on how to measure dry ferts with a teaspoon for some time now and could't find an answer anywhere, except that 1 teaspoon is approx 6g. Is that a "flat filled" teaspoon or what?  How do you go about the dry fert weights and how do you measure 1/16 teaspoon for example? Just approximately?

I know that super precision is not a requirement here, but I'd certainly like to know approximately how much is in there... Is one fert heavier than the other or are the weight differences negligable? Thanks in advance for the answer.


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## LondonDragon (3 Dec 2008)

keymaker said:
			
		

> How do you go about the dry fert weights and how do you measure 1/16 teaspoon for example? Just approximately?


Something like this should help: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tala-6-Measuring- ... 240%3A1318


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## ceg4048 (3 Dec 2008)

Yeah but why spend more money? Just have a look at Chuck Gadd's website and at the bottom of the page you'll see that he's already invented the wheel. Of course the individual salts each have different densities and molecular weights but they are very similar in practical terms. I suppose if you're a measurement anorak then a couple quid is a small price to pay for the fancy spoons though.   

Cheers,


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## keymaker (3 Dec 2008)

Paulo, Clive, thx for the answers. Chuck's site proved really useful. I added his teaspoon measurements into my excel file, now it looks like this:







Now please explain me this: how on earth do I add 0,46 teaspoon Potassium Phosphate to the mix? I just won't be able to measure half of a teaspoon correctly. It's either going to be 1/3 or 2/3, never 1/2 exactly. On occasion this would mean a concentration change of about 17% in PO4 which might just mean that I will be short of PO4 if I go for the lower EI range levels. Are you really saying this does not matter?

And what is a full teaspoon anyway? Does it look like this?





I am sure, that small differences would not matter if you dose to a big tank, but I guess I really have to keep the errors under a certain level to be able to maintain a proper level of nutrients in my 20l nano tank.


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## GreenNeedle (3 Dec 2008)

Depends which teaspoon you have!!!!

I have many teaspoons and they all vary in size and depth to the point that I use the same type everytime for making coffee!

A teaspoon in measuring terms is a proper measuring teaspoon whereas a teaspoon in kitchen terms can be vastly different from 4-6g etc.

I use 0.1 scales but am not too bothered if I am 0.1 out.

AC


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## ceg4048 (3 Dec 2008)

Exactly!
           Balazs, it's very difficult to micromanage nutrients. I'd suggest you refine your definition of "proper level of nutrients" to include the possibility of being way over the top because this really doesn't make a difference. As I mentioned to Clark in an earlier post in this thread you can be accurate to the nearest .01 gram and you can still suffer a nutrient deficiency in your particular tank, with your particular lighting and your particular flow. I mean, so what if you are 17% over on PO4? You'll likely be better off.

I've tried to explain in the EI dosing article that it doesn't matter if you use a level teaspoon, heaping teaspoon, or even a lazy teaspoon. The idea is to be consistent so that if you do get deficiency symptoms you can make logical and systematic corrections to your dosages.

The EI dosing scheme is not a bludgeon or a prison, and the levels do not require authorization by parliament. It's designed to be flexible because no two tanks can ever be the same. In fact the nutrient levels required by you tank today absolutely will be different than what it will require 3 months from now or the day after you do a trim, simply by virtue of the change in biomass from one day to the next. If you need to go over by 17% so that it makes your life easier by a mile then do it and stop worrying about how to achieve that missing 0.04 of a teaspoon.  

Cheers,


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## keymaker (3 Dec 2008)

OK, it's over, done, the end.  Will mix the nutrients tomorrow (using a regular teaspoon), all of them in different solutions to be able to adjust separately and will overdose the EI range at the beginning. Thanks!


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## scottturnbull (3 Dec 2008)

keymaker said:
			
		

> OK, it's over, done, the end.  Will mix the nutrients tomorrow (using a regular teaspoon), all of them in different solutions to be able to adjust separately and will overdose the EI range at the beginning. Thanks!



Ebayer fluidsensoronline sells dosing spoons, along with a fairly decent range of dry salts, albeit only in 100g bags. There's also a shipping discount if you buy more than one item, which always helps.


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## YzemaN (4 Dec 2008)

keymaker said:
			
		

> OK, it's over, done, the end.  Will mix the nutrients tomorrow (using a regular teaspoon)


Yeay, another EI convert. Soon we shall conquer the world!  
Btw: Does anyone know if the Parliament are adding an EI convert bank holiday anytime soon?


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