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can i use ei

danmil3s

Member
Joined
11 Jan 2010
Messages
756
hi guys at the moment im using the pmdd method on my 750l tank. ive been looking at the result everyone has with ei and it seems the way to go. the question i have is im using a trickle` water change system on the tank. so no weekly 50% change. well there is just takes the whole week. so do you think ei would work and what adjustment would need to be made.ive got injected co2 FE 15X flow light 8 hours with burst in middle. thanks for the help
 
Hi,
EI has nothing to do with the type of filtration. Increasing the level of nutrition simply increases the growth rates and increases the level of organic waste buildup which results from this growth rate. This means that in order to keep control, your level of maintenance needs to be increased. Better control of water changes, filter maintenance to eliminate waste has to be considered. Pruning schedule adjustment has to be taken seriously because higher plant mass will tend to block flow. The hobbyist can be his/her own worst enemy if ill prepared for the added tasks associated with higher growth rates. Therefore you should consider this before deciding to increase the level of fertilization.

Cheers,
 
i clean my filter every 6 six weeks or so its pre filtered as well so im sure thats clean and. i normally pull of dead leaves when i see them. as we talked about the other week im hoovering my gravel bi weekly now with a small 5% water change.i just ues the trickle water change method because 2 hours every Sunday was to long to be spending changing water. and this way i know my waters getting changed regularly.if i was to does ei would it work if i split the npk and trace doses in half and does both every day. with no rest thanks for your help agian
 
Hi,
Yes you can dose NPK and traces in the same day, just wait a few hours between. You might even be able to add them at the same time by adding them from different sides of the tank so they don't mix right away but it's better to wait afew hours until you gain experience to do this. There is a tendency for the iron and phosphate to combine and precipitate out of solution. Then you lose a bit of both. That's the only reason we show the typical scheme of NPK and trace dosing on alternate days.

Cheers,
 
Ok ill try leaveing a gap between the two i have been doesing both at the same time and geting cloudy water i thought they both had to be there from lights on. Thought the 2 hour gap would cause problems. Didnt relise i was loesing some of the benifet looks horible to
 
You might simply use a float valve(or a redundant pair) + a solenoid drain, say a 8-10mm.

Then place the solenoid on a timer, so you have automated water changes and it can take 2-3-8 hours etc.
Drain and fill is slow and controlled by th time the solenoid is open and the orifice sizing.
Smaller/shorter times= less % water removed at once.

So it's a bit up to you how to do this.

Also, with a trickle filter, you can add various plants, like peace lilies etc, and small 15 W FL light and grow many species in the filter itself. Plants are the filter basically.

But unlike the ones in the tank, emergent plants are right next to the light you add and no CO2 issues.
So they just remove nutrients really well. Since the tank is larger, an automated system, or a fast larger valve for draining, and refilling would be a huge help. Add activated carbon prefilter to remove chlorine.

Worth every penny/labor.
I like semi automation, I just turn a 3-5 cm PVC valve to drain the tank, say a 1200 liter, in about 15 minutes to 60% water changes. Then I turn on a 2cm refill with warm water(say 28C), and add dechlorinator and about 1 hour later, after I've cleaned the tank, trimmed, cleaned the filter etc, and watered the lawn, I'm done, so under 2 hours once a week for a rather large tank.

No lifting etc.

Easy.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
thanks tom i did think about just turning the water on Sunday night high so the change was done quickish over 6 hours in one go. i don't like the idea of trusting timers and things to much to go wrong i know loams of people use them but would always worry me. unfortunately i don't think i could grow any thing in my sump it has the 10x water flow going through it. i think when the fert mix i have runs out ill try the sunday night change with ei dosing thanks guys.
 
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