Another Dry Fert Question

[jameshughes1989]

Hi, I know these questions have been answered over and over again but I just wanted to make sure Ive got it right. Im currently dosing TPN+ but due to costs I'd like to change to EI dosing. The tank is approx 40 gallons and heres the plan:

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Ingredients-

-Potassium Nitrate
-Monopotassium Phosphate
-Magnesium Sulphate

-Trace Elements

Is there anything else I need? Ill be purchasing these of aquaessentials.

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Can you guys advise me on how much of each needs to go in water to make up a solution and how much I should be dosing? I'd really appreciate it.

I know the dosing schedule and the water change, but im unsure of how much. Thanks for any advice

 

[CeeJay]

Hi jameshughes1989
Yes you are right, this question has been asked many times so instead of typing it all out again I've copied and pasted this from a previous post by one of our resident experts, Clive (aka ceg4048) for a 40 gallon tank. Hope he doesn't mind 😳

Hi,
If you study the EI dosing article http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=1211 you'll find, near the bottom, a paragraph entitled "NPK (Nitrogen+Phosphorus+Potassium) Mixture for 20 Gallon Tank".

This gives you instructions for sample mixtures, a macro mix and a trace mix. There's really no need to re-invent the wheel and you can simply multiply the dosages for your size tank. A 40 G tank get's twice the dosage as a 20G. Round up or down to simplify.

Add 4½ teaspoons KNO3 + 2 teaspoons KH2PO4 to your dispensing bottle and fill with water. This is a 1 month supply and it will be dosed 3X per week. Therefore there will be 12 doses in this bottle. If that's the case each dose will be 500ml/12 = 40ml approx.

For the trace mix, add 2 teaspoons trace to a separate 500ml bottle, fill with water. Traces are only dosed 2X per week (8X per month) so the dosage would be 500/8= 60ml per dose approx.

Again, I refer you to the article which give a sample dosing regimen:
Sunday – 50% or more Water Change then dose 40ml NPK mix
Monday – 60 ml Trace mix
Tuesday - dose 40ml NPK mix
Wednesday - 60 ml Trace mix
Thursday - dose 40ml NPK mix
Friday – Rest
Saturday – Rest

This regimen assume you are using tap water in your tank. If for some reason you are using RO water then you need to ensure that you have sufficient Calcium and Magnesium.

Study the dosing article to get a better understanding of what it is that you are actually doing instead of just blindly copying numbers. This will enable you to understand how and why you can deviate from these baseline numbers and to understand the ramifications.

Cheers,"

Hope that's of use
Stick with the above numbers and you'll be fine 😀

-Potassium Nitrate
-Monopotassium Phosphate
-Magnesium Sulphate

-Trace Elements

Is there anything else I need?

That should be all you need if you're using tap water in your tank.

 

[jameshughes1989]

Hi, thanks I appreciate that. I am using tap water so thats not a problem. What still confuses me is the Magnesium Sulphate? Am I being silly? Does that go in the Potassium Nitrate and Monopotassium Phosphate mix too?

 

[CeeJay]

Hi jameshughes1989

What still confuses me is the Magnesium Sulphate? Am I being silly? Does that go in the Potassium Nitrate and Monopotassium Phosphate mix too?

Yes it does.
But what you may find is that there is already enough in your tap water.
So if I was you, I would start with the recommended dose and gradually back it off by maybe 1/2 - 1 a teaspoon per month until you notice any deficiencies (e.g. yellowing leaves etc.). Once you make an adjustment you will have to run with it for 2-3 weeks to see if there is any noticeable difference in your plant health. If there is, then go back up to the previous dose.
Depending on where you live you may not see any change at all, which means there is enough in your tap water.
What I do know is that my Thames tap water has got plenty. One less thing to buy 😀

 

[jameshughes1989]

Hi jameshughes1989

What still confuses me is the Magnesium Sulphate? Am I being silly? Does that go in the Potassium Nitrate and Monopotassium Phosphate mix too?

Yes it does.
But what you may find is that there is already enough in your tap water.
So if I was you, I would start with the recommended dose and gradually back it off by maybe 1/2 - 1 a teaspoon per month until you notice any deficiencies (e.g. yellowing leaves etc.). Once you make an adjustment you will have to run with it for 2-3 weeks to see if there is any noticeable difference in your plant health. If there is, then go back up to the previous dose.
Depending on where you live you may not see any change at all, which means there is enough in your tap water.
What I do know is that my Thames tap water has got plenty. One less thing to buy 😀

Okay thanks. Im in Kent so ill have to check my water stats. How much of the Magnesium Sulphate goes into the solution? Im sorry, but I didnt seem to see it in your previous thread showing the mix. Sorry for being silly, and thanks for your help.

 

[CeeJay]

Hi jameshughes1989
If you check out the link for the EI tutorial you will find that for the 20 gallon tank size quoted, that you need 1.5 teaspoons per week, therefore 6 teaspoons per 4 weekly period. As your tank is double that size you would need to double that to 12 teaspoons.
As recommended above, I would suggest you check out the EI tutorial. It may take more than one read through as there is a lot of info in there, but it will be worth your while