EI dosing at set-up

[J Butler]

Hi guys and gals ,

Just a quick question that has probably been brought up previously, but I couldn't find anything with a (albeit quick) search.

How do you go about dosing EI during the first weeks of a tanks life? With water changes being anything from every 1, 2 or 3 days, how can you ensure a full compliment of nutrients are available for the plants?

I understand the the Iron in either trace mix or straight chelated iron will preferentially form iron phosphate if dosed alongside potassium phosphate (i'm not sure about any of the other chelated traces, but can imagine it may be similar also with the greater stability of the salt compounds).

Is this only a serious issue if dosed in solution at higher concentrations together, will dosing with powders and diluting in the tank straight away mean that enough nutrients are still available for the plants?

 

[spyder]

Start dosing when you fill it up. If you do an unscheduled water change best to do it prior to photoperiod if possible and dose as normal. I have at time dosed both Macro's and Micros on the same day if I missed a dose the day before. Never noticed any problems.

 

[J Butler]

Thanks for the reply Spyder,

It was my intention to dose straight away. I had assumed that the small concentrations that we dose at would mean precipitation wouldn't be a huge problem considering everything is likely in excess anyway, just wanted to get other peoples experiences as they were assumptions on my part.

Thanks for letting me know your experiences on the matter .