New to EI

[stephenstern]

Hi All,

I'm new to here and EI
I have done a fair bit of research, trying to get my head round it.

I was recommended to buy dry salts from aquaplantscare.uk. the list i came up with was:
Micro Trace:
CSM+B Trace Elements
Fe – 7,80%, Mn- 2,00%, B – 1,40%, Zn- 0,40%, Cu – 0,10%, Mo – 0,06%, E 202 & E 300, EDTA Chelated

Macro:
KNO3 Potassium Nitrate
KH2PO4 Monopotassium Phosphate
MgSO4x7H2O Magnesium Sulfate

1. I have high levels of nitrate in my tap water and tank. 40ppm+. Can i exclude KN03?
2. Do i need to buy separate E202/300 for the Macro mix?

Thank you from a novice 🙂

 

[Nick potts]

I would grab the set from aquarium plant food, it comes with everything including dosing bottles.

If your nitrates are already high you can omit them from the mix, and if they start to go down as plants grow in etc then you can start adding them.

 

[foxfish]

This might help you ….

 

[stephenstern]

Thanks I did know about that site but I can't remove nitrates (cost wise) and it works out cheaper on the site I mentioned. As I can buy smaller quantities minus the potassium nitrate.
So I'm good to no use kno3?

APF also doesn't states E202 or 300. I assume its in the trace mix. So I don't need it for the micro mix?

Thanks again

 

[ceg4048]

Thanks I did know about that site but I can't remove nitrates (cost wise) and it works out cheaper on the site I mentioned. As I can buy smaller quantities minus the potassium nitrate.
So I'm good to no use kno3?

APF also doesn't states E202 or 300. I assume its in the trace mix. So I don't need it for the micro mix?

Thanks again

Hello,
It's a good idea to stop worrying about nitrates. Nitrogen is the second most important element (second only to CO2) and nitrate is not toxic at these concentration levels. I do not think it is a good policy to omit nitrate dosing at the beginning. The best practice is to add everything first, in order to ensure that the plants get healthy. Later, after you have gained experience, if you wish to experiment with reduction of nutrients then you can always do that. I suggest that you keep the KNO3 but delete the K2SO4 as it will be redundant.

Trace mix is another issues where folks get wrapped around the axle with. The chelation is really not that critical. Get whichever trace mix is on offer and start with that. Plants need 1000X more nitrate than Fe, so it's best to keep things simple.

As a policy, The Matrix programs us to worry about things that do not matter, while simultaneously, we are programed to ignore things that matter the most. This is good for business because you will continually decide to spend money on products that fix problems that you don't really have. So you should worry greatly about things like CO2 technique, flow/distribution, water changes and avoidance of excessive lighting. These are the things that if not paid strict attention to, will cause major problems.
On the other hand, you should NOT worry about silly things like E300 vs E202, because your plants will not really care about that at all.

Cheers,

 

[stephenstern]

Thanks, My nitrates are high and have been battling them for a long time, i'm over stocked i know this and currently using resins to bring down to the lower mark but still around 40ppm or maybe more.. tests are accurate as we know, but also my tap water comes with 30ppm (tested by water co).

With this in mind, id rather lose the KNO3, and use the K2SO4, knowing i can switch back later if my nitrates happen to get used up.

I hear you on the E300/E202 and wont bother with those.

Thank you for your help!

 

[Andy Pierce]

My nitrates are high.

What makes you think that? Your plants certainty won't care. Are you observing any signs of distress in the livestock?

 

[stephenstern]

As mentioned they are 30pm from tap (give or take/tested by water supply) and on testing from tank its very DARK red. Now lighter with the resin. I know the tests arent perfect, but given water supply tests and my own.. its a fairly good assumption. Im happy knowing i can add nitrates later if they are depleted

 

[MichaelJ]

Thanks, My nitrates are high and have been battling them for a long time, i'm over stocked i know

Hi @stephenstern , What is your tank setup? CO2 injected? Plant mass? Maintenance routine? posting a full tank shot is always helpful 🙂

this and currently using resins to bring down to the lower mark but still around 40ppm or maybe more..

If you have NO3 buildup due to waste, the best (only really) course of action is to increase water changes and improve maintenance. There is no substitute for that.

but also my tap water comes with 30ppm (tested by water co).

If you know for a fact from a recent guaranteed water company report that your NO3 is in the 30ppm range, you could just dose a bit less of the KNO3, but still some - or as I would, completely ignore it and just dose what your Fertilizer recommend. You should still dose KH2PO4 (You need PO4... I think @ceg4048 might have misread it as K2SO4 above?).

Anyhow, measuring NO3 yourself is almost futile:



This is a recent PO4 and NO3 (right) measurement from one of my tanks, using the API Test Kit. What is it? 20, 40, 80 or perhaps over ??? who knows... I know I dose 20ppm of NO3 per week in my weekly WC water and my city water is about 3ppm, and my fish, shrimps and plants are healthy (no algae) - thats all I care about. Do not frazzle about the numbers.

Welcome to UKAPS! 🙂

Cheers,
Michael

 

[erwin123]

maybe you need to shed a bit more light on why you are switching to EI

(1) what are you switching to EI from (an all-in-one Fert?)
(2) Are you switching to EI to solve a 'problem'? (aquarium problems in UKAPS are 99% CO2 related, not fert related)
(3) if there are no problems in your aquarium, and everything is growing fine with low algae, are you switching to 'save money' as all-in-one ferts are expensive water?

As I have a relatively small tank, I'm still dosing with an all-in-one fert at the manufacturer recommended level, which gives me 13ppm NO3 weekly. And I do have algae on the glass which I have to scrape off periodically 🙂

 

[stephenstern]

Micheal, i hear you. My tests are much the same on NO3, if not darker to be honest.. I also need lower nitrates for redder plant mass.
Buildup is due to fish stock. (breeding), but thats something im looking at.

Erwin, Im a hands on kinda guy, so spending more on premade stuff seems pointless when i can do EI for much less. its fun, and i like learning so why would i not make this move.
I used to have hair algae but its all pretty much gone... maybe a little dust but i think that was down to light and i recently bought a chihiros wrgb2.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

My nitrates are high and have been battling them for a long time, i'm over stocked i know this and currently using resins to bring down to the lower mark but still around 40ppm or maybe more.. tests are accurate as we know, but also my tap water comes with 30ppm (tested by water co).

Anion resins work, but they are an expensive option. I've worked on the phytoremediation of waste water and most aquarium literature massively under-estimates just how effective plants are at nutrient removal.

The simple answer for nitrate (NO3) reduction (in fact it works for all forms of fixed nitrogen) is to add a floating plant. Because these aren't CO2 limited they can make use of all that nitrogen to make new leaf tissue. When you remove the plant <"you permanently remove the nitrogen">.

Have a look at Nizam, N. et al (2020)<"Efficiency of Five Selected Aquatic Plants in Phytoremediation of Aquaculture Wastewater"> Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(8)

.......... E. crassipes drastically removed 98% of phosphate, 96% of TSS, and 74% of NH3-N, while P. stratiotes was able to eliminate 98% of TSS, 78% of NH3-N, and 89% of phosphate.

cheers Darrel

 

[stephenstern]

Hi Darrel,
Thanks, i use c3 resin, worked at first but now it doesnt do much (even after recharge). I have water lettuce, but it takes all my other nutrients, so want rid of it not really a center piece. Weve all gone a bit of topic now 😀

As long as i can switch KNO3 with K2SO4 to make up for the lack of K if removing KNO3, then i think im set.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I have water lettuce, but it takes all my other nutrients, so want rid of it not really a center piece.

<"I always have floating plants">, but I understand they aren't to everybodies taste.

It is true that plants will reduce levels of all the <"essential nutrients for plant growth">, but they will proportionally remove more nitrogen than anything else. There are details in <"The scientific background to the leaf colour chart">.

thanks, i use c3 resin, worked at first but now it doesnt do much (even after recharge).

I'm pretty sure the only difference is price, with a new name and "aquarium" magically quadrupling its value.

The <"C3 resin"> will be a <"commercially available NO3 exchange resin rebranded">, but I don't know which one.

As long as i can switch KNO3 with K2SO4 to make up for the lack of K if removing KNO3, then i think im set.

You can, every potassium (K+) ion is the same as every other one, it doesn't matter which compound it came from. You can use the <"IFC"> or <"Rotala Butterfly"> nutrient calculator to add a known ppm value of K.

They are actually fairly similar in potassium content. I won't put in all the workings but K2SO4 is 45% K and KNO3 is 38.6% K, which means that 8.6g of K2SO4 contains the same amount of potassium as 10g of KNO3.

cheers Darrel

 

[stephenstern]

Nice reply, thank Daniel.

 

[MichaelJ]

As long as i can switch KNO3 with K2SO4 to make up for the lack of K if removing KNO3, then i think im set.

Macro:
KNO3 Potassium Nitrate
KH2PO4 Monopotassium Phosphate
MgSO4x7H2O Magnesium Sulfate

is it K2SO4 (Potassium Sulphate) or KH2PO4 (Potassium Phosphate) ? ... your OP mentions KH2PO4 ? IF it was mis-written you need to add some KH2PO4 (or another source of PO4).

Cheers,
Michael

 

[stephenstern]

Sorry, to clarify.
Macro:
K2SO4 (in placement on KNO3)
KH2PO4
MgSO4x7H2O