EI fertilizer questions please help.

[adamkid33]

Hey guys. Sorry for this I'm sure there have been a bunch of people ask this. I've researched. A lot. But was wondering if anyone with experience using it could help me. OK so here goes... I have ei fertilizer arriving tomorrow. I have KNO3, KH2PO4, and a bag of micronutrients arriving. What I'm wondering is what to dose in my tank. I have low tech equipment. Won't be able to run CO2. I'm running a 45 gallon bowfront with quite a few plants and 39 fish and a dwarf frog. Its just got regular aquarium gravel. I'm running a 20 gallon high with 10 fish for now will be 14 total. Its got 2 26 watt cfl bulbs and Eco complete substrate. And I have a 10 gallon tank with a betta in it. Eco complete substrate. And its got a 15" lifeglo bulb. So I'm wondering when to dose what and how much to dose. Research I've done people dose once a week in low tech tanks. So any help on what to dose and when would be awesome. Thank you so much for any advice. If I need to provide more info just let me know what else.

 

[adamkid33]

Anyone? Lol just got them in the mail.

Sent from my HTC One using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I'd research it because there's a ton of threads on this topic, especially in TPT. Most of us here use the PPS-Pro method, that's probably why you haven't received a response yet. There might be a couple of folks here that use EI (I think aqua_chem does.)

But, IMHO, if I were running a tank at any light level other than high light (80+ PAR), I'd go with PPS-Pro because you wouldn't be wasting as much ferts. Plus doing 50% weekly water changes on multiple tanks would get old real fast for me.

And wow... why kind of fish would 39 of them fit in a 45g? I hope they're super tiny. Sounds a bit Overstocked.

 

[adamkid33]

Oh OK. I love doing then water changes. My wife thinks I'm nuts but I find it relaxing to do. And in my 45 I have 9 neon tetras, 4 Harlequin rasboras, 7 guppies, 6 cherry barbs, 5 glo light tetras, 3 peppered Corie's, 2 dwarf gouramis, and an African frog. With a fluval C3 and a C4 for filters.

Sent from my HTC One using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Okay.. EI it is then. Will you be dosing a liquid carbon like Excel or Glut?

Here's some threads I found just by googling. Plantbrain (Tom Barr) is an expert on EI. He has some good advice here.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=648522

Nice filters, BTW! I'm a big fan of the Fluval C!

 

[adamkid33]

I don't have excel but planned on getting it or something like it. I have API co2 booster now. But I'm not sure if that's the same.which would be better? I thought I read glut was cheaper? But has more to using it? Could be wrong there. I'll read those links now thanks!! And yeah I love the C series filter. I have a c3 on my 20 gallon too.

Sent from my HTC One using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I believe API CO2 booster is the same thing. Glut, is just short for Glutaraldehyde, the active ingredient in common with excel, api, and metricide 14. Metricide 14 has a glut concentration that's about 2x stronger than excel/api. It's so much cheaper to buy the metricide by the gallon. It comes with an activator bottle that you DO NOT use. You can either dose the glut strait at half of what you'd dose the name brand stuff or you can dilute it to excel strength and dose business as usual.

 

[adamkid33]

OK that sounds good. I'll look into getting some metricide 14. Thanks for that info! So if I dose the matricide 14. How much of my either certs should I dose?

Sent from my HTC One using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[adamkid33]

May be a little tricky to order this stuff in Canada is it? Lol

Sent from my HTC One using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Again, I'm not an EI expert. I'd look online or follow Dr. Barr's recommendations. Perhaps you can PM aqua_chem here in AA. I know he's a strong advocate for EI.