EI Target Levels

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ricardo48

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Can someone just clarify for me about EI dosing.

Are the recommended target levels for the whole week or for each dose?

I am currently dosing

20ppm Potassium x3 a week
10ppm Nitrate x3 a week
2ppm Phosphate x3 a week.


Should this be what I dose in total for the week or should it be what I add each dose in that week?

If target level for P04 for example is 2ppm do I dose that each dose or divide the target level by how many times I dose in that week?

2ppm / 3 = 0.6ppm per dose x3 a week??
 
I use liquid solutions.

I know the target range for each nutrient but do you divide that by how many times you dose a week or do you add it each time you dose?

Im adding

10ppm Nitrate
2ppm Phosphate
20ppm Potassium
30ppm co2
traces


I dose all the macros 3 times a week at that amount.
 
ppm is a target of how much should be in the tank not a forum of liquid measurement. if its a capfull 3 times a week. in that week there should be a total of 3 cap fulls that week in there. since i have no clue how much you are adding just your target levels not exactly sure how to answer your question.

this is all made up example i cant plug in your numbers since i dont know them.

20 gallon tank
takes 2oz to hit 10ppm Nitrate
.5oz to hit 2ppm Phosphate
4oz to hit 20ppm Potassium
and you add 1oz for your trace.

each time you add ferts to the tank thats what you add. then in the end of the week you do a large water change to remove the extra ferts and start over. the longer you hvae your tank the better you can adjust it for your own needs. maybe you can get away with skipping a day or adding less of one or another. maybe the 1st time you add that week you do a full dose but the rest of the time you do a half one.
 
Ok I think your on the right lines.... Thing is for example if with every dose you add sufficient nutrient to make your potassium 20ppm each time you add fert to your tank. Then what happens if people dose daily or only 2/3 times a week?

If someone doses potassium daily surely they dont add 20ppm worth each dose for all 7 days. I add macros on sunday/tuesday/thursday and add the full target range ppm each time I do add.

I just heard from other people that for example if the target range for phosphate is 2.0ppm and you want to dose daily then you divide the 2.0 by 7 to get 0.28. So you add 0.28ppm every day.

This is why im confused as I add 3 times a week, but I add 2ppm of p04 3 times a week... so for the week im adding 6.0ppm.


Hope that makes sense?
 
you dose the whole amount 3 times a week. (you are using co2 right?)

ok. basicly what happened was they figured out how much light a plant can use before it reaches its maximum growth potential where no more wpg can help. and then they measured how much nutrients that the plants could possibly consume. and thats how they came up with ei. they know that for your size tank you cant use all of those nutrients. so you can have 1 wpg to 5wpg, you have dosed enough ferts that your plants can handle. (you might have to add or subtract a little depending on your needs though)

i think this site might help
Welcome To The UK Aquatic Plant Society - The Estimative Index (EI)
 
OK... so dosing in total every week 6ppm of P04 is not going to cause any harm?

Weekly totals I dose are

6ppm P04
30ppm KNO3
60ppm K2S04
Traces


I get feeling to properly EI overdose I should double my weekly nitrate to 60ppm?

I currently dose 10ppm x3 a week so maybe worth going to 20ppm?
 
how big is your stock that you dont think you need as much N? dont be too afraid to dose it because its not that same as the N that comes from your fish.
you also usually dose kh2po4 for phosphate and kno3 for nitrate. the trend... K in both of those ferts. so i wouldnt dose K2so4 for K, you should be getting enough with your nitrate and phosphate.dosing
 
Ok but dosing extra k2so4 isnt going to do any harm... overdosing sulphur and potassium is ok.

My 14 gallon tank has

1 Sparkling Gourami
3 Rasboras
3 Cardinal Tetra
5 Adult Platy
4 Baby Platy
3 Octocinclus
 
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