Sterling919

No I haven't seen those but I'll look for them now that I know about them.

LetDiceFly

I also wanted to dose daily so I converted the dose by multiplying by 3/7. I then took a plain soda bottle and measured the volume of a capful. I then calculated how many capfuls it took to fill up the bottle (that number is given on the bottle). So I added enough fertilizer (measured on a gram scale) to make up that number of doses and mixed it with water. So now I can just add a capful of liquid a day. It is much easier for me to remember to do something daily than 3x a week.

freshyleif

I just started to use dry ferts and still have some questions.
I have an 80g tank and according to the E.I. guide I should be using:
2 1/4 tsp KNO3
3/4 tsp KH2PO4
3/4 tsp CSM-B
for the whole week. My question is why can't I just take my weekly dry amounts and mix them in 1 liter bottles then divide the liter by seven and dose that way. My other question is do I still need or have a reason to use flourish excel with this. I do have pressurized co2.
I mean it seems to me that that is the point right, to keep things simple. Calculating out caps from bottles doesn't sound like my cup of tea but maybe I just think it is more work than it is.
I also don't really want to have bottles of chemicals in my fridge for long periods. I get in enough trouble for all the aquarium related item in the house as it is without having to keep things in the food area.

Sterling919

I don't get into trouble for my aquarium stuff but I have to hear remarks about it a lot of the time. But I guess a 2 1/2 gallon bucket sitting on the porch with some dead plants in it really is a problem. It's nothing like the 52 pairs of shoes in a tote sitting at the foot of the bed...that never get worn.

Or the classic "why do you need more of that, you already have it" and then go to buy more shoes when there are already 52 pairs in a tote at home. And I won't even go into the hair clips and all that junk that litter the bathroom countertop....

Anyway...I agree...I'd really fudge that up if I tried to use that method of caps. I can't seem to figure out how to just be simple enough...but that does sound good to me though. I mean just pour a capful and then be gone...I like the sound of it.


You should have to use the Excel if you have CO2 and are using dry stuff that is the micro's. Someone correct me if I am wrong but I think I'm right...hope I am anyway.

LetDiceFly

The Excel is just a alternative to CO2, if you are injecting CO2 I would recommend saving it in case you get an algae problem because it can act as a algaecide, although it isn't designed for that. Double doses of Excel can clean out a moderate algae outbreak in only a week.

A Pepsi bottle cap is about 7ml. If you use a 1 liter bottle that is 1000 ml. 7/1000 makes 140 capfuls. If you are dosing daily than that is 20 weeks worth, so if you uses the doses you calculated for a week and multiply them by 20 you should have the correct concentration.

Using your numbers below I come up with 15 tbsp KNO3 and 5 tbsp KH2PO4 to make 1 liter. The CSM-B would also be 5 tablespoons but that has to be made in a separate bottle.

freshyleif

Thank you sterling919 and letdicefly for both of your points and calculations I am mixing up my solutions today.

Sterling919

Ok, somebody help me here...

Chuck's calculator says you need to mix 11 teaspoons into 250ml of water to get a solution that will yield 1ppm @ 1 ml. The target level of KNO3 is 5ppm for a 40g tank. So you'd dose 5ml at a time to get to the 5ppm target, right?

Ok...you can not...CAN NOT dissolve 11 teaspoons of KNO3 into 250ml of water. Or atleast I can't...I shook the bottle until the Lord came here and said "just give up son". So what did I do wrong? It's not hard to figure most of it out if you use this calculator but I can't get that amount to dissolve no matter what I do.

That equation is for Nitrate in Potassium Nitrate KNO3 from the pull-down menu at the top of the calculator.

I haven't even tried anything past this. I assume I could double the water amount to 500ml and keep the 11 teaspoons and just dose 10ml instead of 5 to get to the target of 5ppm in the tank. Is that right? But that puts me in the situation that others have stated...I don't want to keep huge amounts of this stuff sitting around if it'll go bad, if I have to keep it in the fridge and considering I have two small boys. They spell trouble.

hoppycalif

Solutions of inorganic salts, like KNO3 and KH2PO4 don't go bad and don't need refrigeration. You can keep the bottles of that mix under the tank without worrying about it deteriorating.

I really like the dosing bottles that look like:


You can dose the amount the little dose container at the top holds, and the bottle then lasts for about two weeks, assuming a daily dosing schedule. I don't have any problems dissolving enough KNO3 or any other of my ferts when I use this type bottle. http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/aq...nser-16oz.html is one source for these.

Sterling919

I like the look of that too...cool idea. What I don't understand in that calculator is the selections from that drop down menu. If offers you Nitrate from KNO3 and then Potassium from KNO3. Both have different PPM target amounts and both show different PPM per ML for dosing mixed at the same amount of water. So how do get both target levels right when you are dosing two different amounts of the same product?

That is what confuses me. How do you check to see if there is enough KNO3 in the water? By testing for Nitrates? If so, then I assume since the target level in the calculator is 5ppm then you'd want your Nitrates to show 5ppm's on the test kit, right?

I assume for KH2PO4 then you'd have to buy a test kit for that if your current test kit isn't equipped with such a test, right? And then how do you know if you've got enough CSM+B in the tank...how do you test for micro's/trace elements? Another confusing thing to me.

I know using the EI method is suppose to do away with test kits so to speak. And it seems the more I read the more people just think a 50% water change in a planted tank isn't a bad idea period. I assume doing water changes is for putting trace elements back into the water among other reasons. But then how do you know to dose or not to dose the Plantex?

What I'm doing right now is 1/4 teaspoon of KNO3. Or as close to that as I can figure on my little medicine cup since it only goes down to 1/2 teaspoon, I just do about halfway to that mark. Then in the EI guide is shows that KH2PO4 and CSM+B is 5ml or 1/8th teaspoon. How can 5ml be 1/8th teaspoon? I put KH2PO4 and CSM+B at 5ml on the medicine cup...dumped everything dry into the tank. I suppose I've screwed up??

Left C

The following two charts might be helpful for knowing the solubility in water for some compounds and much more info:
http://ca.geocities.com/pps@rogers.c...nt.of.mass.htm
http://ca.geocities.com/pps@rogers.c....per.1.ppm.htm

They're from here.