# EI for ADA AS



## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

I have an ADA AS on my 29 Gallon, im wondering if i do still need to dose EI Dosing?, it seems that my plants are doing fine without dosing, im just afraid that algae may start once i dose ferts


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Dose ferts so that your ADA AS won't get "exhausted" too quickly.


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

That's what I read too, but how much should one EI?


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## John P. (Nov 24, 2004)

ADA suggests dosing only Potassium until the tank is mature.


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## MrSanders (Mar 5, 2006)

I just re-did my 75 with AS and PS, Knowing what was suggested the first week and a half or so I was doing about 3x water changes dosing only K after each WC. Its been set up for a few weeks now and WC's are down to 1-2 a week, plants have slowly started to show new growth, and I have been testing the water to see where I was at. Basically it appeared that there was a fair amount of N being leached into the water colum, but little to no P. 

For me I decided to rely pretty heavy on substrate ferts, I am using tropica root tabs, basically shooting to have the bulk of nutrients supplied and maintained via the substrate. But in addition to this to keep water colum levels stable, and in an effort to not exhauste the substrate to quickly, I am doing lean daily doseing of the water colum.... around 1-1.5 ppm N and about .6 ppm P, also a fair amount of K are being dosed daily. 

That being said it is working for me so far.... but choose what fits for you best, If you had luck in the past using EI, and adding an excess of ferts several times a week, and you were pleased with the way it worked, then by all means do it with your new set up. Though Im not really sure you would need such excess with such a nutrient substrate


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

yeah, I read about only dosing potassium too.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

i think for now, i need to dose half of the recommend dosing. what do you think, or i should buy those Brighty step from ADA


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

For my newly setup 40 gallon tank with Aquasoil, I dose the below lighter EI,1-2x a week:

*20-40 Gallon Aquariums *
+/- ¼ tsp KN03
+/- 1/16 tsp KH2P04
+/- 1/16 tsp Trace Elements

Then a 50% bi-monthly water change. Plants have been responding very well with no stunting, new growth, and good coloration all around.

-John N.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

oh yeah, how about the fish? i though the safe way is to WC every week. Right now i dose K.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

It's a large tank, so fish don't seem to care either way. Every two weeks do a waterchange.

-John N.


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## Salt (Apr 5, 2005)

In my mind, ADA fertilizers *are* essentially EI dosing.

For a high light tank for example, they recommend *daily dosing* of Step 1, 2, or 3, + Brighty K, + Brighty Lights or Shade. So this is daily dosing of traces, potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorous. Pretty much exactly what EI is. (Not to mention they also recommend weekly dosing of ECA.)


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

Agree with Salt.
Right now I'm quite poor from dosing as recommended!


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

so you mean salt that EI and the ADA ferts are just the same, no need to buy the ADA ferts?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Plants have simple needs, NPK, Carbon, traces and light. If you can get cheap agricultural grade chemicals to provide any or all of the fertilizers, the plants will do just as well with them as with more expensive stuff in a bottle. Even if you are doing substrate fertilizing, and ADA aquasoil means you are, you can still use water column fertilizing to provide the plants needs. So, why not use the money you spend on expensive ADA fertilizers for something else the plants or fish need?


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

I have been dosing per EI and everything is going great! I think what Salt meant is that the idea is the same, to overdose and "reset" with water changes.


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