# EI - Am I doing it right?



## thadius65 (Oct 23, 2006)

Great site. First post.

I am on week three of using Greg Watson dry ferts in my 120g. I am not dry dosing, I am using a premix (two weeks worth mixed at a time). Here is what I am doing using 500ml of bottled water for both mixes:

KNO3 - 3 tablespoons
KH2PO4 - 1 tablespoon
K2SO4 - 1 tablespoon

On Sun, Tues, Thurs I am adding 80ml of liquid to my tank

CSM+B - 1 Tablespoon
Magnesium Sulfate - 1 Tablespoon

On Mon, Wed, Fri I am adding 80ml of liquid to my tank.

Both mixes are kept in glass bottles in the fridge **Marked with skull and crossbones and kept in brown bags on the door!!

Plants are doing ok, but green algae on sides of glass and fighting BBA with Excel. I just wanted to ensure that my mixes were okay. I got the either off Greg's site (CSM mix) and

Estimative Index Dosing Guide - Aquatic Plant Central- aquascaping...a living art

(also on week 3 of CO2 with a recent addition of a DiabloCanine Reactor at 3bps as well as a Tetra UV1)

My water is not as clear as I would like. Possibly due to not running charcoal in my filters? (was told not a good thing when dosing ferts)

Any comments or corrections to my method, please let me know.

Thanks,

Ted


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Hi Ted, Welcome to APC!

Your dosing looks good. You are effectively adding with every 80 ml:

11.2 ppm of Nitrate (N)
3.2 ppm of Phosphate (P)
3.2 ppm of Potassium (K)

You can probably increase each 80 ml amount to 100 ml to hit those middle of the range areas because right now you are at the lower end of the scale.

But, to help rid your Green Spot Algae definately increase your Phosphate (P) dosage to 100 ml. This helps keep GSA away. If you're having Green dust algae problems, it seems that allowing your tank glass to be infested for 3-4 weeks and then cleaned off thereafter works in keeping the GDA away. In addition, the BBA will eventually die with your Seachem Excel attack, and by increasing your overall CO2 levels. 

The Plantex CSM+B amount also looks fine. You probably could just add about 50 ml.

The water clarity could be a result of many things, such as a new tank setup (bacteria bloom), adding too much Plantex trace (not likely), or poor filtration. Adding Carbon in your filter will help improve this clarity, but also seems to take out some of the chemicals added. So the best way to improve water clarity is to clean out the filter and pack it with filter floss, and make sure the flow is adequate throughout the tank.

-John N.


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## thadius65 (Oct 23, 2006)

John,

So bump my Sun, Tue, Thurs to 100ml, or adjust just the phosphates in that batch?

I have old (2 months, dead I am sure) charcoal still in middle compartments of fluvals, with filter floss in the bottom two. Just leaving charcoal in for additional bio-media.

Thanks,

Ted


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

You don't necessarly have to bump up N and K. If you're plants aren't showing signs of deficiencies i.e poor coloration, stunting, pinholes, then you probably can do fine at the lower ppms that you are dosing now. Otherwise if you notice any deficiencies, then bump up the N and K to 100 ml 

The one you should definately increase is Phosphates (P) to 100 ml to help deter the Green Spot Algae. 

You can replace the old carbon (charcoal) with new filterfloss and see how that has an effect on your water clarity. The filterfloss will act in tandum with your plants for biofiltration. 

-John N.


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## thadius65 (Oct 23, 2006)

Got home tonight and BAM! Talk about a lime green algae bloom. On the sides, on the driftwood. Unreal.

CO2 is somewhere between 28 and 30ppm (using Chuck's calculator and assuming a 1.5 KH and PH of 6.2 on controller).

Increased to 100ml on the following for more Phosphates:

KNO3 - 3 tablespoons
KH2PO4 - 1 tablespoon
K2SO4 - 1 tablespoon

On Sun, Tues, Thurs I am adding 80ml (100ml now) of liquid to my tank

Fresh_Newby -- you said let it go and not to disturb, so I will.

What should I alter? Add more Phosphates? 

Lighting is -- 2-36" VHOs, 1-48" VHOs, 4 screw in CFs (30watt for 2 and 20watt for other 2).

What am I doing wrong??


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## geezer (Jun 7, 2006)

are you using tablespoons or teaspoons?

I have a 95 gallon here and do 1.5 teaspoons of potassium nitrate
half teaspoon of potassium phosphate

unless i been doing it wrong all this time


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Geezer, you have it right, teaspoons if you are dry dosing, which I believe you are doing. Ted is making solutions and dosing 80-100 ml from his concentrations made with 1 tablespoon and 500 ml of water.

Ted, I suggest to keep dosing regularly at 80 mls of N & K, and 100 mls of P. See how that effects the algae if it's GSA. Another thing good method to cure your algae woes, try reducing the photoperiod by up to an hour. I usually find that a reducing of lighting period to about 8 hours keeps most algae at bay for me.

Edit: Depending if you are dealing with green dust algae (GDA) this poll may help.

-John N.


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## geezer (Jun 7, 2006)

John N. said:


> Geezer, you have it right, teaspoons if you are dry dosing, which I believe you are doing. Ted is making solutions and dosing 80-100 ml from his concentrations made with 1 tablespoon and 500 ml of water.
> 
> Ted, I suggest to keep dosing regularly at 80 mls of N & K, and 100 mls of P. See how that effects the algae if it's GSA. Another thing good method to cure your algae woes, try reducing the photoperiod by up to an hour. I usually find that a reducing of lighting period to about 8 hours keeps most algae at bay for me.
> 
> ...


ooops sorry, didn't see the part about him doing solutions!

thanks for that GDA link too, i've been suffering with it lately


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

If I've calculated correctly, you've got a total of 196w of light over that tank, with 100 of those watts coming from screw in spiral CFs?

At 196w you're at 1.6wpg and I'd say you actually have less than that given the latent inefficiencies of the spiral CFs...

This is the very low end of lighting so I don't think you need nearly that amount of ferts...

Unless I've got the lighting calcs all wrong!


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## thadius65 (Oct 23, 2006)

Here is the lighting detail:

IceCap 430
2-36" VHO AquaSun -- 95wX2=190watts
1-48" VHO Aquasun -- 110wx1=110watts
2 - 30w daylight bulbs (CF "cinabun") - 30wX2/2=30watts (assuming 50% effeciency)
2 - 20w daylight bulbs (CF U-shaped) - 20wX2/2-20watts (again assuming 50%)

So, 350 total watts in a 120Gallon = around 3WPG.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

Yep, I got my lighting calcs all wrong!


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## thadius65 (Oct 23, 2006)

Here are the nasty pics:










Same corner as above a few weeks ago (prior to ferts)









More pics from today:


















Thoughts??

Thanks,

Ted


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## thadius65 (Oct 23, 2006)

Bump ... for any recommendations?


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