# Newbie seeks help with EI



## humpty (May 5, 2005)

Hi newbie here and was hoping Tom would be willing to give me a starting point with EI for my 55 Gal tank. Here are the particulars:

55 Gallon tank medium/heavy planted (not too tall yet).
Pressurized Co2 with Ph controller.
220 watts of lighting but only half counts (other half is still actinic) 
10 hr light cycle
Ph 7.4, 16 dKh, 16 dGH, 20 ppm Co2 
10-12 ppm No3, .1 ppm Po4, 0 Fe that I can measure.
0 No2, 0 NH3 
Lighter fish load with 11 fish at maybe 15" total length.

I have everything from Greg Watson for Ferts, and have been using the CSM+B as a trace at the flourish bottle level. Otherwise I am a little confused for the Macros and what to start out at.

Tank has been up for 8 months or so and is working ok, plant growth is slow but they are growing, a little algae but not unmanageable yet.

TIA,

humpty


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Humpty,

I'm not Tom but I'm prety sure he will tell you to bump of the CO2 to around 30ppm. You should also tell us how your tank is stocked plant wise, sparse, medium, or densly planted. The first pic is sparsely planted, the second is medium and the third is densely planted. It will be a big help in determining your fertilizer needs especially once you get those actinics replaced.


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## humpty (May 5, 2005)

I can bump up the Co2 that's not a problem. I guess that my tank is maybe medium planted.

humpty


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## Praxx42 (Mar 4, 2005)

Also, as I have previously noted with EI, it's important to know how much water is actually *in* your tank, as opposed to the listed amount. Driftwood and substrate displace water, and you want to add enoguh chems to come up to a certain density.

For instance, I too am running a 55, but it only has 30 gallons of water in it. I add enough ferts and CO2 to run 30 gallons, not 55. If I were to does for 55 gallons of water, the ferts would be a bit stronger and could *possibly* open up a path for algae to grow.

Just a thought. I've noticed this about EI, in water volumes ranging from 15 gallons to 150. If you dose for the *size* of the tank and not the *actual volume,* you're likely to have too much fertilizer in the water column.


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## Praxx42 (Mar 4, 2005)

Wow, Mat, how did you keep that lotus from growing any higher in that middle image? I used to keep a blue/green lotus, but I had to constantly train and trim the sucker to keep it only 12" tall!


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Praxx42 said:


> Wow, Mat, how did you keep that lotus from growing any higher in that middle image? I used to keep a blue/green lotus, but I had to constantly train and trim the sucker to keep it only 12" tall!


I think it may have to do with the lighting, but I'm not sure. I have an All-Glass Triple Tube Strip Light (NO flourescents) on the front of my tank. I can't seem to grow Pearlweed vertically in the tank! The plant stays compact like it is in the picture for usually several months. When the leaves start to grow up, either due to a decrease in lighting or increase in shading from other plants, I just remove all of the bigger leaves. That seems to keep in fairly compact. If it gets too gangly looking, I just trim it back to just a few leaves. Has worked for me several times now.


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

humpty said:


> Hi newbie here and was hoping Tom would be willing to give me a starting point with EI for my 55 Gal tank. Here are the particulars:
> 
> 55 Gallon tank medium/heavy planted (not too tall yet).
> Pressurized Co2 with Ph controller.
> ...


As suggested, add more CO2, 30ppm is a good target.

Add KH2PO4, aboput 1/16-1/8th teaspoon range 3x a week
KNO3 add 1/2 teaspoon 3x a week(you will not need any more than this)
10mls of traces 3x a week at sometime other than the Macro nutrient dosing(give a few hours in between or the following day etc).
As you increase fish load, the routine will likely stay the same since the plant biomass will also grow in.

50% weekly water change is a good default, but you can often go longer without water changes once the tank is doing well and good plant biomass.

The main thing holding the tank back:
CO2 and especially PO4.

I'd add a tad less than these recommendations till you get decent lights for the other 110 w. You can turn on both sets for say 4-5 hours and then leave the 110w on for 10-11hours also. Reduces heat, growth rates, electric cost, bulb replacement.

I'd stagger the lights to have one come on say 10am till 4pm and then the other bank come on at noon and shut off at 5-6pm.

The lamps would only be on 4-6 hours a day, so they should last perhaps 5-7 years and reduce electric cost vs going full blast 12 hours a day at 220w.

More light is not better in most cases unless you are under ~1.5w/gal with CO2 although I ahve done well with 1 w/gal of PC lighting.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## humpty (May 5, 2005)

Thank you all VERY much! =D> 
I will get moving on it now!


humpty


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## shalu (Oct 1, 2004)

plantbrain said:


> I'd stagger the lights to have one come on say 10am till 4pm and then the other bank come on at noon and shut off at 5-6pm.


Tom, you don't ever need to look at the tank in the evening?  My timer comes on in the afternoon till about mid night when I go to bed.


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## humpty (May 5, 2005)

Tom you said teaspoons right? If you meant that I will have to weigh it I don't have anything that goes that small, I go down to fractional tablespoons only.

humpty


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## humpty (May 5, 2005)

Never mind, I forgot about a little thing called math!  

humpty


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

humpty said:


> Tom you said teaspoons right? If you meant that I will have to weigh it I don't have anything that goes that small, I go down to fractional tablespoons only.
> 
> humpty


Easy, take a 1/4 teaspoon and divide it in 1/2 for 1/8th, or 4 equal parts for 1/16ths.

Get a good look at that, then add about that each time later.
You are fairly accurate at this, if you are off a tad, it will not make a difference truthfully. The differences tend to average out.

You can have the lights come on at 2pm and off at 8pm and the other bank come on at 5-11pm if you prefer.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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