04-27-2011, 03:43 PM
| || |
PMDD is roughly equal to flourish, and much cheaper.
I do agree with you, that the EI is extremely time consuming. Yes, you should dose potassium phosphate. Phosphate was left out of the original, because of the rumor that it causes algae.
That's a much different recipe than I read, and doesn't seem similiar to flourish at all...
Here's the recipe I found, that chemically, is nearly identical.
into 250 ml of distilled water, add 1 TBSP of CSM +B, 1 tsp potassium nitrate, 1 tsp potassium sulphate. I'll double check when I get home.
Originally Posted by Tom Barr
Plants, not nutrients define the system and their ability to grow and flourish.
Ever seen a tank with algae and flourishing plants?
In tanks where the plants are flourishing and doing very well we see little if any algae. These tanks can seemingly have little or a great deal of nutrients, both are seen and there is a wide range observed. Why is that? Well, light and CO2 paly a rule also. Less light, less nutrients, also sediment sources can make up for seemingly low water column ppm's and poor testing can also lead to poor conclusions, as is often the case.
So sediment sources + water column dosing are synergistic, they make both methods easier.
As long as the sediment is not messy and you are not making a mess as well, then this is a good method to add to any water column dosing routine.
Less light = less CO2 demand = less nutrient demand.
Fish load also can and does add some variation as well and load of nutrients.
Plant biomass differences between tanks also play roles, and often tanks are nutrient limited which causes issues for CO2 demand(reduces the CO2 demand often several times), so if you add non limiting amounts of nutrients, then you have much more CO2 demand as result, if the CO2 is not adjusted for this, then you end up with algae, not from nutrients, rather, lack of enough CO2.
Such indirect relationships cause many to assume algae is limited by nutrients, without considering what and how the plants are affected and without regard or measure of the CO2 and light critically.
This was common decades or so ago, not so much today, but many "still cling to the past". Ironically referring to themselves as new, more evolved methods that dose less than EI etc. If you have low light, then it's not an issue, the tank is not limited by nutrients or CO2. If you have a PO4 limited tank, then you are not limiting algae, you are limiting CO2 demand from the plants.
Very poor conclusions and even worst test method/s.
You can find tanks with no PO4 measured and low limited PO4 and algae ridden. Likewise, where's my algae bloom if limited PO4 works as claimed? If this is true then I should be able to induce algae and run and high risk or a bloom if this theory is correct.
So both cases do not explain the results and observations.
Thats from the guy who (I'm pretty sure) invented EI dosing, pretty much admitting that it's unneccesary in low-light tanks. (in red).