What Are Ei Fertilizers?

Hello,
What are EI fertilizers?
I have heard people say you need to do a 30-50% water change every week,
is this true and why? since you don't have to do large water changes with normal ferts.
would you recommend EI ferts, or normal ferts.
Is Thrive a EI fert?
And can I use Thrive in low tech tanks?

Also is there any other ferts you recommend?

Thanks in advance,

 

Estimative Index (EI) Dosing

The process of slightly overdosing macro and trace nutrients daily so that plants will always have an abundance of nutrients to outcompete algae. This should be done on a tank with a heavy plantload, high lighting, and injected CO2. The 50% water change is to remove the excess at the end of the dosing cycle to start over. You dose macros and trace elements on alternating days, dosing according to the size of your tank.

If you do not have high lighting and CO2, reduce the amount of fertilizer dosed to 1/3.

EI ferts are usually dry fertilizers such Mono-potassium phosphate or Potassium sulphate. It is not possible with most liquid fertilizer supplements as you have to accurately measure specific nutrients.

 

Water changes depending on many factors. Smaller, heavily stocked tanks will require more frequent water changes than larger, sparsely stocked aquariums. recommendation is to change 10-15 percent of the water each week. If your tank is heavily stocked, bump that up to 20 percent each week. Regardless using fertilizer or not water changes should be part of regular aquarium maintenance..
I use Thrive see the direction

 

Water changes depending on many factors. Smaller, heavily stocked tanks will require more frequent water changes than larger, sparsely stocked aquariums. recommendation is to change 10-15 percent of the water each week. If your tank is heavily stocked, bump that up to 20 percent each week. Regardless using fertilizer or not water changes should be part of regular aquarium maintenance..
I use Thrive see the direction
View attachment 408725

Should I dose 1 per week if I have low tech tanks and can I still use it even though I don't use C02?

S

Estimative Index (EI) Dosing

The process of slightly overdosing macro and trace nutrients daily so that plants will always have an abundance of nutrients to outcompete algae. This should be done on a tank with a heavy plantload, high lighting, and injected CO2. The 50% water change is to remove the excess at the end of the dosing cycle to start over. You dose macros and trace elements on alternating days, dosing according to the size of your tank.

If you do not have high lighting and CO2, reduce the amount of fertilizer dosed to 1/3.

EI ferts are usually dry fertilizers such Mono-potassium phosphate or Potassium sulphate. It is not possible with most liquid fertilizer supplements as you have to accurately measure specific nutrients.

So basically I can use non EI fertilizer but overdose it will act as a EI fertilizer? Will this be the other way round if I dose 1/3 amount will act like a non EI fert?

 

S

So basically I can use non EI fertilizer but overdose it will act as a EI fertilizer? Will this be the other way round if I dose 1/3 amount will act like a non EI fert?

No, do not deliberately overdose because it's not controlled amounts of specific nutrients. You follow a dosing guide specific to the size of your tank with dry fertilizers.

 

So basically I can use non EI fertilizer but overdose it will act as a EI fertilizer? Will this be the other way round if I dose 1/3 amount will act like a non EI fert?

No, most other fertilizers will not become EI no matter how much you overdose. Flourish for example has almost no NPK macros, so no amount of overdosing will make up for it. EI is EI, it works for low tech too, and underdosing will cause it to be like a normal fert, but defeats the purpose of EI.

 

No, most other fertilizers will not become EI no matter how much you overdose. Flourish for example has almost no NPK macros, so no amount of overdosing will make up for it. EI is EI, it works for low tech too, and underdosing will cause it to be like a normal fert, but defeats the purpose of EI.

Thanks I subbed and aren't you the person who did the review on thrive on youtube?

 

Thanks I subbed and aren't you the person who did the review on thrive on youtube?

I did one comparing a lot of the common ferts, included thrive but wasn't just thrive