Risk of EI without WC

[winston77]

How long can I not do WC if I follow the EI dosing regime?

Currently I am on a 40G dosing.

So far, i noticed that 3 weeks is still fine, albeit doing topping up of water due to evaporation.

Winston

[tcampbell]

No guarenteed time. Though the added levels will be hard on your fish, and the water change when you do do it, will only reduce the levels a small amount because of the compounded addition of ferts. And the addition of ferts after the water change wil just make levels go higher.
why risk it?
Just think if you are fish, how long would you like to stay in a bathtub of water to eat, drink, shit and piss while people add other things to the water? Give your fish a break and give them good water to live in.

water changes aren't a big deal. Yoru fish and plants will tank you in the short and long run.

[wasabi8888]

Tcampell

haahaa. I like your analogy. It's really funny... fishes really do have hard lives..

[tcampbell]

I always try and think like a fish. That is why we all got into this hobby right? We like the fish, and we like the plants. We put plants in the tanks for one of two reasons, we like the plants, or we want to make the fish happier and in a more natural environment, Why have fish if we just want to make their life hell (the LFS do that enough right?)

[winston77]

WC is a chore to me, and I wish I can do without it. Those on a low-maintenance setup dun even get to change their water at least 6mths, so I was looking at whats the limit for EI before something disastrous happens to the livestocks.

[grey_fox]

You should go for a low-maintenance setup if you find that having a water-change on a weekly basis is a chore or if you are too busy with work and other personal things. Not too sure what's the limit before your fauna should konk out from it.

That was what I did for my tank when I was preparing for my wedding and converted it to a low maintanence, I only dose once a month and just do top-ups however I plan to revert.

[KeIgO86]

EI is a concept when you do a 50% water change before dosing ferts, so that the concentration of ferts in the water will max out at 2x the amount of each single dose even if there is absolutely no uptake.

I don't think any dosing regime without water change is considerred EI. Your idea of a dosing regime is just a guessing game with the water. And unless you are correct everytime in the amount to dose and timing, your plants and fish will either be living in a chemical soup or nutrient deprived water. I agree with the others, if you find WC a chore, then go low tech.

I don't think many if at all any people can tell you like what ppms for these compounds will be the limit and anymore will kill your fish. It will take alot of test kits, time, and the lives of innocent fish and invertibrates to test and come out with the threshold concentration. Furthermore, in scientific experimenting and testing, especially in the biology field, there are many uncertainties like other factors which may contribute to the death of the fish. Thus the tests will have to be carried out many more times before confirming your "limit" of lethal fert concentration in the water.