Dosing Calculator
| This calculator helps you make a fertiliser solution that is used to
dose your tank by calculating the ppm (mg/l) value for a given amount of
solution added. |
| How To Use |
| |
| 1. Enter your tank volume and select either Litres, UK Gallons or US
Gallons. |
| 2. Select the nutrient you wish to use and from the chemical it is
obtained. |
| 3. Enter the amount of the chemical that is to be added to the
solution and also if you are using Grams, Teaspoons or Tablespoons. This
may require a bit of trial and error to achieve the desired ppm figure.
Remember that only so much of a chemical can be added to a given amount
of water - see table below for the amounts. |
| 4. Enter the amount of water that is going to be used for the
fertiliser solution. |
| 5. Enter how much solution you wish to add to the tank in each dose.
Some people like to add small amounts at a time like 2ml whilst others
like to add large amouts like 50ml. The choice is yours. |
| 6. Click the 'Calculate' button to display the ppm value. This
is the amount that the selected nutrient will raise your tank level by. |
| |
| nb. The calculator can also be used if you dose dry chemicals by putting a
value of 1 in both the 'Amount of water to mix with' and 'Each ml of
solution..' fields. |
| What ppm Values Do I Need |
| |
| What amount of nutrient you wish to add depends on your dosing
schedule but if dosing Estimative Index then here is a general guide: |
| 8ppm of Nitrate which is added 3x a week |
| 2ppm of Phosphate which is added 3x a week |
| Notes |
| |
| Teaspoon quantities |
I have calculated the amount of each chemical by weighing the amount
using a standard teaspoon (5ml) which is available from most kitchen
stores. Depending on where you obtain your chemicals from you may get
slightly different weights. I get all mine from
Aqua Essentials.
Here are the weights I have used for each chemical using one teaspoon:
| Potassium Nitrate |
6.0g |
| Potassium Phosphate |
6.6g |
| Potassium Sulphate |
5.1g |
| Magnesium Sulphate |
5.1g |
| Calcium Sulphate |
4.1g |
(nb.The tablespoon amount is calculated by multiplying the teaspoon
amount by 3)
|
| |
| Solubility's In Water |
There are limits on how much of a salt can be dissolved
in water. As this limit is reached it becomes increasingly difficult to
dissolve more. If you are experiencing difficulties in dissolving any of
the salts then try doubling the amount of water it is dissolved in.
Below are the maximum solubility's of the various chemicals used in the
calculator.
| Potassium Nitrate |
36g per 100ml |
| Potassium Phosphate |
22g per 100ml |
| Potassium Sulphate |
11.1g per 100ml |
| Magnesium Sulphate |
25.5g per 100ml |
| Calcium Sulphate |
0.24g per 100ml |
|
| |
This page was last updated 16th May 2008
