Fun with water changes (or, more stoopid newbie mistakes)

[chris_todd]

If you've read my sig, you know I'm still making stoopid newbie mistakes, but that someday, someday, I will stop making them. On that day, all the plants and animals in my tanks will rejoice, and praise my graduation to the ranks of the knowledgable and experienced. On that day, I will rejoice that my plants and animals no longer curse my ignorance. And on that day, you will all rejoice that I no longer ask stoopid noob questions!

That day... is not today.

I just finished doing an 80% water change on my 20 high because I dosed it with 10 ml of Excel, when I should have dosed 2 ml. It could have been worse, though; I was on my way to dosing 20 ml when I realized, half way through, the mistake I was making. See, Amy and I had been talking about using a 10:1 dilution of Excel, to make it easier to dose our nanos. That thought was still in my mind when I calculated the dose I needed.

I will shortly be making up dosing cheat-sheets and taping them to the front of each tank, so I will no longer have to think when dosing, I will just have to measure.

[Jeff120]

Over dosing that much excel wouldnt hurt anything. Just dont do it to often

[SCMurphy]

Over dosing that much excel wouldn't hurt anything. Just don't do it to often

It would make for some grumpy BBA, but no one would care about that.

[RTRJR]

You mean that experienced hobbyists are supposed to be immune from stupid mistakes?

Is that humanly possible? If I was supposed to learn that somewhere along the line, I missed out...

[Judi]

Someday I'll tell you about my Biospira, water changes, and leaking tanks adventure. Maybe you won't feel so stupid then.

By the way, I don't dilute the Excel to dose my nanos. I just use a 1ml dropper (a syringe would also work). I have seen no ill effects from using up to 1ml daily in a 2.5 gallon.

[jcali10]

1 ml is the recommended dosage for 10 gallons of water, and 20 drops is approx 1 ml; so I dose 5 drops of Flourish Iron and Comprehesive and 15 drops of Excel daily in my 2.5 g nano. I like to give my plants a little extra organic carbon.

My Endlers, A. nana petite, HC, and Lobelia Cardinalis (small form) are doing well, almost no algae and breeding Endlers.