Quote:
Originally Posted by michika
"Cheap"? Right...cheap is relative don't forget.
Per the Brightwell page for dosing instructions; high nutrient is 5mL/25g for the first two weeks, then you switch to the low nutrient dosing levels which is 5mL/50g. Currently my tank has a volume of 600g, soon to be about 750g. Using the 600g number on a large tank like mine I'd be dosing in EXCESS of 120mL/day at the initial dosing recommendation and then about 60mL/day. A 2L bottle is $40.10 at JL (excluding shipping and taxes). A 2L bottle will last me 16.66 days at the high nutrient dosing amount. The lower dosing would last a little more then a month; 36.36 days. Therefor I could expect to have a fixed monthly cost of $40 + shipping & taxes. That isn't particularly economic. Add in the fix costs of running your tank (utilities, food, salt, etc.) and you can be easily paying out a large monthly cost for your hobby enjoyment. |
Catherine, was just wondering further how my costs with a 230g system are only $20/year, while you were looking at $40/ mo with a 600g system. The Brightwell instructions state no more than 5 ml/50g/week (not per day) for a stable, low nutrient system. So, if I do the math on your tank, the costs should be less than $80 for a full year.
And remember these are seed bacteria, so Brightwell says this dosage can be decreased by a further 50% over time to maintain a stable, low nutrient system. I think this means that you need to keep your nitrates and phosphates low. But even with your very large 600g system, your costs could be less than $40 per year. So again, I do consider that cheap, considering all the benefits (not just cyano prevention) that MB7 provides.