That my friend is not PPS
Test kits are far far far from the exclusive domain of PPS and if you read that whole thing, it almost sounds like Edward invented using testing kits to dose planted tanks.

Clearly that's not the case.

You do water changes, you dose, you use test kits.
This is much more in accordance with the old version:

References

1997-1998

This pre dates PPS by 8-10 years.
PPS has a Excel chart to enter the data.
PPS suggest calibration of test kits(Seldom done by many users)
PPS suggest no water changes are needed.
None of these methods are the exclusive domain of PPS.

It's the same stuff with a new name.
Folks do not have to do water changes, but they do help and they are very effective at resetting a tank. Every winning scaper I've met/well known scaper does them, a lot of them and frequently.

I can eyeball a tank for many weeks without using test kits by watching the plants, they are much much better to watch and look at than a test kit reading. Most experts will tell you the same.

Think about that for awhile.
Spend your time doing that, scaping, gardening, or testing? I've learned a lot more by watching plants in my successes than watching test kits.

Regards,
Tom Barr

perhaps you could lead me to the post/site that has the PPS dosing reg contrasted with the EI approach. I have been keeping plants for some time but I have never really dosed by a certain outlined regimen. Yes I test, but I'm definitely consumed by testing. I agree that the plants and algae tell the whole story if you know what to look for. But I would like to read the 2 regimens. Makes for good throne reading material

I also would love to see some scaping ideas with detailed layouts ect. is there a site that ppl share these? I don't expect Amano or yourself to pour every scape you have done but it would be nice to see some tanks with the scape layout and try one myself.

As of right now, I have plants in my tank, but would love the challenge of a nice scape. The next thing would be to try and find the plants here in Canada.

Cheers.

Ziggy.

The last line holds the greatest truth ! The 3 biggest hurdles to get over are Apathy, Guilt, and Over Compensation. Folks don't pay attention for any number of reasons but almost always over react creating yet another wide swing in Water Quality perpetuating a cycle of instability. This is not the best hobby for Co-dependants ! LOL.

Regular maintenance and W/C's are the key to long term success. If A person is prone to neglect the system they should be realistic and stock with a basic Dutch method and be patient. Even neglect is O.K. as long as you're reliable !

50% of the test kits sold merely enable the Masocist...

I dose micros the day after a WC because I figure I get enough Macro's from my tap water. So I guess it would depend on each persons situation.