It isn't necessary to keep the pH absolutely constant. It isn't pH variations that harm the livestock, but big changes in hardness may harm them. Most of us doing EI fertilizing routinely change 50% and more of the water every week or so, and I can't recall reading where anyone has had fish or shrimp problems as a result. Those water changes will always cause at least temporary pH changes, because tap water often has lots of dissolved CO2 in it, plus phosphates added by the water company to keep the pH above 7 and avoid eroding copper piping.

Just don't dump in a big load of GH or KH raising chemicals all at once. This isn't likely to ever be a problem for you, with your use of a constant supply of eggshell and cuttlebone.

Thanks Vaughn, it's tough breaking away from the thought process that pH changes can do a lot of damage. I used to have a reef tank and I was always watching it for changes or crashes.

I originally planned to do the EI dosing every 3 days, but realized the goal is to dose 3 times per week. If I do Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, with water changes on Saturday is that ok? I'd do the WC and then dose after filling it up with fresh water. That should be fine, right?

You can dose with a lot of different combinations of days. For example, I dose every day, both the macro and the micro nutrients. And, I change about 10% of the water every day, with a constant dripping flow in and out of the tank. You can dose twice a week, if you wish, but the amounts added that way mean you have to wait several hours between dosing macro nutrients and the iron containing micro nutrients. Or, as I did for awhile, you can dose macros every other day and micros on the other days, changing water when ever it fits your schedule, but about once a week. It is far from an exact science.

By the way, keep any mixed solutions in the refrigerator, it will prevent fungus from growing at least for a while.

It's been a week and things are looking good, at least nothing has died. Though I didn't expect any losses really.

I've been dosing the amounts I posted last and have been dry dosing the macros. For the trace, I made a small batch with water and am storing it in the fridge. I have been dosing both macros and trace on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I dose in the am around the time lights go on. On Saturdays I dose after my 50% water change. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I dose excel 3ml each day. On Saturdays after the water change I dose 3 capfuls (15 ml) after the 50% water change as specified on the directions.

When I dose the macros and trace I add them in to different sides of the tank, from my understanding mixing them in the tank is fine, the precipitate Iron if mixed together in concentrated form.

My main tank has some good looking growth, though honestly I am not noticing any vast difference yet. My 10 gallon yellow shrimp tank is showing definite growth. My mini water lettuce and hornwort have grown very noticeably since last week. I can't wait for a month of this to see what happens.