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Can I add iron to both micro and macro mix?

6K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  audioaficionado 
#1 ·
Yo, I'm told that one should dose iron daily, but I have everything on timers, going in via 2 peristaltic pumps, EI style.

Micro is currently Flourish (diluted down with water to correct dosage, excel added to stop mold)

Macro is KNO3 and KH2PO4.

Can I add seachem iron to both mixes so that iron is dosed daily instead of every other day?
 
#2 ·
Dosing Iron

Hello zav...

You don't need to go to the expense of dosing macro nutrients. If you change half the tank water every week and feed your fish a balanced diet, then you're providing all the macros needed.

The macro nutrients are needed in large quantities, while the micros are sufficient in smaller amounts. That works well, because the macros are replenished by large and frequent water changes and from the fish wastes. So, that's the reason for a varied diet for your fish.

The micros do need to come from a commercial source in dry, granules or liquids. Iron is one of the micro nutrients.

Hope that makes a little sense.

B
 
#3 ·
Hello zav...

You don't need to go to the expense of dosing macro nutrients. If you change half the tank water every week and feed your fish a balanced diet, then you're providing all the macros needed.

The macro nutrients are needed in large quantities, while the micros are sufficient in smaller amounts. That works well, because the macros are replenished by large and frequent water changes and from the fish wastes. So, that's the reason for a varied diet for your fish.

The micros do need to come from a commercial source in dry, granules or liquids. Iron is one of the micro nutrients.

Hope that makes a little sense.

B
BBradbury,How can you make this statement without knowing anything about his tank????

To answer your question, Zavikan, you can dose iron daily. You just can't mix it with kh2po4. Doing so will form iron phosphates which are useless to our plants and a waste of ferts, so to speak. It could also make your water cloudy...

What you could do is add the iron to your micro mix and dose half of your normal dose daily.

This is what I do anyways... Works great actually.

Hope that helps!
 
#6 ·
Iron added with mono potassium phosphate (KH2PO4) will cause the precipitation of both iron and phosphates, removing both from water column, as they react forming insoluble salts. ALso (needs to be confirmed) I suspect these precipitated salts to form the film on the surface of the water. As it seems every time I add iron and phosphates without sufficient time interval in between I get the surface covered with the thick layer of some substance. It might be just a biofilm, or something else, however. Anybody else is observing this kind of thing?
 
#8 ·
You can add chelated iron and mono phosphate on the same day, but just don't add them both as concentrates at the same time in the same feed line.

@BBradbury, you seem to have substituted your tank keeping philosophy with the stated needs of the OP.
 
#9 ·
So I am not crazy!?..... :hihi:

After reading BBradbury's post again, I was even more confused....:icon_eek:

Mods, can you please look into BBradbury? I have a feeling that he may be a troll.
 
#10 ·
BBradbury isn't a troll. Just keeps giving out his/her philosophical leanings and experiences with BBradbury's own tanks.

There's many different ways to build a planted tank system depending on the goals. BBradbury's ways work well for his/her setup, but not for most of us IMHO.

I really think BBradbury means well.
 
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