[rick dale]

I just read that seachem iron has a very short life in an aquarium. Anyone know if this is true. Should I use it in my planted tank or use another type of iron? I am new to dosing iron.

 

[Solcielo lawrencia]

You dose per instructions. It's ferrous sulfate and is readily used by plants.

 

[Zorfox]

It's true that Seachem Flourish iron will not last as long as chelated forms such as EDTA or DTPA. That does not mean Flourish iron can't be used. It will simply be necessary to dose more frequently.

Flourish iron is Ferrous Gluconate. EDTA and DTPA are the abbreviations for the chelating agents used. Both EDTA and DTPA are a mixture of ferric iron and the chelate.

Basic iron will only remain stable in a typical aquarium for minutes or even less. This is why we see different forms of iron being used. PH plays a role as well. Iron supplements typically degrade faster the higher the PH goes. So in high PH tanks DTPA would be a better option since it provides the strongest "protection" for the iron. EDTA would be the next and finally Ferrous gluconate.

All three will provide iron. It's a matter of varying levels of availability to the plants. An anaolgy of Ferrous gluconate being a fast acting medication versus DTPA iron being a time released medication. Both have advantages and disadvantages. For this reason a combination would be favorable IMO.

 

[rick dale]

iron

So , what brands of iron do you recommend. And how do I dose them in a 55 gal medium planted tank using excel with no co2.

 

[Absntmind]

I use Seachem Iron in a 55 gallon and it works great. Easiest way to tell how much to dose is paying close attention to your plants. I started dosing iron every three days once I noticed new leaves where pale on several plants. I increased the frequency a little each week until I saw improvement and found a rough sweet spot.

Since requirements vary depending on several factors (plants, lighting, water source) it's much easier to be patient, learn what to look for, and slowly increase dosage. I now dose seachem iron three times a week and consider my tank light-moderately planted.

 

[Chris_Produces]

I use Seachem iron. Only thing bad is the more frequent dosing/amounts of dose. I'm switching to dry after I finish this bottle I'm using now.

 

[Zorfox]

So , what brands of iron do you recommend. And how do I dose them in a 55 gal medium planted tank using excel with no co2.

I personally use Plantex CSM + B with DTPA 11% at a ratio of 3:1. Plantex uses EDTA iron.

If you already have Flourish Iron I would certainly use it. It's difficult to suggest another regime without knowing what else you dose with.

I would use 1/3 of the full EI dose for the Plantex/DTPA mixture three times per week. That will provide the results below.

Fe 0.167 ppm
Mg 0.024 ppm
dGH 0.005 ppm
Cu 0.002 ppm
B 0.013 ppm
Mn 0.032 ppm
Mo 0.001 ppm
Zn 0.006 ppm



(x1) Plantex CSM+B 350.719 mg (approximately 1/16 teaspoons)
(x1) DTPA Fe (11%) 107.254 mg (approximately 1/32 teaspoons)


The levels above are for a 55 gallon tank using a dry dosing method.

Derived from this Windows based calculator.