[SpaceLord]

I think I may have dosed too much FE-EDDHA iron supplement and my water looks like its tea color.

I can't even see the fish its so dark.

I am wondering if this will eventually settle to the bottom of the tank and get trapped inside the eco-complete or if this will keep floating around in the tank so I might be forced to do a water change.

What do you think?

 

[MtAnimals]

I would do a 50% change in any case...If nothing else,it'll thin it out,and perhaps start bleeding out whatever adsorbed onto the eco.

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi SpaceLord,

CaribSea Eco Complete is comprised of lava rock and likely has a CEC somewhere be 15 and 40 which is pretty good. That said, it is likely the substrate has already become saturated with as much iron as it can hold and what is floating in your water column is 'excess'. Too much iron can cause iron toxicity in plants. I would agree with MtAnimals, do a 50% water change and watch your dosing in the future.

 

[AWolf]

Not sure, but chelated anything probably won't be absorbed by substrates. Only positive charged will be picked up and held by CEC action in substrates??? I remember another recent thread: @dukydaf

What nutrients will be taken up by the substrate?
Now here is the real question. This will also answer your question if it possible to fertilize in large doses based on the belief that the substrate will take up the nutrients.
When we talk about the soil releasing and taking up nutrients we are referencing the soil CEC (cation exchange capacity) and AEC( anion exchange capacity). The AEC soil capacity is mostly covered by hydroxyls but under acid soil pH it can be a source of H2PO4-
Thus the main interaction relates to CEC, exchanging Ca(2+) Na+ K+ for H+ (mostly).
This is all fine for cations (have a positive charge). However our fertilizer also have NO3- , PO4(3-) which will not interact with CEC but will remain in the water column until consumed.
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So I believe any chelated nutrients would be only available in the water column.

This is why I precharged my coir with only Calcium Nitrate, Potassium Chloride (Muriate of Potash), Dolomite and Epsom (MgSO4). I'll add fully chelated iron, Mn, Phosphorus, Boron, zinc, through my tap water and supplements once or twice a month....depending on how the plants look. Manganese is my latest research. It needs to be in there too, but carefully, because too much will bind up iron.

Just FYI: http://blog.nutri-tech.com.au/trace-element-essentials/