Anyone out there use Seachem iron in their tanks? I think my plants especially the s

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Yes, I've used it.

Planted tanks with pH's higher than 6.5 should get a dose of Flourish Iron (ferrous gluconate) daily to allow proper plant uptake. Or DTPA Iron. Assuming large weekly water changes of course.
 
I use this almost every day. I bought the iron tester so at first I kept checking for both the chelated and non-chelated types. Initially I tested my tap water so I knew where I was starting. My plants absorb all of this iron every day and I’ve never had any problems. My purplish sword fern now has color and the greens on my plants are nice and green. No harm to fish.
 
Yes, I've used it.

Planted tanks with pH's higher than 6.5 should get a dose of Flourish Iron (ferrous gluconate) daily to allow proper plant uptake. Or DTPA Iron. Assuming large weekly water changes of course.
Will plants uptake iron in 8.4 pH?
 
pH < 6.5 EDTA Iron (CSM+B)
pH 6.5-7.5 DTPA Iron (DTPA 11% Iron)
pH > 7.5 / any pH ferrous gluconate DAILY minimum every other day. (Seachem Iron)
I've seen iron dosing pop up a couple times recently. As you know, I have low light plants and I've never dosed iron. The plants are doing well. Are they getting their iron from the tap or do they need it at all if I'm using fertilizer?
 
I've seen iron dosing pop up a couple times recently. As you know, I have low light plants and I've never dosed iron. The plants are doing well. Are they getting their iron from the tap or do they need it at all if I'm using fertilizer?

What are you currently dosing?

How MUCH, how OFTEN and into how MUCH water?

Water change schedule?

Iron from your tap is likely enough to supply low light, low tech plants.

My low tech tank see's quite a lot from EDTA Iron (from CSM+B) but my pH is over 8 so it's virtually all NOT plant available. Am I seeing deficiencies? Yes... Am I lazy and have NOT mixed up a new batch of Micro's (Using either DTPA or Seachem) also yes...

My high tech tank runs a pH @ 7.2 degassed and 6.0 with CO2 and sees 4 x weekly shots of 0.15ppm from DTPA Iron 11% and another 0.05ppm from Flourish Iron. Mon, Tues, Thur, Sat. 70% water change on Sun or Mon.
 
I got low light plants. I just dose thrive at the recommended 1 pump per 10 gallons. I do one water change between 40-50% a week.
 
I got low light plants. I just dose thrive at the recommended 1 pump per 10 gallons. I do one water change between 40-50% a week.

While a daily dose of Flourish Iron will likely benefit your tank, using Thrive as per directed should be enough to fulfill the low light plants at your pH.
 
They seem to be ok but was wondering if it was necessary to use iron for long term health of the plants or fuller/bigger growth. Thanks Z.
 
They seem to be ok but was wondering if it was necessary to use iron for long term health of the plants or fuller/bigger growth. Thanks Z.

Plants require all 16 essential elements in the correct amounts to grow to there fullest potential.

Oxygen - From CO2, H2O and O2
Hydrogen - From H2O
Carbon - From CO2 (injected or ambient or atmospheric)

Macro Nutrients:
Nitrogen - From N cycle, fertilizers
Phosphorus - From fish waste, fertilizers
Potassium - From fish waste, fertilizers

Micro Nutrients:
Iron - Tapwater, fertilizers
Manganese - Tapwater, fertilizers
Boron - Tapwater, fertilizers
Zinc - Tapwater, fertilizers
Molybdenum - Tapwater, fertilizers
Copper - Tapwater, fertilizers
Nickel - Tapwater, fertilizers

If you can supply the plants with these elements, in plant available form, at correct levels, your plants will benefit the most from them.

Thrive contains all of these nutrients at levels that are considered adequate. I believe it is based around EI dosing w/ a minimum 50% weekly water change. But, at your pH Iron will precipitate out and form compounds that plants cannot uptake. So, in your case, an Iron Gluconate product such as Flourish Iron would be of benefit. But, Gluconate breaks down / metabolized by bacteria quickly in the water forming plant unavailable compounds so it needs to be preferably dosed daily. Plants can rapidly uptake Gluconate, so if dosed every day to every-other day the plants will have their Iron needs correctly met.

Usually Fe doses should fall in and around the 0.15ppm 3 times a week up to daily. A decent starting point is 0.1ppm daily Flourish Iron -- 0.4mL / 10 gallons.
 
Z the mad scientist. Lol. Thanks again man. I'll get some flourish and try it out.
 
Although I can't recall atm, anyone know which additives can't be added at the same time as iron is dosed?

Which kind of Iron?

I currently have DTPA 11% Iron mixed in with:
B ( H3BO3)
Cu (CuSO4.5H2O)
Mn (MnSO4.H2O)
Mo (Na2MoO4*2H2O)
Ni (NiSO4.6H2O)
Zn (ZnSO4.7H2O)

No issues dosing all at once.

I dose my NPK 66% after a weekly water change and then the last 33% mid week, no issues at all.

Seachem did say in an email that their products are to be stored in there original solution (not mixed in with other solutions) but they can certainly be dosed on the same day as other compounds.
 
Plants require all 16 essential elements in the correct amounts to grow to there fullest potential.

Oxygen - From CO2, H2O and O2
Hydrogen - From H2O
Carbon - From CO2 (injected or ambient or atmospheric)

Macro Nutrients:
Nitrogen - From N cycle, fertilizers
Phosphorus - From fish waste, fertilizers
Potassium - From fish waste, fertilizers

Micro Nutrients:
Iron - Tapwater, fertilizers
Manganese - Tapwater, fertilizers
Boron - Tapwater, fertilizers
Zinc - Tapwater, fertilizers
Molybdenum - Tapwater, fertilizers
Copper - Tapwater, fertilizers
Nickel - Tapwater, fertilizers

If you can supply the plants with these elements, in plant available form, at correct levels, your plants will benefit the most from them.

Thrive contains all of these nutrients at levels that are considered adequate. I believe it is based around EI dosing w/ a minimum 50% weekly water change. But, at your pH Iron will precipitate out and form compounds that plants cannot uptake. So, in your case, an Iron Gluconate product such as Flourish Iron would be of benefit. But, Gluconate breaks down / metabolized by bacteria quickly in the water forming plant unavailable compounds so it needs to be preferably dosed daily. Plants can rapidly uptake Gluconate, so if dosed every day to every-other day the plants will have their Iron needs correctly met.

Usually Fe doses should fall in and around the 0.15ppm 3 times a week up to daily. A decent starting point is 0.1ppm daily Flourish Iron -- 0.4mL / 10 gallons.
So I looked on my bottle of Thrive and it contains .25ppm of Fe per 10 gallons/1 pump. So I'm currently dosing .75 ppm Fe once a week in my 29g which probably actually contains around 25-26 gallons of water with everything I have in it. My tap water is around .05ppm iron. Do you think that's sufficient or would I need to supplement more iron?
 
So I looked on my bottle of Thrive and it contains .25ppm of Fe per 10 gallons/1 pump. So I'm currently dosing .75 ppm Fe once a week in my 29g which probably actually contains around 25-26 gallons of water with everything I have in it. My tap water is around .05ppm iron. Do you think that's sufficient or would I need to supplement more iron?

Hard to say, it depends on how hard your driving growth vs how fast the plants are actually growing vs your water change schedule vs your pH.

I supply 0.15ppm 4 x per week from DTPA 11% (good up to pH 7.5) plus another 0.05ppm 4x from Flourish Iron.

I'm 50 / 50 on dosing micros and macros on the same days. Sometimes I do, and other times I don't. Just depends how much life gets in the way. But, you're limited to Thrive, and @ 0.75ppm Fe per week, that should be enough, more ideal would be to break up that dose into smaller doses throughout the week, but you cannot because of the all-in-one Thrive.

No issue, I don't think you'll need to change much with what you're currently doing.
 
I understand that. I can't spread out the thrive either.......say, 1 pump three times a week because I would be short on the micros and macros.

Thanks for your time Z.
 
Back
Top Bottom