Will plants uptake iron in 8.4 pH?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?
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?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 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.
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.
Although I can't recall atm, anyone know which additives can't be added at the same time as iron is dosed?
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?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?