Iron dosing help

[nicholas2010e]

I have chaeto in the back of my all in one and it is starting to turn white/mushy. I was looking at trying chaetogrow but after reading a lot more on it, it seems people just recommend dosing iron instead.

I have what is called easy iron from aquarium co-op (I have a freshwater tank). And was wondering if it’s safe for a reef tank. Like is all the iron supplements made the same ingredients?

it is derived from ferrous gluconate, iron dtpa, and iron edta.

 

[Impala67]

I wouldn’t because that iron is meant and has been calibrated for freshwater, if it say fresh water and saltwater use then it’s ok but from what I know I wouldn’t use it. If I were you I would buy fuval marine iron supplement it works fantastic!!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

No, not all iron supplements are the same.

That one is OK, IMO,

I generally recommend a DIY using Fergon tablets from a drug store.

 

[ReefSentinel]

No, not all iron supplements are the same.

That one is OK, IMO,

I generally recommend a DIY using Fergon tablets from a drug store.

Hi Randy,
Just wondering if you could advise on the following.
Have a similar issue
Chaeto was growing very well for first 3mths or so than I harvested 50% and it seems to be dying off, there are some new growth but not like it was growing. P03/P04 is still present.

Wondering if iron is a possible issue.

In Australia I can’t purchase Fergon Tables, just wondering if ferrous sulfate is ok.

https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/4776/ferro-grad-30-tablets?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpfiRlZ3j9QIVMZVLBR323wB2EAQYDSABEgIIOfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Thanks in advance.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Hi Randy,
Just wondering if you could advise on the following.
Have a similar issue
Chaeto was growing very well for first 3mths or so than I harvested 50% and it seems to be dying off, there are some new growth but not like it was growing. P03/P04 is still present.

Wondering if iron is a possible issue.

In Australia I can’t purchase Fergon Tables, just wondering if ferrous sulfate is ok.

https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/4776/ferro-grad-30-tablets?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpfiRlZ3j9QIVMZVLBR323wB2EAQYDSABEgIIOfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Thanks in advance.

You can get ferrous gluconate in Australia under the Perrigo brand.
Try amazon.au

Regards
Graham.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Hi Randy,
Just wondering if you could advise on the following.
Have a similar issue
Chaeto was growing very well for first 3mths or so than I harvested 50% and it seems to be dying off, there are some new growth but not like it was growing. P03/P04 is still present.

Wondering if iron is a possible issue.

In Australia I can’t purchase Fergon Tables, just wondering if ferrous sulfate is ok.

https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/4776/ferro-grad-30-tablets?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpfiRlZ3j9QIVMZVLBR323wB2EAQYDSABEgIIOfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Thanks in advance.

Macroalgae needs lots of things (like coral0 including N, P, and a bunch of trace elements. Iron and manganese are among the leading needs, it seems. Manganese can deplete in a day or two.

Ferrous sulfate is OK. It is not as soluble as the form in Fergon tablets (which is organically chelated), but it does work. It's what they used to seed the ocean in real world experiments.

 

[ReefSentinel]

You can get ferrous gluconate in Australia under the Perrigo brand.
Try amazon.au

Regards
Graham.

Thanks Graham, I will look these up.
Thanks again.

 

[JACKATTACK]

Thanks Graham, I will look these up.
Thanks again.

Hey mate did you end up finding iron supplement in Australia, im also after iron supplement in Australia

 

[ReefSentinel]

Hi Jackattack,
I couldn't the tables that I was happy to take the chance with so just purchase Basic Cheato Grow.
I only dose 1/2 the recommended as I am not test for iron so playing on the safe side.

Continuum Aquatics Basis Chaeto Grow 500ml

Shop The Tech Den Australia for a wide selection of aquarium products including Continuum Aquatics Basis Chaeto Grow 500ml. Enjoy Fast Flat Rate postage. Orders ship in 1-2 days.

www.thetechden.com.au

 

[HuduVudu]

I have chaeto in the back of my all in one and it is starting to turn white/mushy. I was looking at trying chaetogrow but after reading a lot more on it, it seems people just recommend dosing iron instead.

I have what is called easy iron from aquarium co-op (I have a freshwater tank). And was wondering if it’s safe for a reef tank. Like is all the iron supplements made the same ingredients?

it is derived from ferrous gluconate, iron dtpa, and iron edta.

These are all bound with chelators. The chelators will need to be removed from the iron using some sort of organic process. Some percentage of this will possibily come out over time, depending on the ability of the tank to process the chelator. Possibly creating some sort of slow release.

Using chelators is good in that you aren't bringing an extra anion into the tank. I believe the chelator may be removed by a biological process though I have not seen any literature on how chelators would behave in a reef aquarium. Whether they would break down under biological process or whether they would re-chelate something else. The long and short of it is that it is a crap shoot, even in a fresh water tank.

It would be better if you dosed something more direct. Doing that can bring it's own issues and you need to understand what you are doing so that you can deal with what is happening.

FWIW. I have chosen to dose with pure iron filings. I have been doing this for about 9 months for the health of inverts (mostly the snails) and for my goni. This has worked well for me. Just remember this is one way and it works for me. Your mileage may vary.

 

[JACKATTACK]

Hi Jackattack,
I couldn't the tables that I was happy to take the chance with so just purchase Basic Cheato Grow.
I only dose 1/2 the recommended as I am not test for iron so playing on the safe side.

Continuum Aquatics Basis Chaeto Grow 500ml

Shop The Tech Den Australia for a wide selection of aquarium products including Continuum Aquatics Basis Chaeto Grow 500ml. Enjoy Fast Flat Rate postage. Orders ship in 1-2 days.

www.thetechden.com.au

Yeah cheers, I've ordered some iron tablets hopefully it all goes well, I bought some basis chaeto grow, but on a 5000l system 1 bottle is one dose

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The organic chelators that are strongly bound, such as iron EDT are broken down by UV light (not needing a special UV sterilizer device), but that can limit the iron availability as it takes time for that to happen. But it is an established process for dosing aquaria.

The more weakly chelated iron types, as the ferrous gluconate I recommend for dosing, is readily available as is, and maintain solubility better than simple salts like ferrous sulfate.

The simple iron salts will allow the iron to either precipitate, especially as it is oxidized to the much less soluble ferric iron, or to bind to existing organics in the tank water, and be available.

 

[REEFRIED!]

The organic chelators that are strongly bound, such as iron EDT are broken down by UV light (not needing a special UV sterilizer device), but that can limit the iron availability as it takes time for that to happen. But it is an established process for dosing aquaria.

The more weakly chelated iron types, as the ferrous gluconate I recommend for dosing, is readily available as is, and maintain solubility better than simple salts like ferrous sulfate.

The simple iron salts will allow the iron to either precipitate, especially as it is oxidized to the much less soluble ferric iron, or to bind to existing organics in the tank water, and be available.

What do you think is safe amount of iron to dose weekly maybe per 100 gallons in a reef tank? Using maybe TLF iron and manganese?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What do you think is safe amount of iron to dose weekly maybe per 100 gallons in a reef tank? Using maybe TLF iron and manganese?

Iron is very forgiving on dose. Acceptable doses vary by factors of thousands or more.

Here's what I did:

Iron (Fe). The natural iron level varies a lot with depth, but surface seawater may have only 0.006 µg/L. The Triton LOD = 0.3 µg/L. I dose iron, and when I dose it I boost iron to roughly 1-2 µg/L, which would be detectable. This sample was taken more than a week after the last iron dosing, and none was detected as it gets depleted in the meanwhile. I’ve not yet seen a Triton test result for a real aquarium sample that had detectable iron, but that doesn’t mean these tanks are necessarily deficient. Iron is also a case where the form is critical, and ICP cannot distinguish form. Binding to organic matter, for example, can alter the bioavailability of iron.