# Dosing Iron



## ACFishTank (Jul 26, 2004)

Hi Everyone,

Currently I'm dosing using Seachem's product line. The only supplement I haven't dosed is iron, since I have a few questions:

1. Is the amount of Iron in Flourish Comprehensive enough (.32%) if dosed twice a week as Seachem's recommendation?
2. Seachem recommends dosing iron once a day (1.5 mL). Is that overkill?
3. What should I look out for in my plants that would indicate an iron deficiency?
4. Can Seachem's iron supplement cause any issues in inverts?
5. Are there specific plants with higher iron requirements?

Thanks for your advice,
Mike


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## xxUnRaTeDxxRkOxx (Jul 12, 2011)

ACFishTank said:


> 1. Is the amount of Iron in Flourish Comprehensive enough (.32%) if dosed twice a week as Seachem's recommendation?
> 2. Seachem recommends dosing iron once a day (1.5 mL). Is that overkill?
> 3. What should I look out for in my plants that would indicate an iron deficiency?
> 4. Can Seachem's iron supplement cause any issues in inverts?
> 5. Are there specific plants with higher iron requirements?



1. Depends on your tanks size, and the amount of plants in the tank.
2. Again ^ ^ ^ ^
3.








4. NO
5. Not that I know of


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## ACFishTank (Jul 26, 2004)

Thanks for the follow up. The illustration helps. The tank is a 15 gallon that is moderately planted. I think I'll look for order the iron and maybe dose half of their recommendation for the time being and see how it goes.


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## binbin9 (Jan 31, 2012)

I over dose the crap out of my tanks. =). I started off using seachem as well, now i do bit of a hybrid with IE

Over dosing is better than under dosing, so as long as you have weekly water changes to help start the cycle over.


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## ACFishTank (Jul 26, 2004)

binbin9 said:


> I over dose the crap out of my tanks. =). I started off using seachem as well, now i do bit of a hybrid with IE
> 
> Over dosing is better than under dosing, so as long as you have weekly water changes to help start the cycle over.


Good to know! Did you follow Seachem's dosing schedule? Any problems with algae?

I was having problems with algae, but found out that I hasn't dosing enough! Things seem to be getting better on their schedule, but I'll have to give it a couple weeks to truly see..


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## Zorfox (Jun 24, 2012)

The amount of iron depends on the dosing regime you are using. You can use this calculator to determine what levels of nutrients you are dosing. It includes Flourish products, select premixed fertilizers. 

The reason iron is dosed daily is because it becomes unavailable to the plants after a few hours to a few days depending on the type of chelating agent used. Apparently, Seachem uses a less stable chelate such as EDTA which will not last 24 hours. 

It is safe for your invertebrates. There are plants that use more iron. The same holds true for other nutrients. It is basically plant dependent. Providing ample supply of all nutrients ensures all plants thrive. From what I have seen Seachem's dosages are far below what they should be. Example, the daily EI dose for Flourish iron is 0.076ml per gallon and 0.038/gallon for PPS.


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## binbin9 (Jan 31, 2012)

No problems with Algae, when your light, circulation, and CO2 are in balance. I get the occasional spot algae after a rescape that causes ammonia spikes


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## tbonedeluxe (Mar 10, 2008)

Thanks Zorfox,for the dosing calculator for iron. ;-)


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## samee (Oct 14, 2011)

Its safe to dose macro and then chelated iron on the same day right? It wont ppt with macro since its chelated? Because I dose macro one day and trace + chelated iron the other.


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## Zorfox (Jun 24, 2012)

Technically there may be some precipitation. I've been dosing iron and macro the same day without problems. Just make sure each is well mixed in the water column first.


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## ACFishTank (Jul 26, 2004)

Zorfox said:


> The amount of iron depends on the dosing regime you are using. You can use this calculator to determine what levels of nutrients you are dosing. It includes Flourish products, select premixed fertilizers.
> 
> The reason iron is dosed daily is because it becomes unavailable to the plants after a few hours to a few days depending on the type of chelating agent used. Apparently, Seachem uses a less stable chelate such as EDTA which will not last 24 hours.
> 
> It is safe for your invertebrates. There are plants that use more iron. The same holds true for other nutrients. It is basically plant dependent. Providing ample supply of all nutrients ensures all plants thrive. From what I have seen Seachem's dosages are far below what they should be. Example, the daily EI dose for Flourish iron is 0.076ml per gallon and 0.038/gallon for PPS.


Thanks Zorfox, your post is incredibly helpful. So when I select "EI Daily" the value that is given is per day? The reason I ask is that the dosing is very high compared to what is recommended by Seachem. 

I just want to make sure I have that right before I dump 12mL of Phosphorous in my tank, which they recommend for 15 gallons. 

Your guidance is truly appreciated!


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