When is extra iron necessary?

[Mercfh]

So I have a "medium" tech tank I guess. Decent light (Fluval 3.0 light) and some decent plants (mostly easy stuff, Anacharis/Val/Anubias and Dwarf sag (also Hygrophilia augustpholia).

I've been using NilocG thrive 1x a week for my 55 gallon and while things look ok, I do wonder if iron is necessary? I know Aquarium Co-Op sells a easy green iron...but Im still kinda learning how much to actually dose, and what else is necessary. I am not using c02 right now.

I notice the bottle says high tech 2-3x a week and low tech 1x a week. Would mine be more medium tech with high lighting?

[Mmiller2001]

What is the pH of the tank?

[Silverback]

I wouldn't add more iron unless you see a deficiency.   If your new plant growth is pale or yellow then you may have an issue and need to supplement with iron.  

You could always purchase an iron test kit to check your level.   

Just adding extra iron when your plants don't need it could cause an algae bloom making more work for you in the long run.

[EricksonAquatics]

On 8/4/2024 at 11:44 PM, Silverback said:

Just adding extra iron when your plants don't need it could cause an algae bloom making more work for you in the long run.

^ exactly - excess iron causes major hair algae. Don’t dose it unless you see the need for it. Most plants don’t need extra iron, and the plants you mentioned aren’t any of the big names that want lots of it. (Example would be red plants like scarlet temple, ammania gracilis etc)

[JoeQ]

I would first try upping your dose. If your concern is "my plants aren't growing" it's most likely you aren't providing enough macros, rather than one specific micro.

[Pepere]

On 8/5/2024 at 12:00 PM, JoeQ said:

would first try upping your dose. If your concern is "my plants aren't growing" it's most likely you aren't providing enough macros, rather than one specific micro.

Or it is possible that ones expectations of growth needs to be adjusted…

I recently returned to keeping non CO2 tanks and find myself amazed how much slower plant growth is.  My Ludwigia Repens grows 4 inches a week in my injected tanks and takes 6 weeks or so to do the same in my non co2 injected tank.

No amount of ferts or lights would change that… 

 

even the appearance and morphology of the plants are different between the two tanks.

One stem of L. Repens from an injected tank and one from a non injected tank…

The plants are growing healthy and free of visible algae in both tanks.

my Pink Flamingo Crypts also are strikingly different in appearance between the two tanks.  In the Non injected the leaves extend out further on the end of the stem and are narrower and are much more olive green that in my injected tank..

I will pull 2 leaves out tonight and show photos of the difference…

In my non co2 tank I run about 1/4 the fertilizer level of my injected tanks and much less light.  The plant growth is being limited by the reduced level of co2 in those tanks. If I tried to run the same amount of ferts and light Algae would take advantage.

 

On the plus sideI go 6 weeks between trimming and replanting as opposed to the CO2 tanks that need weekly trimming and planting…

 

@Mmiller2001 asked an excellent question relating to iron.  What is the tanks ph?

Edited August 5 by Pepere

[nabokovfan87]

If you aren't growing a ton of stems that demand it.... my personal experience is no.  If you see a lot of BBA, don't dose iron anymore.

[Mercfh]

On 8/5/2024 at 12:39 AM, Mmiller2001 said:

What is the pH of the tank?

It's a little high, I think around 7.6-7.8 usually.

[Mmiller2001]

On 8/5/2024 at 11:21 AM, Mercfh said:

It's a little high, I think around 7.6-7.8 usually.

You may need a bit more with that PH, but wait for the plants to tell you. As mentioned above, most people under dose fertilizer as a whole.

[Mercfh]

With my setup do you think I should dose 1x for "low tech" or 2-3x for High tech? I feel like im sorta in-between. I have high/decent lights but no c02.

[Pepere]

On 8/5/2024 at 4:13 PM, Mercfh said:

With my setup do you think I should dose 1x for "low tech" or 2-3x for High tech? I feel like im sorta in-between. I have high/decent lights but no c02.

What does your water change schedule look like? Frequency and depth?

[Mercfh]

On 8/5/2024 at 4:22 PM, Pepere said:

What does your water change schedule look like? Frequency and depth?

I typically do a 20%-ish water change every week.

[Pepere]

Do you test for nitrates?  If so what do they look like right before a water change?  

[Mercfh]

On 8/6/2024 at 9:46 PM, Pepere said:

Do you test for nitrates?  If so what do they look like right before a water change?  

Usually they are basically 0 or close to 0.

[Pepere]

Personally I would probably double dose the first week after water change and single dose midweek, and then following weeks single dose after water change and again midweek.  
 

I would continue testing nitrates before water changes,,,

I would be aiming for the nitrates to be close to 10 ppm before water changes…. 
 

I would give that a try for at least 4-6 weeks watching new growth closely…

 

If you see nitrate levels edging up over time, you might wantto increase depth of water change.

Edited August 7 by Pepere

[s_in_houston]

On 8/5/2024 at 11:18 AM, Pepere said:

My Ludwigia Repens grows 4 inches a week in my injected tanks and takes 6 weeks or so to do the same in my non co2 injected tank.

Whoa Mr / Ms fancy pants with the 4 inches of growth over 6 weeks. But seriously ludwigia repens is widely, incorrectly advertised as an “easy” low-tech plant. That hasn’t been my experience for sure. 

[Pepere]

On 8/9/2024 at 3:59 PM, s_in_houston said:

ludwigia repens is widely, incorrectly advertised as an “easy” low-tech plant. That hasn’t been my experience for sure. 

I am sorry you have difficulty with it.. What else do you have for plants?  Are they growing well? Or are they struggling also?

[s_in_houston]

On 8/9/2024 at 6:25 PM, Pepere said:

I am sorry you have difficulty with it.. What else do you have for plants?  Are they growing well? Or are they struggling also?

I’ve actually been discussing the state of my plants with you in another post. I’ve made some changes from my previous routine and am now needing to give it time before evaluating those changes. But I’ve owned the same group of ludwigia repens for 3 years now. They’re alive but super slow growing and I’ve cut off a whole bunch of unhealthy leaves from the bottom portion of the stems. Right now I have a group of tiny ludwigia plants that are alive and rooted and even growing, but at a painfully slow pace. They’re far from the light, so it will take months before they may become medium size. Hopefully that happens and they’ll grow faster once they get taller and closer to the light.