# Fe Gluconate dry powder



## plantbrain (3 Feb 2010)

Some UK members have expressed interest in Fe Gluconate dry powder. I have shipped 5 pounds over to try out. 
This is a weaker ligand than the chelators like ETDA and much weaker than DTPA.

The benefit and trade off is the weaker bonds, however also means easier for the plant to take up, so it does not last in solution very long, but gets to the plants fast/easy.

It's ideal for lower KH tap water/tank waters, and daily style dosing.

It can also be added with ETDA and DTPA Fe so ou have the trade offs balanced and long, medium and short term Fe available with weak, medium and strong bond strengths. 

This way you get the benefits of each and good dosing to the plants, no matter what.
Same deal with sediments + water column nutrient dosing.

Do both, or all of them.

450 Grams will make about 4.5-5 liters worth of Seachem Fe flourish equivalent.
Add HCL/Ascorbic acid prior to the mix water, then add the Fe Gluconate to make the stock solution(95 grams per liter for Seachem's Fe only liquid(not the full "Flourish", just the "Flourish Iron")

**Updated edit to reflect past mistake changes***.


Regards, 
Tom Barr


----------



## emreutku (3 Feb 2010)

hi tom,

With Daily Dosing
may i use Ä±ron sulfate (Fe3) powder (no chelating agent)
or may i use liquid Ä±ron (fe3) for terrestial plants (weak fulvic acid chelated)

and last, may i use Ä±ron tablets (medical ferrous ++ capsules)to the plant roots.

regards


----------



## plantbrain (4 Feb 2010)

emreutku said:
			
		

> hi tom,
> 
> With Daily Dosing
> may i use Ä±ron sulfate (Fe3) powder (no chelating agent)
> ...



The medical form is the Fe Gluconate most likely.
But cost a lot for the amount you get compared to say like what AE will sell.

The other 2 will offer little more than adding rust to the aquarium.
Chelated or ligands are required for aquatic systems.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


----------



## emreutku (5 Feb 2010)

Hi tom,
Iron Gluconate formula  =
C12H24FeO14    12.461% iron
I found  82 gram to 1liter water give %1 iron solution?  

regards


----------



## plantbrain (18 Feb 2010)

emreutku said:
			
		

> Hi tom,
> Iron Gluconate formula  =
> C12H24FeO14    12.461% iron
> I found  82 gram to 1liter water give %1 iron solution?
> ...




So a 1% solution will need about 95 gram amount for a 10,000ppm or a 1% standard Seachem equivalent solution.
Moist air and open will attract a bit more water to the salt(most all salts do this).
CMS adding the same mass will yield 6200ppm or so.



Regards, 
Tom Barr


----------



## plantbrain (18 Feb 2010)

Item changed to reflect the correction.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


----------



## Cincy_bob (9 Mar 2010)

Tom, sorry if this is a stupid question, but I'm having a difficult time with the math summarized above.

If iron represents 12.461% of the molecular weight of ferrous gluconate in its pure form, thus resulting in the need to mix approximately 80 grams pure ferrous gluconate with 1 liter water to produce a 10,000 ppm solution, then it seems to me the adjustment required to consider the lower practical iron content of a typical ferrous glutonate powder would, by necessity, increase the 80-gram quantity.  In other words:

80 grams x 12.461% theoretical iron content / 10.5% practical iron content = 95 grams

95 grams ferrous gluconate x 10.5% iron by weight = roughly 10 grams or 10,000 mg, which should produce a 10,000 ppm solution when mixed with 1 liter water.

So I am calculating roughly 95 grams ferrous gluconate powder to produce a 1% solution as opposed to the roughly 70 grams calculated above.

What am I missing here?

Thanks,

Bob


----------



## plantbrain (9 Mar 2010)

Cincy_bob said:
			
		

> Tom, sorry if this is a stupid question, but I'm having a difficult time with the math summarized above.
> 
> If iron represents 12.461% of the molecular weight of ferrous gluconate in its pure form, thus resulting in the need to mix approximately 80 grams pure ferrous gluconate with 1 liter water to produce a 10,000 ppm solution, then it seems to me the adjustment required to consider the lower practical iron content of a typical ferrous glutonate powder would, by necessity, increase the 80-gram quantity.  In other words:
> 
> ...



Wait a minute, you said 82 grams, now 95 grams?

If you use a basic Fe dosing cal, it gives for CMS, which is 6.53%, plus or minus some moisture weight, there hydration in the other parts such as MgSO4 which is in there as well...........

95 grams gives you in 1 liter: 6200ppm

So lets ***assume** that is correct.
If it's not, then there's going to be many many folks way off on their Fe cals, but not that it matter much, as a principle it is a good idea to be sure.

6.5% is close to 6200ppm
Adding the same mass of Fe (95 grams into 1 liter) which is 11% Fe will give us about 10,000ppm.

So the 95 gram range is close.

Sorry, I tend to dose dry and not use solutions, I also add a % to a known amount of CMS+B.

Given the % is known of the mass, and mg/l is all that's needed, this is fairly simple:

10grams (of "Stuff") is what we need for 10,000mg/l.

95 grams X 10.5-11%= 9.975grams-10.45 grams of Fe.
Sorry, my mind is going due to some other issues. 

But that seems right.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


----------



## GreenNeedle (28 Sep 2010)

Does anyone have a spare 20g or so of this?

Andy


----------

