Apparent plant deficiency, or something else... But which? Orwhat?

[LadyDay]

Sound like some Fe DTPA or Fe EDDHA is needed as @dw1305 surgested and unstable [CO2] will not help

The Easy-Life bottle just says Iron(II).

So, something like this https://aquaplantscare.uk/shop/aquatic-plants-fertiliser/organic-iron-fe-8-dtpa-chelated/ would work? Can I use it alongside the Tropica fertilizer?
Do you have an idea how high a concentration I should aim for?
Do you happen to know this seller (no reviews on Trustpilot)?

That's a lot of questions. Sorry. 🙂

 

[Sammy I]

The Easy-Life bottle just says Iron(II).

So, something like this https://aquaplantscare.uk/shop/aquatic-plants-fertiliser/organic-iron-fe-8-dtpa-chelated/ would work? Can I use it alongside the Tropica fertilizer?
Do you have an idea how high a concentration I should aim for?
Do you happen to know this seller (no reviews on Trustpilot)?

That's a lot of questions. Sorry. 🙂

I use that site to buy my salts, including the dtpa iron, great site and very fast delivery.

 

[LadyDay]

Hmmmm. It's been 2,5 hours since the CO2 turned on and pH has only dropped by 0,5 according to my pH probe thingy (that seems to need calibration). I'm putting in about 4,5-5 bubbles per second (I know that's not a very good meassure) of CO2. In the past that has yielded a lime green dropchecker. However since then I've aquired a new dropchecker that is really hard to read. But it seems to think the CO2 concentration in that corner (with fewest CO2 bubbles - least flow) is about 12 mg/l. I'm afraid of putting in too much CO2 for the fish...
I'll keep meassuring the pH throughout the day.

 

[LadyDay]

I use that site to buy my salts, including the dtpa iron, great site and very fast delivery.

Super! Thanks.

 

[Zeus.]

Hmmmm. It's been 2,5 hours since the CO2 turned on and pH has only dropped by 0,5 according to my pH probe thingy (that seems to need calibration).

Inorge the reading its relevant IMO, when the reading stops changing its stable. Doing a pH profile ATM one reads probe reads 7.26 other probe reads 7.78 both are wrong but both stop changing at the same time. Remember if you increase the BPS it shortens the time it takes to get the drop and also increases the peak pH. So get the tank to drop to your choosne [CO2] going of the DC colour change after pH hasn't changed for two hours. Then just see how long it takes to drop the pH, if its 3 hrs 20mins its 3 hrs 20mins on time for CO2 before lights come on. Changing you BPS to get a faster pH drop just messes up your target pH/[CO2].

For stable [CO2] you also need good flow, flow is KING in high tech tank

That's a lot of questions. Sorry. 🙂

Only a fool doesnt ask a question they unsure about

 

[LadyDay]

I'm at a loss for how much Fe to add. I could really use help to figure out a recipe for how much of the Fe 8% DTPA per liter I need for the fertilizer mixture, and then how much of that to add to the aquarium per week in order to reach the right concentration (whatever that is. The internet isn't clear on that!).

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I could really use help to figure out a recipe for how much of the Fe 8% DTPA per liter I need for the fertilizer mixture, and then how much of that to add to the aquarium per week in order to reach the right concentration (

Have a look at <"Calculating with DTPA Fe 8%">.

cheers Darrel

 

[LadyDay]

Thank you all for the help 🙂

 

[Zeus.]

I'm at a loss for how much Fe to add. I could really use help to figure out a recipe for how much of the Fe 8% DTPA per liter I need for the fertilizer mixture, and then how much of that to add to the aquarium per week in order to reach the right concentration (whatever that is. The internet isn't clear on that!).

Its fairly straight forward with Fe 8% XXXX as for every 1.0g you add you add 8% Fe so 0.08g or 80mg Fe. Add 1.0g to 1.0litres water you get 80mh/l =80ppm

1.0ml of 80mg/l Fe = 80/1000ml= 0.08mg Fe

So 1ml added to 325litres = 0.08/325 = 0.000246ppm Fe yield per dose

So if you 50g Fe8% to 1.0litre you will yield from a 1ml dose to 325 litre tank 50 x 0.000246 = 0.0123ppm Fe per dose or is dosed daily 0.0123 x7 =0.0861 ppm Fe

I would say a weekly yield of 0.2 ppm Fe is a reasonable place to start based on your plant mass,

0.2 / 0.0861 = 2.3ml daily.

Ran it though Fert calculator and its correct - even gave me an idea so the end user can change the Fe percentage to suit will add it to V1.9 save you ( and others) doing all the maths which is easy to do and just as easy to make a mistake 😉

 

[LadyDay]

Its fairly straight forward with Fe 8% XXXX as for every 1.0g you add you add 8% Fe so 0.08g or 80mg Fe. Add 1.0g to 1.0litres water you get 80mh/l =80ppm

1.0ml of 80mg/l Fe = 80/1000ml= 0.08mg Fe

So 1ml added to 325litres = 0.08/325 = 0.000246ppm Fe yield per dose

So if you 50g Fe8% to 1.0litre you will yield from a 1ml dose to 325 litre tank 50 x 0.000246 = 0.0123ppm Fe per dose or is dosed daily 0.0123 x7 =0.0861 ppm Fe

I would say a weekly yield of 0.2 ppm Fe is a reasonable place to start based on your plant mass,

0.2 / 0.0861 = 2.3ml daily.

Ran it though Fert calculator and its correct - even gave me an idea so the end user can change the Fe percentage to suit will add it to V1.9 save you ( and others) doing all the maths which is easy to do and just as easy to make a mistake 😉

You are an absolute sweetheart! Thank you so much!

 

[LadyDay]

I finished measuring the pH of the aquarium water from when the gas turned on until it turned off (an hour before lights off). Here's a graph. I take it that means I should turn the CO2 on around 3 hours before the lights go on in order to have the CO2 stable during light hours...
The drop checker turned a nice green color.

 

[Zeus.]

3 hours sounds about right then redo pH profile

 

[Witcher]

I'm at a loss for how much Fe to add.

If you don't see any new growth which looks like almost white and pale similar to this:



then I wouldn't concentrate at Fe at all. I still think all you need to do is to bump nitrates up by 5ppm or so, then wait a week or two and observe the effects. If you'll add Fe at this stage without adding anything else, it will increase the hunger for N, C and Mg even more and your plants will start to melt if you won't increase these 3 ingredients accordingly.

 

[LadyDay]

...I still think all you need to do is to bump nitrates up by 5ppm or so, then wait a week or two and observe the effects. If you'll add Fe at this stage without adding anything else, it will increase the hunger for N, C and Mg even more and your plants will start to melt if you won't increase these 3 ingredients accordingly.

So I should make a 50 gr/l solution and add 5 ml of that per day... Do you have any idea if the salt will stay in solution or if it will precipitate a bit? If it stays nicely, uniformly dissolved, without needing a daily shake, I can put it on a dosing pump and leave it.

Also, assuming I start adding Fe in a weeks time, can I add Fe and KNO3 on the same days? Isn't there something about it reacting?

Can it hurt to add KNO3 first, for some days, before adding extra Fe, by increasing the demand for Fe (I can't tell who's approach is the better one)? Either way, it'll take just under a week for the Iron to get here. It has to be sent from the UK.

 

[LadyDay]

I'm a bit nervous about getting drowned in algae again if I add more Nitrate...? Especially if I do so without adding iron too, to get the plants growing. Also taking into consideration that I don't have a huge amount of plants. What do you guys reckon'? If the problem is lack of Nitrates then of course they should get it!

 

[LadyDay]

Ah, re-reading the thread it seems there is no disagreement that more KNO3 is a good idea. So I can do that right away. I'm still worried about algea though. Should I?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

What do you guys reckon'? If the problem is lack of Nitrates then of course they should get it!

Add some KNO3, if your plants are nitrate (NO3-), or potassium (K+), deficient they will show a very rapid greening and resume growth. Both nutrients are mobile within the plant, and don't form any insoluble compounds, so they will always be plant available when they are present.

I'm still worried about algea though. Should I?

The easiest way of thinking about this is that there are "plants you want" (your plants) and "plants you don't want" (algae), but they are all "plants". If you create conditions that are suitable for the growth of plants, plants will grow.

Have a look at <"EI dosing........."> and linked threads, they will repay reading.

If you don't get a flush of green algae and rapid greening then you can discount nitrogen (and potassium). Then I'd move onto a different iron chelate, again the first thing you are likely to see (if iron deficiency was growth limiting) is a flush of green algae.

cheers Darrel

 

[LadyDay]

Thanks for the answer.

If you don't get a flush of green algae and rapid greening then you can discount nitrogen (and potassium). Then I'd move onto a different iron chelate, again the first thing you are likely to see (if iron deficiency was growth limiting) is a flush of green algae.

So there's no way of keeping the amount of algae low? By flush, do you mean that they retreat again?

I'll have a read of the link.

 

[Zeus.]

Add some KNO3, if your plants are nitrate (NO3-), or potassium (K+), deficient they will show a very rapid greening and resume growth

So no need to use your expensive TPN as you already have your APFUK salts 😉

 

[LadyDay]

So no need to use your expensive TPN as you already have your APFUK salts 😉

Good point! Hopefully the salts from APFUK will work when I add some of the right iron chelate to it?