Anyone dosing Iron?

[leeweber85]

I bought a bottle of the Kent stuff before I researched it. Now i'm debating whether it's a good idea or not.

I grow chaeto and read it was beneficial for it. Now I'm reading about slow coral growth rates and increase in zooxanthellae which might cause the corals to brown.

Let me hear your experience.

 

[bureau13]

How is your chaeto doing? Is it growing, and a nice deep green color? Or is it not growing so much and more pale? Do you have a substrate in your refugium? I know of one person who had a problem with his chaeto growing properly, and he had a bare bottom refugium. He added some iron and the problem went away. I don't know how much or how often he adds it however. I know I have a mix of Miracle Mud and some other more generic refugium mud in mine, and my chaeto grows fine without any iron supplements. Personally, I don't think I would dose it unless I had some indication that it was needed.

jds

 

[skeeter-doc]

I agree not to dose, unless you are sure you need to, because excess iron can lead to nucience algae overload!

 

[kfowler]

skeeter-doc, you realize I'll never be able to take anything you say seriously with that avatar. Too funny!

 

[leeweber85]

My chaeto was growing like crazy. It's getting pale and I'm starting to get red slime so I thought I would try it. I think the main reason for the chaeto is not enough flow and the bulbs are getting old. The bottle reads that it's good for macro algae growth and for coral tissue growth otherwise I wouldn't have bought it. I think I'll do about half the recommended dose just to see what happens. Hopefully my corals don't turn brown out.

 

[DrBegalke]

I dose iron, my chaeto grows at least twice as fast, nitrate and phosphate are down... Overall, I think its good to dose iron if you are using macros for nutrient export...


http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/aug2002/chem.htm

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2002/chem.htm

 

[leeweber85]

do you dose Kent iron? how much how often?

 

[skeeter-doc]

thanks kfowler, maybe I will win a prize in the contest