# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Hmm smells like iron



## Sophie (Feb 12, 2006)

I moved some plants and did some algae removale and now my arm smells like iron. I remember this smell from when I sold Iron stoves and heaters. The aquarium is doing well except for a continueing fight with algae on the glass and a few black spots on the plants. I cut the light level in half to no effect. The water chemistry appears to be normal but I am considered about the smell and algae, Oh and the water has a sight yellow tint to it.

Umm help...


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Hi Sophie,

are you using locally-collected soil in your tank, or a commercial potting soil? If locally-collected, you might have higher iron levels. 

What about driftwood in your tank? The most common cause of yellow-tinged water is relatively new driftwood. Unless you put something in, like "blackwater extract" or such. The yellowish tinge is most likely tannins in the water. 

More information about your setup would be helpful. If its not got any plants attached to it, and you didn't pre-soak your driftwood, AND the tannin coloration is bothering you, you could take your driftwood out (assuming you have some in the tank) and boil it. That will leach the tannins out faster. 

Give us some more details.

Thanks,
-Jane


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Water iron would certainly stimulate algae.
What kind of substrate and lighting do you have?
Any floating plants?
Have you read my book?


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## Sophie (Feb 12, 2006)

The substrate is soil and gravel. The soil is from my garden, I raise and breed Day Lillies as well. I have no driftwood in the tank. the tank is 10 gal with 2 13w lights from AH. The plants are mostly Crypts with horhwort floating on top and it grows like crazy. I have 2 neon tetras, 2 Otto's 4 Amano shrimp and an uncountable number of snails in the tank. The yellow tint does not bother me but the constant fight with the Algae does. so far the fish are fat and happy. Yes I have read your book, and will go back to the libary and reread it.( very nice ) The Algae is in green spots on the glass and some black spots on the plants also a little green on the gravel. If left alone it will cover the glass to the point you cannot see thru it. I add no chemicals and like I say the tests for the water chemistry show nothing out of order. 

I have been considering adding some stem plants to see if that has an effect?? I have tryed water changes which do have a short term effect.
The cover the tank for 3-4 days method also has a short term effect, but I am trying to figure out a longer term solution. I am wanting to set up my larger tank but not till I figure out what I am doing that is so wrong with this one.

I guess I am looking for a solution other than breaking down the tank and starting over. Oh by the way when I moved a small Crypt it had a huge root structure, it really surprised me.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Thanks for the info. It sounds like you're doing a lot right.

Hornwort is actually a submerged plant, so it doesn't count that much in battling algae. You might want to reread the chapter in my book on the Aerial Advantage. Plants that grow _above_ the water surface (floating plants or emergent growth) can best outcompete and control algae.

If those are compact fluorescents with those terrific reflectors, which seems to be what AH Supply sells, that's a lot of light for a 10 gal-- probably too much for submerged plants like Crypts and Hornwort. Remember that a 10 gal is a shallow tank. I've seen 10 gals do great with just 15 watts of regular fluorescent light. You probably could remove one of the lights and stick with the plants you have. Or you could keep the strong lighting and add floating plants (Water Sprite, Water Lettuce, Duckweed, etc). The floating plants would probably take up a lot of that iron. If you try stem plants, let them get their tops above the water surface.


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## Sophie (Feb 12, 2006)

Thanks Diana,
I think I will remove one lamp and move the remaining one to the center to balance the light output. And yes, they are the CF ones with the great reflector. 

After thinking it over I do not want to add any more plants of a different type until this gets sorted out. A thought here... would putting the charcoal back in the filter have an effect? 

Also, I mulch my Lillies with bark could this be the source of the Iron? I pulled the mulch back before digging the soil when I got it.
The bed is almost 10 years old now and I have been using the mulch since day one.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I don't believe that bark mulch would have much iron (its plant matter with mainly carbon). The soil you added could be enriched with humic acids, because of the bark mulch. Humic could be chelating soil iron causing iron's release into water and stimulating algage. Charcoal would remove chelated iron.

With lighting reduced in half and charcoal in the filter, you might see some improvement. 

I'd still try to get some floating plants. Try a garden store. Often they sell floating plants for ponds. Even duckweed might be worth a try. 

Good luck!


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Hi Sophie,

I also have a 10 gal with the 2x 13w retrofit from AH Supply (just doesn't have the great reflector because it fits into the existing strip light housing). 

My light levels are decreased by floating plants - I have duckweed, Salvinia auriculata and Frogbit. These are all great nutrient "sinks", in my opinion, and I wouldn't set up an "el natural" tank without them. In a new setup, I always seem to go through a couple of algae blooms, in progression. Green spot algae is always in the lineup (in my experience), but scraping it regularly (with a plastic scraper) and then siphoning off any fallen algae (so it doesn't release nutrients back INTO the water) seems to get it under control. I've found that once its "heyday" during the break-in period is over, it rarely appears again.

I certainly wouldn't break the whole thing down. A soil underlayer setup takes longer to "settle in" - even a two to three month old tank is still pretty "young" in terms of getting established. 

I'd strongly suggest some floating plants. They've got that "arial" thing going, while staying low to the surface, so you can still use your glass canopy or aquarium hood. 

PM me today (I'm travelling for a week, leaving tomorrow AM) with your mailing address and I'll mail you a big wad of Salvinia auriculata and "big" duckweed. It doesn't travel well (not a lot of reserves) but if you put whatever makes the trip into your tank, you'll soon have a lot of it! If you're OK to wait, I'll be back after the 28th and could send it out then, too. 

Oh - PM is Private Message. Click on the name to the left of the post, and it will open as one of the options ("Invite.... Private Topic"). 

-Jane


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## Sophie (Feb 12, 2006)

Jane,
Thanks for the offer. It must be the soil based on what Diana said and now I am recieving rust deposits on the heater. It is a wonder that everything is still alive.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Are you sure that the brown coating on heater is not just diatoms? This is a brownish algae that often grows on heaters and tank glass.

It would be a rare event that you would have so much iron in the water that it would precipitate on a heater.

I think your tank is probably much healthier than you think. I'd take Jane up on her algae-control advice and kind offer.


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## Sophie (Feb 12, 2006)

I do not think it is diatoms, it is isolated to the area where the bracket joins the heater. I am going to take Jane up on the offer and see what developes from there. Thanks for all the help.


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## Sophie (Feb 12, 2006)

*Update*

Well as much as I did not want to I broke the tank down, and I am very glad I did. The plants are doing much better now. I lost 3 of the 4 shrimps .
The yellow tint went to brown and the light simply would not get to the plants.

I moved the fish and surviving plants to an Eclipse 12 Gal I had sitting empty. 
The crypts have doubled in size in about 1 1/2 month. The surviving fish seem ok.

That tank has soil from the middle of the backyard in it, I removed the sod and dug up enough for 2 tanks. It started out a little yellow and I thought "OH crap here we go again", but it is now clear--no yellow Yeah!!

I put the remainder of the soil in a 10 Gal tank I have ( I like the small tanks),
recycled the gravel from the iron tank and it is up and running. In this one with double the light as the eclipse I added some floaters and stem plants. 
So far it is doing good.

I was able to plant that tank with Crypts I divided from the the other tank, they growing that well. I want to thank all of you who helped this beginner thru this ordeal.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Hi Sophie,

Sorry, you had such a hassle with your first tank.

Perhaps a bottle test would have warned you that something was not right with the soil?


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## Sophie (Feb 12, 2006)

*bottle test*

Bottle test is on my list of things too do for the next tank.

I am watching this tank too see what happens, maybe too close who knows?

Anyway I am learning alot and am enjoying the experiance.

The loss of the shrimp realy bothers me I found I like them more than fish,
and my LFS no longer has them.


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