# DIY Iron Fertilizer



## helgymatt (Sep 12, 2007)

I'm hoping to try and make my own Iron fertilizer supplement. I have access to some chelated iron power. Does anyone know how I would mix this up and know how much I'm puting in my aquarium. Maybe there is a good website or another forum on this topic.


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

Iron but no trace elements? Why bother... how are you goind to add traces?

If it were me I'd get some CSM+B powder instead.

http://aquaria.net/articles/plants/fertsols/


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

Just out of curiosity, why do you need an iron supplement?

Bill


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## helgymatt (Sep 12, 2007)

Sorry, I should have clarified why the heck I think I need more iron. 

I am using tropica aqua care for my traces along with EI. I have a 55 and dosing 10ml of tropica monday wed and fri, but I am still getting chlorotic leaves. My Dwarf sags have almost white transparent leaves and rotalla nanjeshan has white tips and little growth. I suspected that it was a iron deficiency. I have an iron test kit (red sea) and it reads zero iron(from what I can interpret...maybe i need a better test kit, any recommendations?). I'm confused as to why I get no reading on my test kit if the tropica has iron in it. Could some of my fast growing plants like H. corymbosum be using up all the iron and leaving none for some of the other plants? 

Any ideas in what's going on? And if it is iron, how can I mix up a solution with a 6% chelated iron powder? 
Matt


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I hope you are dosing nitrates, phosphates and potassium along with the Tropica traces. A shortage of any of those will also result in little or no growth and abnormal growth. And, a source of carbon, either CO2 or Excel is also needed. I doubt that what you are seeing is an iron deficiency.


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## helgymatt (Sep 12, 2007)

I am dosing 1/8 tsp of of KH2PO4 1/2 tsp of KNO3 three times a week and 10 mls of Tropica three times a week. I also have co2 levels at about 25-30. Still seeing wierd growth in rotalla and sags. I think I am getting enough K from the N and P dosage above? I do not have a K test kit. 

Also, I just installed a new DIY Inline CO2 reactor to the input of my Rena XP3. It doesn't seem to be doing a very good job at disovling the CO2 (small bubbles are coming out the output of the filter). Is this typical or should I slow down the flow of the filter? The reactor is just like many of the DIY reactors posted in these forums. It is a two inch pvc 10'' long filled with bio balls. I am putting about 2 bps into the reactor.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

The most important part about using one of those inline DIY reactors is to be sure to connect the inlet water to the top of it and the outlet that goes to the tank to the bottom. You want the water to run down the pipe against the bubbles of CO2 rising thru the pipe. I don't use any bio balls or anything else in mine, on Rex Grigg's recommendation. And, I don't get bubbles going into the tank, nor does a big CO2 bubble build up at the top - just a small one.


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