# Flourite: About Iron



## yxberia (Apr 19, 2005)

Does Seachem Flourite have adequate and usable Fe in it ? 
How long can its Fe last ?
Is other Fe base fertilizer required in Flourite ?

out:


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## Moo (Apr 27, 2006)

contains Fe, yes
longevity? I couldn't tell you other than I've had a 55 up and running for three years and everything seems to be alright.
and i guess you could always use other iron ferts.

But if i remember the amount of iron that flourite contains was one of it's biggest selling points.


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## yxberia (Apr 19, 2005)

Yeah, Iron is my only reason to buy Flourite. Since the price is quite high, I want to make sure I get what I want.

So is it correct to say that those who use Flourite NEED NOT "additonal" iron base fertilizer ? I am refering to the level that can supply just enough iron for normal growth.

Since it is said to be inert, I assume only root will get the benefit. While Fe2+ will still be required by leaves ?

Flourite users, please share your experience.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

> So is it correct to say that those who use Flourite NEED NOT "additonal" iron base fertilizer ?


No, you will still need to add additional iron.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

If you want to check out the iron content of different types of substrates look at the chart here. You'll notice that Flourite has less iron than both Turface and Profile (both of which are very similar to Soilmaster). It is also much more expensive when you consider Turface and Profile run $15-20 for a 50lb bag! However, Flourite is usually much easier to obtain than Turface, Profile, or Soilmaster.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

Yeah you need to do dose iron but IMO that is depend on what Plants you have, some plants need extra iron to show or enhance their color, most of this plants are red plants, so what im saying is, its depend on what plants you have, using Flourite as a substrate is one of the wise idea, you can have healthy and thriving plants without Additional Iron with this substrate, thats why its specially made for planted aquarium. Dont Forget that dosing some Fertilizer will also help to enchance growth, im reffering to the IE dosing that can be found at Science of Fertilizing, lets put it this way:

Human needs Shelter (this is the substrate) then Human needs to Eat (this is the Fertilizer) and some times Human needs thing aside from Shelter and Food (thats Iron), Now if you see that your plants is thriving and Growing Well, thats because they have a good shelter(Flourite) and Food(Fertilizer) now its up to you if you want to give them a TV, DVD Player and thats the (Iron). Well this explanation is only my Opinion so its up to you, soon you will see what your plants need. Oh forgot to tell you Human needs Electricity, right (thats your lightning) and ofcourse human needs Freshair to live (thats you Co2). Just Remember plants need Good Quality of Light, Substrate and Nutrition.

Good Luck to your Tank


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## yxberia (Apr 19, 2005)

Thanks to all your valuable feedback. Yes, I do understand Flourite alone can't satisfy a high demand tank. And yes, even Flourite is hardly available here. Not to mention Eco-complete !

The chart can tell many things but left out the most important figure: Biological availability of an element. A substrate can have 99% of iron inside, but if it is not usable to plant, it still contains nothing. Only from experience one can tell which one last longer. Of course we do not expect a substrate that can grow everyting under the sun.


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