# Fertilizing with Iron-substrate or water column



## Rivercats (Aug 31, 2012)

I'm new here and have a question I just can't find info on. My tank is a 220 gallon, 1-1/2" organic soil capped with 1-1/2 Eco-complete, lighting 3x150w HID Metal Halide (6 hour burst) with 4x39w T5HO (12 hours), dose PPS-Pro and use glutaraldehyde. Tank is heavily planted, here is plant list:

Nesaea pedicellata 'Golden' 
Limnophila aromatica 'hippuroides'
Proserpinaca Palustris 
Rotala wallichii
Rotala macrandra
Myriophyllum tuberculatum 
Anubias barteri v. Nana
Bolbitus heudelotii
Pogostemon helferi 
Java Fern, Lace (Microsorium pteropus v. Windelov)
Crinum Calimistratum 
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Florida Sunset'
Tiger Lotus, Red (Nymphaea zenkeri)
Cryptocoryne Parva 
Cryptocoryne lutea
Cryptocoryne Wendtii Bronze (Cryptocoryne wendtii v. Tropica)
Amazon Sword (Echinodorus bleheri)
Ozelot Sword (Echinodorus ozelot)

My question is, with so many red plants is it better to fertilize with Iron root tabs, cleated iron dry fert, seachem flourish iron, or both substrate and water column iron? Right now my plants have good color (but I feel the Wallichii could have better color) and I use seachem flourish iron, I have used cleated iron (dry) and see no difference in plant color between flourish iron and dry cleated iron. Would using iron root tabs improve color more (I do have laterite clay balls in substrate too)? Or is my problem not ferts but the fact I don't have CO2 set up (as many keep telling me)? I would really like to hear everyone's thoughts/suggestions on this issue.


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## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

Iron on itself won't color up your plants unless you're short on iron right now. Second, red plants don't need more iron than green plants. It is more a commercial story to sell iron supplements. If everything is growing good, don't bother. If you want to add extra iron anyway, I would go both ways.


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## Rivercats (Aug 31, 2012)

Well that makes sense. My plants have good color (except I wish the rotala wallichii was more pink), but notice when I dose Flourish iron or cleated iron the color seems to intensify. I see the biggest difference in the Limnophila aromatica 'hippuroides' which seems to get a much larger area of hot pink down its stem then without it. Is it true that CO2 will aid in better "red" color? I have a couple friends that swear I would have even better color with adding it. My tank is finally very balanced, little algae, don't have to clean my glass, plants growing and flourishing and I don't want to upset the balance. I don't feel the CO2 would benefit the tank except for allowing my plants to pearl. Is this correct?


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

CO2 is a source of carbon. If your plants are currently doing OK with glut, then you probably do not need to add CO2. If you decide to add CO2 get a pressurized set up. 

If you do notice a difference in the plants when you add iron, then absolutely yes, dose iron. Seeing such a change in the plants is exactly the way you diagnose deficiencies. I would put tablets in the soil near the heaviest root feeders (Echinodorus for sure, perhaps others), and add iron to the water column.


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## digital_gods (Apr 23, 2010)

I got a cheap source for iron that will blow your mind. Just push down iron nails (not galvanized) deep into your substrate. Under the anrobic conditions the iron converts into ferious oxide(FeO2) which uptakes by the roots more easily that traditional rust.


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## Rivercats (Aug 31, 2012)

Thanks for the help everyone!


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