I have been adding a liquid plant fertiliser on every partial water change (weekly). It includes iron. Is it safe to keep adding ? Is there an unsafe level ?
How can you check , is there a test kit available ??
sorry for all the questions but i dont want to poison my fish
The right amount of iron
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iron is in fact one of the few metals that's fairly harmless to fish.
there are many rivers where the rocks and sand are visually 'red' due to huge amounts of ferrous oxide in the water and the soil.
In the old days we used to have metal welded tanks with glass windows (!), often such a tank had a fairly rusty bottom......and you had to stand next to it with a machete to prune it!
I used to dump a handful of blun ted nails in the filter or on the tankfloor, before the sand went in; that's back in the days when a 3-4" fish was really big.
the small Cory's and loaches etc couldn't get to those nails, but the iron sure got in the water!
adding iron is THE way to keep red-leafed plantspecies thriving and also for healthy Echinodorus growth it is a MUST.
I also used solid ferro-fertilizer; reddish crumbs I had to put deep in the sand. got loads of experience with plantgrowth. decades.....
About aquarium fertilizers there are a few things you should know:
-first; they are harmless for your fish! stuff bought at an LFS is good stuff, usually.
but do NOT use the liquid fertilizer you can use for room plants (!!!). that stuff contains loads of phosphates, nitrates and even ammonium; you kill your tank.
-second: the dosage written on the bottle is always way too much. it is written there to make you buy a lot of it, to make your money go to their wallets!
use a quarter of the dosage or even less.
-third: patience, young Padawan!
a fertilized plant doesn't show proper growth in less than a month, and red plants don't show proper growth or deepened colors fast either.....if you think after two weeks "it doesn't work, let's add another dose", you're going to need algae-eaters pretty soon.....
-fourth; it goes without saying that all the absorbing filtermaterials are a no-go; activated carbon, zeolite , aquasafe or similar tonics and easylife all neutrilize and bind aquatic fertilizers and spore elements.....so if you have this in the filter, get it out or waste your money and efforts.
good luck with the plants.
there are many rivers where the rocks and sand are visually 'red' due to huge amounts of ferrous oxide in the water and the soil.
In the old days we used to have metal welded tanks with glass windows (!), often such a tank had a fairly rusty bottom......and you had to stand next to it with a machete to prune it!
I used to dump a handful of blun ted nails in the filter or on the tankfloor, before the sand went in; that's back in the days when a 3-4" fish was really big.
the small Cory's and loaches etc couldn't get to those nails, but the iron sure got in the water!
adding iron is THE way to keep red-leafed plantspecies thriving and also for healthy Echinodorus growth it is a MUST.
I also used solid ferro-fertilizer; reddish crumbs I had to put deep in the sand. got loads of experience with plantgrowth. decades.....
About aquarium fertilizers there are a few things you should know:
-first; they are harmless for your fish! stuff bought at an LFS is good stuff, usually.
but do NOT use the liquid fertilizer you can use for room plants (!!!). that stuff contains loads of phosphates, nitrates and even ammonium; you kill your tank.
-second: the dosage written on the bottle is always way too much. it is written there to make you buy a lot of it, to make your money go to their wallets!
use a quarter of the dosage or even less.
-third: patience, young Padawan!
a fertilized plant doesn't show proper growth in less than a month, and red plants don't show proper growth or deepened colors fast either.....if you think after two weeks "it doesn't work, let's add another dose", you're going to need algae-eaters pretty soon.....
-fourth; it goes without saying that all the absorbing filtermaterials are a no-go; activated carbon, zeolite , aquasafe or similar tonics and easylife all neutrilize and bind aquatic fertilizers and spore elements.....so if you have this in the filter, get it out or waste your money and efforts.
good luck with the plants.
Valar Morghulis
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apistomaster
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One of my favorite substrates I use is what I sift from a local small stream. It has proven especially well suited for the growth of Echinodorus. It contains a little natural iron containing minerals and with the addition of a Nutrifin Plant Gro stick the different varieties do very well. I have some of the Oval leaved red Hybrid cultivars that develop nice colors.
I haven't seen any nails but a strong magnet will pick up many small particles from it.
I haven't seen any nails but a strong magnet will pick up many small particles from it.
Avid Trout fly fisherman. ·´¯`·...¸><)))º>