[lindsay]

Has anybody tested iron levels ?.If yes what test kit do you use ?.

[jason@jasonsaquatics]

I think this is a test we should get in ,problem is Salifert don't do a test for iron.I will be looking into other test kit soon as we have had a few emails from some wholesale guys who do some of these top spec test kits


jas

[ben]

what is iron important for?

[john h]

god not more chemistry
but yes what is it for ?

[Andrew]

Yeh what is iron good for and where's Mr Garret when we need him! LOL

[steve5reef]

I test for iron now and again with Nutrafin test kit but I find its depleted very quickly, very difficult to find the kits and you have to watch the powder additive as the container lets moisture in and renders the test kit useless.
I add Kent's super chelated Iron most weeks to all my tanks it keeps macro algae dark green, It also feeds the symbiotic algae that provide colour in coral tissue. If overdosed It can harm some invertebrates but I've found you can add quite a bit before it starts to cause any problems.
Hope this has been of some help.
Cheers Steve

[jason@jasonsaquatics]

Myself i would get a better test kit Steve and test the iron content of your tank.

The algaes your doing will do well as algaes love iron and will go a nice vibrant dark green colour .

Problem is if your keeping corals like Acroporas the zooanthellel also like iron and they to will darken up and loose the colour your trying to achieve .

Not to sure of the long term aspect of to much iron in a system,maybe Si G can add to this post as he has a brain like a sponge unlike me with a brain like a brick lol .

Also Lindsay might have some points to add on his experiences with iron and montiporas and how they may loose bright colours ie: (bright purple may go dark purple )with to much iron

Not sure but this may be the case for to much potassium added to


Jas

[lindsay]

I do dose iron but only a small amount ,quarter the stated dose on the sps tank .I too read the posts that iron increases colour so we got some in and i dosed the stated dose once a week on the sps tank .What i found was that bright coloured acros ie blue acros started to brown up as each week went on but other corals like the purple and brown Montipora digitata went a dark purple and brown and looked really healthy .Green Acroporas went a browner green as did many of the green Acroporas .After a few weeks it became clear that the zooxanthellae in some of the sps were bulking up possibly above the corals needs .I dropped the iron dosing until i know more about the possible side affects .After some digging i found that iron does increase zooxanthellae on some corals above the control of the coral sometimes making the coral dump zooxanthellae when things get out of control .I also had a brown low nutrient Cyanobacteria bloom in the tank that may have enjoyed the iron .The Montipora digitata sulked for a good few weeks after the iron dose was lowered ,is now looking ok .
If you want to dose iron i would not go by what is on the bottle but dose very small amounts and if needed increase over a long period .Keep an eye on coral colours and any algae in the tank as it can grow fast .When you read about iron you will discover good and bad things about it but i would say dose a small amount and if you have no algae sump dose very small amounts to start with .I would say that iron is good with some corals but not all .

[karnivor]

I believe that NSW Iron levels are extreeeeemley low.
0.0034 PPM

Your gonna need a good FE test kit.

[dylan]

did anyone mention testing i did my usual test last night just finished took 7 hours infact better start a gain as the levels have probally dropped lol

[bobba fett]

I have a Hagan test kit which includes tests for chelated and non chelated iron (not sure how they differ with regards to reef needs).

Both of mine are near zero, there is a barely detectable change in colours which is too pale to compare on the scale.

I used to run a plankton reactor which was dosed at the reccommended amount with iron on a weekly basis, I found that adding to the main tank caused a hair algae outbreak together with cyno.

I can only assume that the plankton in the reactor were not comsuming all the iron aditives/when the plankton was consumed and digested by the livestock iron made its way back in the system.

I stopped using the reactor and am reluctant to get too involved with adding iron to the system now.

[Dave.I]

Ive just started dosing iron as of yesterday.Im looking to get the vibrant green back on a large acro i have.I will do before and after pics and post my findings.

Dave

[Dave.I]

Dave.I, on Jan 16 2009, 04:24 PM, said:

Ive just started dosing iron as of yesterday.Im looking to get the vibrant green back on a large acro i have.I will do before and after pics and post my findings.

Dave

No change to coral colours at all.Greens just the same with a possible small increase in zooxanthellae.Basicaly the same as you found Linds!

Dave

[lindsay]

Are you going to carry on adding the iron dave ?.

[Dave.I]

No.

Im starting up my grotec doser this week for balling and once its dialed in i will leave it a few weeks then start adding the fauna marin trace eliments via the dosing bottles.From what i have read the variouse other trace eliments and paticularly potasium are more important to colours....we will see.

Dave