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imtheonlylp
09/19/2006, 09:13 AM
so while at the LFS the other day, I was told to supplement some iron in my refugium for the caulerpa and chaeto that i have growing there...any ideas? anyone else heard this?
Horace
09/19/2006, 10:27 AM
I dose iron....I use the Zeo Iron in my 75g. 2 drops/day
Randy Holmes-Farley
09/19/2006, 10:47 AM
Yes, I recommend dosing iron if you grow macroalgae. At the moment I am using Seachem Flourish Iron. I discuss iron in these articles:

First Iron Article: Macroalgae and Dosing Recommendations
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/aug2002/chem.htm

Second Iron Article: Iron: A Look at Organisms Other than Macroalgae
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2002/chem.htm
JamesJR
09/19/2006, 10:47 AM
I have dosed it before in the past but I probably won't use it again because it just doesn't seem necessary. I had excellent caulerpa and halimeda growth without any iron supplements.
Randy Holmes-Farley
09/19/2006, 02:35 PM
If you get good growth, you may not need it. Some folks find that their macroalgae eventually grows more slowly, and fades to a lighter green. Some have seen it darken in color within a few hours of dosing.
imtheonlylp
09/19/2006, 07:27 PM
ty very much...i ordered my bottle of iron today...LFS price of $20 (8oz bottle) is outrageous!!!
Randy Holmes-Farley
09/20/2006, 07:09 AM
Iron supplements last a long time, however, since you need small doses. :)
Kurt03
09/20/2006, 08:43 AM
Kents iron is ok right? It says its chelated or whatever.
Pretty cheap at like $6 something for the 8oz im guessing bottle.
imtheonlylp
09/20/2006, 09:48 AM
^ thats what i ordered...chelated means "mixed with other metals" so i assume since it also contains manganese thats where they get the chelated from
Kurt03
09/20/2006, 10:18 AM
yup it says it has manganese too.
Randy Holmes-Farley
09/20/2006, 12:34 PM
No, chelated does not mean mixed with other metals. It means that it has a certain type of organic molecule bound to it. Chelate means the organic has more than one attachment to the iron. EDTA qualifies. Gluconate may as well.
imtheonlylp
09/20/2006, 12:54 PM
Main Entry: [2]chelate
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): che·lat·ed; che·lat·ing
Date: 1922
transitive senses
: to combine with (a metal) so as to form a chelate ring
intransitive senses
: to react so as to form a chelate ring
- che·lat·able /-"lA-t&-b&l/ adjective
- che·la·tion /kE-'lA-sh&n also chE-/ noun
- che·la·tor /-"lA-t&r/ noun
Randy Holmes-Farley
09/20/2006, 05:02 PM
Right. The organic chelates the metal. There is only 1 metal, however, in that ring. :)
imtheonlylp
09/20/2006, 07:10 PM
spot on! :D