Can You Really Overdose?

[Evad]

Seems like no matter how much Iron I add the test always reads zero. I can add iron to the test and it works so I think its an OK test kit (sechem).

Seems like I am adding iron everyday at the reccomended amount and while nothing is hurt I can never get a reading on iron.

Same for potassium.

Can you really overdose either of these two? Of course you can if you dumped a ton in, but I am talking daily doses for the iron and every three days for the potassium.

Since I do 50% water changes every week, should i stop worrying about it or continue to add and test to figure out what the proper amount is I should be adding?

Thanks for any advice on this.

 

[theshadowinc]

Seems like no matter how much Iron I add the test always reads zero. I can add iron to the test and it works so I think its an OK test kit (sechem).

Seems like I am adding iron everyday at the reccomended amount and while nothing is hurt I can never get a reading on iron.

Same for potassium.

Can you really overdose either of these two? Of course you can if you dumped a ton in, but I am talking daily doses for the iron and every three days for the potassium.

Since I do 50% water changes every week, should i stop worrying about it or continue to add and test to figure out what the proper amount is I should be adding?

Thanks for any advice on this.

Hmm what kind of test kit and how old is it and what powders and drops does it use.(Sounds like an old test kit to me)are you dosing what the bottle actually says working in maybe litres instead of gals. I had the same problem with my test kit wasn't reading right! My kit is rather old I don't use it cause I switched to the EI format of doing things.

 

[Evad]

Seems like no matter how much Iron I add the test always reads zero. I can add iron to the test and it works so I think its an OK test kit (sechem).

Seems like I am adding iron everyday at the reccomended amount and while nothing is hurt I can never get a reading on iron.

Same for potassium.

Can you really overdose either of these two? Of course you can if you dumped a ton in, but I am talking daily doses for the iron and every three days for the potassium.

Since I do 50% water changes every week, should i stop worrying about it or continue to add and test to figure out what the proper amount is I should be adding?

Thanks for any advice on this.

Hmm what kind of test kit and how old is it and what powders and drops does it use.(Sounds like an old test kit to me)are you dosing what the bottle actually says working in maybe litres instead of gals. I had the same problem with my test kit wasn't reading right! My kit is rather old I don't use it cause I switched to the EI format of doing things.

Your last line almost makes me wonder if you inadvertantly answered my question

 

[aaronnorth]

iron can become chelated quickly, and test kits do not register this form of iron. Plants also use iron up very quickly - you are not the first, and definatley not the last who has experienced this problem.

 

[Colin_T]

in a heavily planted tank you are unlikely to overdose with iron. However you can do it and it will kill the fish if the levels get too high.

 

[Evad]

OK that cleared it up on Iron - whats the scoop on potassium?

 

[SuperColey1]

You can overdose on anything. Its more a question of what level is an overdose and with many of these elements noone has tested them thoroughly enough yet.

With the metals though it is safe to say that their toxicity levels will be lower than with the others.

Safe to say also that we dose a lot of potassium already with no problems. Some people dose 3 x EI levels with no problems so I would guess if you are below this then you are OK

With your test kit you say that when you add Iron to the test it works? How much iron are you adding to the test? The same concentration as you would've been adding into the tank?

What I mean is that if you add 1 spoon to the tank and the tank is 10litres and then you are adding 1 spoon to a 100ml sample you may well be getting an incorrect but visible result in your sample because it is much more concentrated.

Also as Aaron says the chelate may be breaking down within the tank!!!

Are you getting defficiency signs from the plants that are leading you to test for iron?

AC

 

[Evad]

I have some minor yellowing on some plants that leads me to believe a little more iron would be good.

I also have about 10% of my sword leaves looking glassy and transparent, leading me to believe that I could use some extra potassium.

Both products should also make all plants stronger even if there is not an obvious deficiency, correct? Also, doesn't iron help dark green plants stay dark green? Seems my Hygro I bought at the store was dark green but all new growth never turns dark green with age.

 

[RadaR]

Plant deficiencies guide.

http/www.theplantedtank.co.uk/deficiencies.htm


No idea how much nutrients you are dosing...(N, P, trace).

 

[plantbrain]

I have some minor yellowing on some plants that leads me to believe a little more iron would be good.

I also have about 10% of my sword leaves looking glassy and transparent, leading me to believe that I could use some extra potassium.

Both products should also make all plants stronger even if there is not an obvious deficiency, correct? Also, doesn't iron help dark green plants stay dark green? Seems my Hygro I bought at the store was dark green but all new growth never turns dark green with age.

Sounds more like CO2.

Folks blame nutrients often for low CO2.

Here's how/why: They add more nutrients, this causes more demand for CO2, because now you where nutrient limited, you took that away, now the plants are limited by increased CO2 demand.
If you have high light, then this makes this even worse, since more light -= more CO2 demand which means more nutrient demand.


The goal here is to grow plants effectively.
Some like slower growth, so use low light, this also means less CO2 deamnd, so that's easier to target well.

Some like faster growth, "farms", so high light, high CO2(not always to keep good tabs on) and high ferts.
Light drives all uptake and CO2 demand.
If you are a little off with CO2, then you get so so plant health in some species, if you are lot off or chronically low, then you get algae.

Nutrients are easy to rule out, you simply add more and see.
Very simple.

Lighting, well, as long as you have about 1.5 W/gal or T5 lighting, you are in good shape.
That will not change much as long as you fdose nutrients consistently at a higher level, say like EI, that rules those out.

Now you are left with CO2.

If you are limited with PO4 prior, then add PO4, and get BBA, green hair algae, GSA etc, then you have a CO2 issue, not an excess PO4 issue. Why? Because folks have added high PO4 without BBA/and any algae for years, similar lighting etc.
What's the factor that's poorly ruled out here and the most likely culprit? CO2.

Nutrients/light are easy, CO2 is not, CO2, is the source of 40-45% of the plant's biomass, iron is only 0.01% or less.
K+ is about 1%, N about 1-2% etc.

As you can see, if you mess with CO2, it really affects everything else nutrient wise. If you limit the PO4/K+/O4 strongly, then it affects CO2, you do not need as much CO2 if the lynch pin slowing growth is PO4.
By removing the lynch pin and freeing up that PO4 limitation, you may shift the limiting factor to CO2.

What folks want ideally is a light limited system, where adding more light will increase growth rates and where CO2/nutrients are non limiting.
This is the easiest most stable parameter to adjust also(light). CO2 is the least stable and the hardest to measure.
Folks would do well to focus 90% of the effort on CO2, and eyeball their tank well and adjust the CO2 accordingly.


Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Evad]

Whoa! A response from Tom Barr on one of my threads! I think I will frame this

Thanks Tom and I will focus on CO2 a little more.

 

[mibson]

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