No Iron At All?

[maurizio]

Hello all,
my 10 new Vallis (2 months) aren't doing particularly well (the old leaves turn brown and rot, although the plants keep producing runners: but all in all, I think I'm pruning more than the plants are producing), so I decided to get the Fe test (Tetra), which indeed gave me a 0 mg/l reading. I then added 10 pumps of Colombo Flora grow liquid fertilizer (I have about 150 l water), and re-measured after 24 hours. Still 0 mg/l!

Now, I know for sure that that Tatra stuff was on the shelf for months, heavily discounted, and I suspect it had been even opened before I got it, so....: could it just be too old? On the other hand, I cannot find a detailed list of the elements in my fertilizer, so I can't check how much I added. Still, I wouldn't expect a 0 reading.

What do you think?

PS: I have a very-low-tech tank, and want to keep it this way! Only thing I added in the sand, the day I planted the Vallis (end of July), were a few tablets of Tetra Plant Crypto. I also wonder how long these last in the sand: perhaps it is time to add more?

 

[DrRob]

Well colombo flora grow liquid does have iron in it.

I'd be far more suspicious of the test kit, particularly given that iron can be a real swine to test for in it's many different forms.

Overall, I'd not bother too much with testing nutrient levels like iron, so long as you add some regularly it shouldn't be the problem your plants have.

 

[coolie]

I've been experimenting with alternatives for micro nutrients, I'm currently using dried seaweed powder which is available in various types of product for other things.
Dried seaweed has about 17 micro nutrients in it and lots of iron, and it's all in the biological form plants need. Contains vitamins too.

 

[maurizio]

Thanks guys,
and, Coolie, this seaweed stuff sounds interesting. I see a number of different products available on the market (from seagrass, kelp, spirulina, ... Mostly for questionable ): any recommendation? And how do you serve it to your plants?

 

[SO19Firearms]

As Rob said, go with the nutrient not the test kit.
As for adding Seaweed products, I'd be a little bit careful with stuff like that. I'd certainly encourage it from a development point of view but this kind of stuff isn't for everyone.
To put it in it's simplest terms, you can see that mashing up your waste plants and off-cuts and adding them to the tank might be nutritionally beneficial - But you wouldn't want to do because of water quality. Adding organic products like this is always a tightrope IMO

 

[coolie]

Yes, it's just an experiment, it seems to work wonders for my daphnia tank as well. I'm not going to suggest everyone here experiment.

 

[maurizio]

Thanks folks, will follow your advice, and forget the test.

What about the Crypto tablets, how frequently should I add them? I just have sand, no substrate below it, so I believe I do need to help there. I put some at the end of July, when I settled the plants. Time for some more?

 

[maurizio]

Thanks folks, will follow your advice, and forget the test.

What about the Crypto tablets, how frequently should I add them? I just have sand, no substrate below it, so I believe I do need to help there. I put some at the end of July, when I settled the plants. Time for some more?

Anyone?

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Cant find any info on them anywhere mate, does it not say on instructions how long they last?

 

[SO19Firearms]

One tablet per 40 litres of tank water at every water change - Crush the tablets and place them under the gravel.

HTH

 

[maurizio]

Thanks folks,
I am usually an instruction maniac, but in the package I got none of the languages is familiar to me!
Then I'd better hurry to give them some!