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[APD] Re: Black Turface --was DIY ferti-plant etc...



Hey gang,

Tom Barr replies:
>>John, I added 10mls 3-4x a week in a 20 gal with
110w(Flourish CMS and TMG), I really did not see a
dramatic improvement in growth vs 5mls even
with sensitive plants(Nesaea, Amaninnia, Crypts, Red
Cabomba, Eustralis etc). I suppose the more
concentrated humics may be releasing the Fe
but......................relative to the plant
itself,<<

I've got to get ahold of some of that Amaninnia:)
Hehe, j/k. Typos are my middle name:P

Yeah, but I sure kept seeing improvement. In fact, the
only way I could get Ammannia to stop stunting at the
tips was to dose 6ml/6ml TMG/Flourish Fe, and then
*good* color didn't really happen until 8-10ml's for
each *daily*. I dosed before the lights came on. E.
stellata constantly stalled, and I couldn't get
Rotalas (any species) to grow properly. I was unable
to deliver Fe reliably no matter how much I dosed.
Further, the 8-9ppm NO3 that I added came right from
the tap and that's all I needed. If I added even a
couple ppm I had algae issues.

Now that my substrate is set-up to properly reduce,
and deliver Fe, I am able to dose WAY more NO3 (to
good result), but I'm proceeding cautiously. I suspect
the substrate is eating most of the NO3, though. I no
longer need to dose PO4. Anyway, I find PO4 to be much
less troublesome than NO3... 

The big issue for me previously(re: your remarks
above) vs. your experience is that I was using plain
gravel in a shallow bed. I'm sure you used
Flourite/Onyx etc... 

>>reducing Fe3+ to Fe2+ is not a big issue
energetically speaking and the redox does not have to
drop that far for this to occur in the substrate.<<

True, but there are certain criteria that need to be
met, yes? IMVHO, high-light tanks meet with so many
nutrient issues simply because the tank can't supply
Fe fast/reliably enough, and it becomes limiting (I
didn't come up with that all by myself, BTW;). Except
you, every hobbyist that I've spoken with has required
WAY more Fe to be dosed in high light, HID/PC tanks,
OR something special has be done otherwise. Enter
various soils, humics, and homebrewed substrates.
That's my angle on this whole topic.

NO3 is *easy* to deliver. Iron has some weird-isms,
and plants get funny about it at high light. 

>>The plant does not need that much Fe anyway.
It's only one electron from Fe3+ to Fe2+.<<

Yeah, that's what I can't figure out. Where the heck
does it all go? Hehe... I *guess* it gets all bound up
waiting to be reduced again? Turns to rust?

Best wishes,
John Wheeler

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