How much Micro do I need to use? Should I use liquid Iron?

[rs18alpha]

Thanks for any help you guys can give me!!!

I dose 3mil of the CSM+b micro mix that's mixed with 500mil of water.
I dose it every other day.
I have a 40gal tank with CO2

Do I need to use Flourish Iron as well?
If so, how much and how often should I dose the Iron?

 

[slipfinger]

Are you dosing micros at EI levels .2ppm Fe?

As for dosing extra iron, it all depends on the needs of the plants in your tank and how much Fe you are supplying from CSM+B.

 

[Amanda Adkins]

You only need more iron than the Nutritrace CSM provides if you have many red leafed plants. The iron is what helps the red shine out. Otherwise the plants only need a microscopic amount of iron. Remember micro or trace nutrients are called this because only a small amount is needed.

 

[rs18alpha]

I have a Red tiger lotus a few Red nymphaea rubra bulbs and a Red flame sword. Should the CSM alone be enough to keep them Red?

 

[Amanda Adkins]

Try it with only the CSM. If the red plants are less than the lovely red you expect then add a small dose of the iron. Simple as that. The red plants won't be unhealthy. They just won't be quite as pretty red.

 

[Dale Hazey]

Care to post any pictures @rs18alpha ?

Can't he just increase his dosing of CSM+b? There seems to be a divide on this forum, amongst people who believe that it's easy to reach a trace toxicity, and others who don't think that's the case unless you are recklessly larding it on. Tom has posted many times how he doses his traces and iron on a greater scale than most with no problems, and doesnt believe in easily reaching a trace toxicity.

Seachem iron is gluconate with no chelator. From what I understand it doesn't last in the water column very long, but is very easily taken up by the plants because there is no chelator bond to break.

Also the edta chelator in CSM+b works best for a certain KH and maybe PH.

What is your KH?

Here is a thread where tom Barr aka plantbrain explains his knowledge about iron and chelators and traces.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...nt-substitutions-csm-b-microplex-fe-dtpa.html

He says if you have a higher KH you can simply dose more csm+b ...

Dale