Dosing Iron?

biom · Dec 30, 2015

TD13 said:
@biom Please don't call me a noob... Is there a difference between PAR when compared to different light technology, or is 500 PAR the same regardless of the type of bulb its coming from? Also, from the look of your tank, your SPS are doing well. What kind of PAR values do you keep them under?

a noob...? Sorry, I was trying to help you answering the questions you asked me in the most understandable way. Good luck with the corals.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 30, 2015

biom said:
a noob...? Sorry, I was trying to help you answering the questions you asked me in the most understandable way. Good luck with the corals.

I think he was prefacing his question to follow that he thought might be noob-like, not that he was disappointed in how you had already answered anything.

TD13 · Dec 30, 2015

biom said:
a noob...? Sorry, I was trying to help you answering the questions you asked me in the most understandable way. Good luck with the corals.

Not saying you did at all, just feel like one

@Randy Holmes-Farley - hit it right on the head! This tank has been up since February, and it's NOT my first tank, but it IS my first real go at Acros and SPS...

biom · Dec 31, 2015

Oh, I'm sorry TD13, I misunderstood your post. I don't think you should fell like noob. They say there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers

.
Yes, IME there is difference from type of light PAR is coming. I'm keeping my acropora at 400-700 PAR coming from t5 bulbs. If you try to keep corals at the same PAR but coming from LED it could burn them. I've tried to keep Acroporas under LED but never had success, yes they survived, but never had such growth and colors as they have under t5.

davidc · Dec 31, 2015

If anyone has not run across this article before, it has some pretty good information on coral color as an indicator.

http://reefbuilders.com/2008/09/03/guide-of-sps-coral-coloration-make-them-more-vivid-bright/

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 31, 2015

davidc said:
If anyone has not run across this article before, it has some pretty good information on coral color as an indicator.

http://reefbuilders.com/2008/09/03/guide-of-sps-coral-coloration-make-them-more-vivid-bright/

FWIW, I'm not convinced one can connect colors to specific additives the way that article does. There certainly may be cases where if something like potassium is depleted, corals may suffer and that may alter their color. But adding chemicals beyond normal levels is not, IMO, likely to enhance colors.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 31, 2015

FWIW, here's my most recent DIY iron dosing recipe using Fergon tablets from the drug store:

Take 1 tablet and dissolve in 100 mL RO/DI (overnight soak). Let the solids settle out and use the liquid. Then I dose about 1-5 mL to my 200 gallons (dose is not critical) occasionally.

TD13 · Jan 3, 2016

OK, moved some stuff a bit and turned the intensity up a bit on my lights. Set is on acclimation mode to ramp up slowly... we'll see what happens.

reefwiser · Jan 3, 2016

One must watch dosing iron you can cause SPS to bleach do to iron levels.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 3, 2016

reefwiser said:
One must watch dosing iron you can cause SPS to bleach do to iron levels.

What concentration have you observed that to happen at?

reefwiser · Jan 3, 2016

Will have to ask Steve Tyree. [emoji3] we might discuss it in this months SPS insider video. He told me about this while we where discussing dosing before our club coral show. He had brought me some frags to work with and they where washed out. He said he was experimenting with iron dosing and that it had caused the corals to lose color.

Cory · Jan 3, 2016

Seems logical if zoox are algae and they are suspected to cause bleaching due to oxidation damage

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 4, 2016

I've just not ever heard of a problem (aside from possibly increases in cyano) from iron dosing. Red Sea actually recommends super high levels (far higher than I do) and presumably they are not getting huge numbers of bad results from customers.

reefwiser · Jan 4, 2016

Well he was testing iron products for manufacturers.

I have done this in the past too. Having kept SPS for 30 years and started on the cutting edge my interest in the hobby is pushing the hobby forward and not keeping it at its present level of knowledge. So I am always reading research papers and talking to other forward thinking hobbyist and researchers on new approaches to water chemistry and what will and will not work.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 4, 2016

reefwiser said:
Well he was testing iron products for manufacturers. I have done this in the past too. Having kept SPS for 30 years and started on the cutting edge my interest in the hobby is pushing the hobby forward and not keeping it at its present level of knowledge. So I am always reading research papers and talking to other forward thinking hobbyist and researchers on new approaches to water chemistry and what will and will not work.

Maybe he was testing an unsuitable product.

Myka · Jan 4, 2016

TD13 said:
This is my first attempt at SPS corals and so far, so good, save for the color of the yellow corals.

How much reef experience do you have besides SPS corals? You can run into algae trouble real fast when dosing iron, and I wouldn't suggest it to someone unless they had a really good handle on reefkeeping. I doubt the lack of iron on a test kit is the main culprit in your case anyway. IME, the best way to get yellow is super high PAR (500+ from T5 or halide) and low nutrients. I also agree that dosing iron is likely to make yellows more green than anything, and that 500 PAR from LEDs is not the same as 500 PAR from T5. T5 and halide spread the light better around the corals where LEDs concentrate their beam to the top of the corals. What are the measurements for NO3 and PO4 and which kits are you using to measure?

TD13 · Jan 4, 2016

API for No3 and I keep it about 20 so I can keep my alk and calc up for growth. Hannah (not the ULR) for Po4 - 0.00. I've decided not to dose anything except the Red Sea Coral Colors in proportion to my calc uptake. Everything else in my tank is colored nicely, and this one has only been in for a short time. I'll let it settle in. I've read a ton of @Randy Holmes-Farley 's threads and stuff on advanced aquaria, and for the most part I understand it. The hardest part to learn, I find, it patience. But hey, Rome wasn't built in a day right?

Myka · Jan 4, 2016

TD13 said:
API for No3 and I keep it about 20 so I can keep my alk and calc up for growth. Hannah (not the ULR) for Po4 - 0.00.

You're not going to get yellow corals with 20 ppm NO3 in my experience. You only need 1-2 ppm to use higher alkalinity, and some people can keep undetectable NO3 and high alkalinity without any issues. SOME people have good results at 20 ppm NO3, but you see most SPS tanks under 5 ppm. I also recommend either Salifert or Red Sea Pro for low range NO3. I'd also get an ULR Phosphorus checker if you're going to be serious about SPS and keep PO4 in the 1-10 ppb range (0.003-0.03 ppm). In that range you will get 0.00 ppm on the normal range PO4 checker.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 4, 2016

FWIW, I do not recommend people dose enough iron to see with any test kit. None can test anywhere near low enough for natural surface seawater levels of iron (which are often about 0.000006 ppm.