Iron dosing question

[Gogo007]

Dear my fellow reefers

I want to diy my iron supplement i looked in here and i found that many reefers using
fergon tablets
I looked in here i did not found the same product under the same name i asked the pharmacist if there are product contains only iron and he show me those 3 products some of them is ferrous sulphate + folic acid .. is folic acid is reef safe also ? i attached pictures of them
Could you please help if any one of those could work ? And what will be the dosage ?

 

[SlugSnorter]

Dear my fellow reefers

I want to diy my iron supplement i looked in here and i found that many reefers using
fergon tablets
I looked in here i did not found the same product under the same name i asked the pharmacist if there are product contains only iron and he show me those 3 products some of them is ferrous sulphate + folic acid .. is folic acid is reef safe also ? i attached pictures of them
Could you please help if any one of those could work ? And what will be the dosage ?

Pretty sure that would reduce alk, phos and give your water too much folic acid. fergon is Ferrous Gluconate.

 

[Gogo007]

Pretty sure that would reduce alk, phos and give your water too much folic acid. fergon is Ferrous Gluconate.

This product with 47 mg iron sulphate and 0.5 mg of folic acid can work ? Where the folic conc. Is very small ?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The Fergon I recommend is iron bound to an organic (gluconate) that will help keep it soluble. Ferrous sulfate may work, but it may precipitate faster.

 

[HuduVudu]

@Gogo007 I use pure iron filings.

I use the Salifert red scooper and put it in daily just a pinch.

 

[Gogo007]

What about if it mixed with folic acid could folic acid harm corals ? I also found product in amazon Egypt used as soil fertilizer and its chelated iron with EDTA they do not have the gluconate is that also could work better than iron sulphate mixed with folic ?

The Fergon I recommend is iron bound to an organic (gluconate) that will help keep it soluble. Ferrous sulfate may work, but it may precipitate faster

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I do not know the effects of folate on a reef, but it is likely Ok at low doses.

Iron EDTA has its own issues, but can work:

Chemistry And The Aquarium: Iron In A Reef Tank ? Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog


I’d also advise using only iron supplements that have the iron chelated to an organic molecule. The iron sold for freshwater applications is sometimes not chelated because free iron is more soluble in the lower pH of freshwater tanks. I’d avoid those products for marine applications. It will likely still work (as many of the studies in the scientific literature use free iron in seawater), but probably not as well because it may precipitate before it has fully fortified the system with iron.

In many cases of iron intended for the marine hobby, the product may not tell you what the iron is chelated with, in order to protect proprietary formulations. I don’t actually know if it matters too much. Very strong chelation by certain molecules will actually inhibit bioavailability by not permitting release of the iron without completely taking apart the chelating molecule, but I expect that manufacturers have avoided those molecules. EDTA and citrate, and some others, actually degrade photochemically, releasing small amounts of free iron continually. It is believed to be the free iron that is actually taken up by many organisms, and likely iron(II), though some organisms may be able to convert iron(III) to iron(II) before uptake (the detailed absorption mechanisms are generally not known). There is a more detailed discussion of this degradation and uptake in “Captive Seawater Fishes” by Stephen Spotte (1992).

 

[Gogo007]

Okay small update .. i looked for iron gluconate and did not find it and found iron EDDHA sold as fertilizer .. so i think it will be better choice for now and cheap .. i did calculate the grams i need just want to verify it with you guys
I do need a concentration of 0.1ppm iron in my tank and my tank is 200 liter approximately and i will make a solution of 500ml to be used in dosing
Iron molecular mass is 55.845
Iron EDDHA molecular weight is 435.2
So
(0.1 g/l) * (435.2/55.84) * (1/100) * 200 liter = 0.155 gram
Then i want to use 5ml of my prepared solution to increase the 0.1ppm in my 200 liter tank
(0.155gram/5ml) * 500ml = 15.5 grams

So i should dissolve 15.5 gram or iron EDDHA to 500ml ro/di and this solution if i added 5ml to my 200l tank will increase my iron by 0.1ppm ?

 

[Obsessed with fish]

I know this isn't answering your question but it would be much easier and safer to use an iron supplement meant for reefs like Seachem Flourish iron supplement.

 

[Gogo007]

I do not know the effects of folate on a reef, but it is likely Ok at low doses.

Iron EDTA has its own issues, but can work:

Chemistry And The Aquarium: Iron In A Reef Tank ? Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog


I’d also advise using only iron supplements that have the iron chelated to an organic molecule. The iron sold for freshwater applications is sometimes not chelated because free iron is more soluble in the lower pH of freshwater tanks. I’d avoid those products for marine applications. It will likely still work (as many of the studies in the scientific literature use free iron in seawater), but probably not as well because it may precipitate before it has fully fortified the system with iron.

In many cases of iron intended for the marine hobby, the product may not tell you what the iron is chelated with, in order to protect proprietary formulations. I don’t actually know if it matters too much. Very strong chelation by certain molecules will actually inhibit bioavailability by not permitting release of the iron without completely taking apart the chelating molecule, but I expect that manufacturers have avoided those molecules. EDTA and citrate, and some others, actually degrade photochemically, releasing small amounts of free iron continually. It is believed to be the free iron that is actually taken up by many organisms, and likely iron(II), though some organisms may be able to convert iron(III) to iron(II) before uptake (the detailed absorption mechanisms are generally not known). There is a more detailed discussion of this degradation and uptake in “Captive Seawater Fishes” by Stephen Spotte (1992).

I wish i could have iron gluconate source but for now looks impossible and the only source now is iron edta or iron eddha .. i do believe eddha is easy to break iron by organisms than edta .. or what do you prefer if you do not have source of gluconate Dr. Randy ?

 

[Gogo007]

I know this isn't answering your question but it would be much easier and safer to use an iron supplement meant for reefs like Seachem Flourish iron supplement.

Its very hard for me to import liquid .. i am living in egypt and 90% of the reefing needs is not available in market here .. most of the shipping companies can not carry liquids

 

[محمد شهاب الدين]

عزيزي زملائي المبردات

أريد أن أصنع مكمل الحديد الخاص بي الذي بحثت عنه هنا ووجدت أن العديد من المبردات تستخدم
أقراص فيرغون
لقد بحثت هنا لم أجد نفس المنتج بنفس الاسم ، فسألت الصيدلي إذا كان هناك منتج يحتوي على الحديد فقط وأظهر لي هذه المنتجات الثلاثة ، بعضها كبريتات الحديدوز + حمض الفوليك .. حمض الفوليك آمن للشعاب المرجانية ايضا ؟ أرفقت صورًا لهم
هل يمكنك المساعدة إذا كان أي واحد من هؤلاء يمكن أن يعمل؟ وماذا ستكون الجرعة؟

مرحبا انا ايضا من مصر اتمني لو يمكننا التواصل
بالنسبه الي الحديد انا استخدم جلوكوفير اذيب قرص في 100 م ماء ro.di واعمل بجرعه 10 نقط لكل 100 لتر

ADMIN EDIT for TRANSLATION:
Hello, I am also from Egypt. I wish we could communicate
As for iron, I use Glucovir. Dissolve one tablet in 100 ml of ro.di water and make a dose of 10 drops per 100 liters.