caring for rotala rotundifolia

[starlord]

I've been looking into supplements, could I be missing something simple like iron to give it a boost?

[mattify]

I'm currently on 3ml of iron three times a week, worth upping the dosage I reckon?

[starlord]

I've always thought more iron can't hurt, as long as the fish are fine. Iron's supposed to bring out the red in plants, though I'm not entirely sure how that works. What I do know is plants just absorb it like crazy.

[mattify]

I'm still learning myself, but I'd like to know what kind of increase you'd recommend, I'm looking to try and boost my rotala's growth and color, what's a suitable dosage increase in your experience, I've currently got 3ml three times a week, would doubling that be too much or is there a better approach I should take.

[starlord]

Double the dose, then monitor your fish closely for any adverse reactions. If you notice any issues, do a water change ASAP. But if they seem fine, the plants will be the ones showing the effects - and that's growth.

[mattify]

Thanks for the advice, I'm gonna give it a go

[mattify]

@starlord didnt quite have the guts to double the iron to 6ml, but I did bump it up to 4.5ml this week to test the waters with the fish and the rotala's growth rate is mental, the plant next to it is also going wild

[starlord]

Since upping the iron, some of my plants have taken on colors I've never seen before - it's been pretty amazing. One of them, a Hygrophila costata, has developed this gorgeous pinkish-red hue at the base of the leaves - I've been searching online but can't find a photo that matches it, I'll have to post a pic later. My Rotala indica is also showing off deep red undersides, all thanks to the iron. I've been saying this for a while now, but if you want to boost your plant growth without the hassle of CO2 cylinders, just add more iron - it really does make a difference. Even MD aquascapes, who's got 43 aquariums to manage, swears by it and avoids the extra work of refilling cylinders every month. You might want to check out his videos, he's got some great tips and uses 30 watt flood lights with a 7500K color temp, which is really close to natural daylight.

[mattify]

I'm using seachem products for el dosing, so if I increase the iron will I need to adjust the other nutrients, or will they still work as is. I've checked out some of MD aquascapes videos, he's pretty straightforward and doesn't like to overcomplicate things, which I like, mainly because I'm still learning and don't know too much about all this.

[starlord]

I've got it sorted now, I saw someone using top-of-the-line European ferts and the color was still brown, then it clicked - iron is key. I mean, why bother with an all-in-one when you can just use pure iron, it's like the secret ingredient. My fish are healthy and well-fed, so I'm good to go.