Iron Fumarate vs Iron Gluconate for Chaeto?

roksonic · 12/18/2017, 01:16 AM

I heard iron is good for chaeto, however will it have adverse effects on the fish I have in my Display tank?
I often see Iron Fumarate in human supplement pills and rarely ever see Iron Gluconate, is process to get Iron Fumarate bad for aquatic life? As I often see Iron Gluconate being recommended for dosing purposes.

Or is Iron Fumarate often not advised because it may have other inactive ingredients mixed into it?

The Iron Fumarate I see in my home is Vegan with "Other Ingredients: Vegetable Cellulose, Stearic Acid, VegiBlendTM (carrot, broccoli, & tomato concentrates), Silica, and Magnesium Stearate.

Thoughts on the questions and how the product I have may effect the tank overall?

I don't intend on dosing with the Iron supplement I have in my cabinet since Marine Iron supplement is already very affordable. But I'm just curious on the chemistry and effects.

JTL · 12/18/2017, 08:24 AM

I bought ferrous sulfate (65mg) 100 caps for $2.50 at Walgreens. 2 tabs per one cup of RO. Considering I only dose 1ml per week, if that, it will last longer than me.

bertoni · 12/18/2017, 02:41 PM

Fumarate is a fairly simple organic compound. It's fine to use in place of glucose, at the dosing rates we use for iron. I am not sure that it will be as bio-available as gluconate, but I suspect it would be fine. I'd get something without the vegetable powder, I guess, but they are safe enough, as well. Fergon iron tables are fine, and have been tested.

Tripod1404 · 12/18/2017, 04:15 PM

For me the biggest concern would be silica. It has the potential to cause diatom blooms as silica is the limiting compound for diatom growth. It might be small enough to be negligible but if the exact milligrams of it is not listed, it can be a gamble.

Aside from that fumarate would most likely feed bacteria. But for the amounts you are going to use, that is negligible.

bertoni · 12/18/2017, 06:43 PM

Silica isn't very soluble, and the amount would be tiny, so I wouldn't worry about it. Diatoms can't live on silicate alone, in any case, and lots of snails are happy to eat them. I dosed silicate for years to try to help with sponge growth. I never saw any extra diatom growth.

roksonic · 12/18/2017, 08:48 PM

Thank you all for the input and information!

12/18/2017, 01:16 AM	#1
roksonic Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 19	Iron Fumarate vs Iron Gluconate for Chaeto? I heard iron is good for chaeto, however will it have adverse effects on the fish I have in my Display tank? I often see Iron Fumarate in human supplement pills and rarely ever see Iron Gluconate, is process to get Iron Fumarate bad for aquatic life? As I often see Iron Gluconate being recommended for dosing purposes. Or is Iron Fumarate often not advised because it may have other inactive ingredients mixed into it? The Iron Fumarate I see in my home is Vegan with "Other Ingredients: Vegetable Cellulose, Stearic Acid, VegiBlendTM (carrot, broccoli, & tomato concentrates), Silica, and Magnesium Stearate. Thoughts on the questions and how the product I have may effect the tank overall? I don't intend on dosing with the Iron supplement I have in my cabinet since Marine Iron supplement is already very affordable. But I'm just curious on the chemistry and effects.

12/18/2017, 08:24 AM	#2
JTL Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Venice Island, FL Posts: 2,532	I bought ferrous sulfate (65mg) 100 caps for $2.50 at Walgreens. 2 tabs per one cup of RO. Considering I only dose 1ml per week, if that, it will last longer than me. __________________ John 100 gallon DT and 50 gallon sump with refugium. Reefbreeders Photon V2+.

12/18/2017, 02:41 PM	#3
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Fumarate is a fairly simple organic compound. It's fine to use in place of glucose, at the dosing rates we use for iron. I am not sure that it will be as bio-available as gluconate, but I suspect it would be fine. I'd get something without the vegetable powder, I guess, but they are safe enough, as well. Fergon iron tables are fine, and have been tested. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

12/18/2017, 06:43 PM	#5
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Silica isn't very soluble, and the amount would be tiny, so I wouldn't worry about it. Diatoms can't live on silicate alone, in any case, and lots of snails are happy to eat them. I dosed silicate for years to try to help with sponge growth. I never saw any extra diatom growth. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni Last edited by bertoni; 12/18/2017 at 11:08 PM. Reason: typo

12/18/2017, 04:15 PM	#4
Tripod1404 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 1,821	For me the biggest concern would be silica. It has the potential to cause diatom blooms as silica is the limiting compound for diatom growth. It might be small enough to be negligible but if the exact milligrams of it is not listed, it can be a gamble. Aside from that fumarate would most likely feed bacteria. But for the amounts you are going to use, that is negligible.

12/18/2017, 08:48 PM	#6
roksonic Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 19	Thank you all for the input and information!