You want enough to fill your
tank or other container about
a quarter of the way, so if you
want to mix more or less, use
1½ tablespoons ( 4½ teaspoons) of powder per liter.
3a
3b
2b. To make your own Iron
Juice, brew a strong cup of
green tea. When the tea is a
deep green color (it doesn’t
need to be hot), measure 2½
teaspoons (or ¼ teaspoon
per liter of solution) into a
small bowl or container.
2b
2c. If you’re using liquid iron
sulfate, measure and add 1½
eyedroppers full into the tea.
With solid iron sulfate, grind
100mg into a fine powder
and add it to the tea. Swirl it
around to mix thoroughly.
2c
NOTE: Notice that the tea
turns purple at Step 2c.
This is due to a process
called chelation, by which
tannins in the tea form iron-
cored rings, a molecular
structure that tends to
absorb visible light. Similar
structures give hemoglobin
(the red in blood) and chlo-
rophyll (the green in plants)
their color. This process
is very similar to how ink
was made up until modern
times — check out “iron gall
ink” on Wikipedia.
2d. Now add the iron sulfate-green tea mixture (aka Iron
Juice) to the nutrient solution
in the bucket and mix well. A
small amount of Starter Mix
powder may remain undissolved, which is fine. Pour the
solution into your tank.
2d
3. PLANT HE ALGAE
3a. Add the live spirulina to
the tank.
3b. Plug the heater in and
turn it up to 98°F, or a minimum of 90°F. Growth will be
notably reduced below about
90°F, and above 100°F the
heat will stress the spirulina.
NOTE: With the Eheim
Jager heater, read the
instructions for adjusting
it to achieve these temperatures, which are warmer
than usual aquarium
settings.
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