Seachem Iron & Excel with the use of UV

[istellas]

Dear all hi,

I had a problem with my iron fertilization.
You can find a full description of my aquarium setup at http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/science-of-fertilizing/33480-where-does-my-iron-go.html
I added ~0.5 ppm of iron (using also your product Seachem Iron) and noticed that when using my UV lamp (24/7), the iron was disappearing after 12 hours (could not be measured). When I turn off my UV lamp, the iron could be measured even after 3 days (from 0.5 ppm to 0.25ppm). I know that iron test kits are not to be trusted but I get measurements in a wide range even they are not quite accurate.
I have read in discussions according iron that it is photosensitive, and I assume that this is my main problem. Having also read that Flourish Excel is also photosensitive, could you please inform me of what should I do in order my plants to get the proper iron they need? Do you know or suspect any problems with the concurrent use of a UV lamp and Seachem Iron & Seachem Excel?

Thank you in advance,

[Tech Support GL]

Hello,
Flourish Iron is in a form that is readily available to the plants to uptake. It is not in a form that is particularly sensitive to UV light. Flourish Excel can be degraded faster by the use of UV light.
As for the Iron testing, if it has a reference check it to see if it is still reading accurately. Without a reference there is no way to check or recognize if the reagents are working properly and it is possible that a reagent is not working if you are seeing shifts in numbers when you test.

[travis]

I also use a UV sterilizer with Excel and Fe/trace dosing. In order to do my best to avoid any possible photosensitivity with Excel and Fe/trace I only run my UV sterilizer during the "lights-out" phase of my lighting cycle (approximately 12 hours). At "lights-on" in the morning I dose both Excel and Fe/trace which allows the plants roughly 12 hours for uptake of these ferts before the UV kicks back on. It does not seem to have affected the efficiency of my UV unit significantly (other than extending bulb life by 100%) and I don't worry that my Excel or Fe/trace is being affected by the UV.

Just thought I'd throw that in. Thanks for the great forum guys.