O2 and Iron Questions

[Captain Hook]

I just have a couple quick questions regarding oxygen and iron dosing.

1. I don't have much surface disturbance in a 20 gallon tank that will become heavily planted and fairly heavy stocking level. There is an AC mini on the tank and I'm dosing with Flourish Excel but no CO2. Will my plants still provide a good amount of oxygen in the water?

2. I have heard dosing iron is good for red plants. I have some ludwigia repens that really isn't very red. There is 2 wpg in the tank. Will iron help to bring out more red? I've heard it's best to dose iron daily or every second day, if I added it the same time I add Excel would that work well?

[TKOS]

I think red plants need iron as you stated but I don't know how much.

As for oxygen, the AC mini should give enough surface agitaion. Mine does.

[Starry]

Originally posted by Captain Hook

2. I have heard dosing iron is good for red plants. I have some ludwigia repens that really isn't very red. There is 2 wpg in the tank. Will iron help to bring out more red? I've heard it's best to dose iron daily or every second day, if I added it the same time I add Excel would that work well?

I once read somewhere that Ludwigia gets redder with less nitrate. Mine was all green at the time, and I was dosing to about 10-15 ppm NO3. As soon as I decreased to 5ppm, they're really really gorgeous. They also need lots of potassium or they develop little holes in the older leaves IME. I don't dose iron specifically, just whatever's in TMG.

[Captain Hook]

Thanks for the input so far. I have Flourish now but haven't started dosing. I also got PlantGro for Christmas but I've heard it isn't that good. I think I will exchange it for Flourish Iron.