[Simpte 27]

Well I finally found a local source of Flourish Excel. I was in the process of adding it into my tank when my little girl ran into me from behind. Needless to say I dumped quite a bit in. At least 5 times the recommended doseage. 2 days later my bba, spot, and green fuzz algae is gone. No sign of it anywhere. I think I like this stuff!

 

[TomE]

How about the rest of the life in the tank? Did they die too? Hmmm... Maybe my tank needs a little o.d. too :twisted:

 

[trenac]

I would not intentionally dose five times the recommend dose, but I'm glad it got rid of your algae (I'm trying to figure this one out). Make sure to keep the tank in-balance so the algae dose not reappear. I hope none of the fish was harmed.

 

[niko]

I should say that I got a similar experience.

I have a non-CO2 tank that has been clean for ages but the last 2 months or so I started adding Excel in a dose about 5 times the recommended about every 3 days.

Things were great no algae with the exception of very few bba spots.

After stopping the Excel bba, bga, and hair algae appeared.

I started dosing again and all 3 algae disappeared, only the bba is still there but less than before.

--Nikolay

 

[Gomer]

I was trying normal dosing of excel in my algae scape tank...it was effecting the cladophora as well. Now that I plan on trying moss instead of the clado, I'll be using excel to "clean up" the tank LOL.

 

[Its_only_me]

Glad to hear this. I thought it was just my imagination. I have some kind of algae that I wanted to keep on my mopani wood because the otos graze on it. But if that has to go to get rid of the other nuisance algaes, then so be it.

I started adding just a regular dose of excel to my non-co2 20 long. Plants are growing better with it (especially my tiger val which dies off without it).

However, I noticed that my beautiful green, velvet algae that the otos like, is dying off and going black/grey. I need to start scrubbing off those dead spots as it is quite unsightly.

Has anyone had problems with their fish and Excel? I know that Flourish recommends a higher dose the first time, then a single dose therafter.

I would like to up it, but would like to know if anyone has had trouble with their fish.

 

[Simpte 27]

The fish are fine. Nothing too sensative in there though. Cories, danios, a few white clouds. I added some rudolph and ghost shrimp (all we have in this area) and they are doing well also.

 

[MantisX]

Doesnt beat up on thread algae does it?

 

[bharada]

Can Excel be used to combat algae in a CO2 injected tank?

 

[plantbrain]

If you consider adding CO2, that wikll clear up most algae as well.
If you add CO2 to low light tanks, that will do a very good job as well.

I can induce some algae and try it on a high light CO2 excess tank, but then it becomes difficult to say if it was the CO2 or the Excel hat caused the decline.

If you induce the algae in the tank(How do you do this with BBA without the CO2 issues?) and have log growth phase occurring, then add the excel=> dead BBA, then you might be able to say something causes it.

Otherwise you need to kow how t induce it without CO2 issues(limiting in a tank etc).

If your tank already has issues and you correct them and the algae goes away, then it's not any different than CO2 near as I can tell.

Make sure you have good nutrients/CO2, generally algae ain't an issue there. If so and you are certain(I never am) that those parameters are in good shape and you still have algae.......then add it at higher levels and see.

I've seen it/this occur as well, .......I ask why it occurs and also why the algae is there in the first place.


Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[AV8TOR]

Just curious because I dose bottled CO2, but how high will Excell raise the CO2 to? Say even with a dose of 5x.

 

[gnatster]

Excell does not raise the CO2 level, it does increase the availability of Carbon.

 

[John P.]

CO2 levels ~30ppm (@ peak) decimated the Staghorn Algae that I had for a while after moving a tank, but I still have Thread & Hair Alagae.

I'm curious if anything in Excel acts as an algaecide in a way that pressurized CO2 does not. I currently use pressurized CO2. Nutrients are all balanced, lighting period is 10 hrs/day (~3 watts/gallon), etc. Can't figure out what could be causing it & would rather spend a little $ on Excel if it would get rif of the algae.

 

[plantbrain]

I don't think it would hurt, but then again, careful dosinjg of many things will kill the targetted algae, whikle leaving the plants alone.
Copper has been used for over 60 years, H2O2 hs been used for over a decade, perhaps longer. Dips have been for about the same time.

A good prune, rotate to substrate under, corrected conditions have always worked and the algae has gone away. Bleach any equipment with it attached etc, clean things good.

That will make the tank look better, harassing the algae only here and there or little does no good. A good attack will really do it in.

Excel will not add enough carbon to the plant's needs to drive high light tanks. It takes longer for the plants to use it than CO2.


If the tank has high CO2 and you are certain of it and good nutrient levels and you are sure, and the algae is actively growing, then adding it might show a cause=effect without other confounding issues.

Be careful in assuming something caused something else.
PO4 can get rid of algae too after all

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Simpte 27]

The tank does have CO2 (although it hasn't been steady over the last 2 weeks before starting with excel. It was fluctuating from 12ppm to 18 ppm. It is now a steady 23-28ppm so I'm sure increased CO2 helped. The problem (or question) I see is with the increase in CO2, the bba was still there but not expanding at all. With the addition of flourish excel, it not only halted, but has completely left the tank. My question is does the co2 directly affect algae the way h2o2 does or allow plants to outcompete algae for nutrients. If the latter is more accurate, then how and why? Algaes need very little nutrients to thrive (even less than most of us can measure). I'm beginning to think that carbon (in either form) directly affects algae. And is there a direct relation to the amount of carbon vs nitrogen in a tank? Does carbon prevent algae from fixing nitrogen? Back to the net for research......

 

[John P.]

Simpte -- that's what I'm wondering, too. I've read a lot of writings/interviews with the Seachem founder about Excel (as well as the FAQs on their site), and he always dances around the "algaecide" topic for legislative reasons. He also states that the reason it affects algae is clear. I wish it were clearer.

As Tom states, though, raising CO2 enough also affects algae. Maybe I'll call Seachem today for some input from them.

Also, Tom, I have a Glosso lawn where the majority of the hair algae embeds in the EcoComplete. I hope I don't have to dig it all up to get rid of it. I already 86d almost all of my Java Moss & Rotala to attack the Thread Algae.

 

[Gomer]

I would say that Excel does indeed act as an algaecide. If it has the ability to kill clado, that is all the proof I need LOL.

 

[John P.]

I just spoke with "Rusty" at Seachem--he kept the party line about not going into detail about how it might work to combat algae.

Nice guy, though!

I guess I'll buy it to see for myself. The Otos & Shrimp are going to hate me for doing this (if it works).

 

[Its_only_me]

One theory on how it acts against algae is that the organic carbon enables the plants to steal the nutrients from the algae.

 

[plantbrain]

We tried on a victim's tank using CO2 etc.
Did not do anything. 2x the rec dosage. I'm leary about the fish and have no test tanks without fish to try higher dosing. If the fish die in the process, so what.......I can use a number of things then........

Regards,
Tom Barr