[Storms]

So I took John's advice and got a gallon bottle of Metricide. It turns out the Metricide 28 that I got is actually less strong than the Metricide 14:

Metricide 14 - 2.6% Glutareldehyde
Metricide 28 - 2.5% Glutareldehyde

It's still a hell of a lot cheaper than Flourish Excel which is less concentrated, so I did save quite a bit of money.

On Amazon it was $17.09 for 1 gallon and $14 shipping.

I found a good site, http://glut.petalphile.com/, for calculating the dilution in case you want to dilute it down to Excel strength.

 

[Storms]

Edit: Never mind - Don't add any "Activator" or "Plus" bottle that may have come with your Glutaraldehyde source. (from the "tips" link on the calculator)

Question: Do I need to mix the added bottle (activator) with the gallon? I'm not sure if we're supposed to do that or not. Also, the bottle says "Do not use beyond 28 days or sooner as indicated by a 1.8% glutaraldehyde test indicator." There is no way I'm using this in 28 days...

Thanks!

 

[khanzer22]

I haven't opened mine yet (got the 14 days), still finishing up my remaining Excel... Btw, what measuring tool are you going to use to get the exact ml's for RO/DI and Glut solution?


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[Storms]

I have those 1000ml bottles that I got from www.bobstropicalplants.com that have marks every 100ml. That will make it very easy - it's basically 600ml of Metricide 28 day to 400ml of water.

Yours might be a little more difficult. I have a small glass anchor measuring cup that measures up to 140ml and has lines at the 10ml mark, so that might work. If you want I can bring it with the bottles so you can measure your metricide into a few of them. I think your ratio is 577ml to 423ml, if you have the metricide 14.

 

[Storms]

Here's an even better option: http://www.amazon.com/Cidex-Plus-28...C8LW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323387080&sr=8-2

It's $32 for a gallon (plus $4.49 shipping) and has a 3.4% concentration.

Somehow I think a gallon of this should last a lifetime for the average hobbyist... lol

 

[Silvering]

The fine print for that last one says it also contains surfactant - I wouldn't put that in a tank!

 

[Storms]

The fine print for that last one says it also contains surfactant - I wouldn't put that in a tank!

Good catch! So, Metricide = ok, Cidex = not ok? I found it on that glut calculator so I assumed it was ok, but yeah, surfactant would probably be toxic to fish and shrimp.

 

[khanzer22]

Seems like the activator is already pre-mixed in it so it's a no no for our use... You can find ones that are still separate (glut & activator) just like metricide...


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[JeffyFunk]

Myself and many others of PAPAS (Pittsburgh Area Planted Aquarium Society) have used Cidexplus in our aquariums as an excel substitute for years with no harmful effects. (1). We order in bulk to save on shipping; products used past 28 days are fine and, as far as we can tell, do not show dimished activity with respect to time. (2). In the medical community, as far as I know from organic chemistry, the aldehyde functional group is what gives the product its anti microbial properties. Aldehydes are inheritantly unstable and prone to oxidation and polymerization. These reactions should not effect their use by plants since the 5 carbon chain is not changed. (and for those who want to argue that a polymer is an infinite length chain, the "active ingrediant" in excel is also a polymer. I think this particular polymer can be broken down by the plants back into its monomer unit or something else usefull to the plants)

 

[Storms]

Thanks for the informative reply, JeffyFunk. Given the choice between Metricide w/ no surfactant and Cidex+ with a surfactant, I would probably choose the Metricide, however, it's good to know that the less expensive option also works fine.