Algaefix - don't buy

[hcgirl80]

A while ago when I was still sort of a newbie I bought a cheap chemical called algaefix, and it claims to kill algae without killing your plants or your fish. I tried it, and it doesn't work at all.
So those of you who saw this product and were thinking about buying it, don't. I know there are alot of phony algae killing products out there and if anyone has any experience with other phony algae killing products, feel free to add to this.


~hc

 

[bigmatt76]

i bought some algefix also for a ten gallon i used to have. i had and alge bloom. that is where a ton of alge just blooms in the water and clouds your tank. i put it in the tank and i literally watched my alge go away. it worked for me. do u have live plants that were in the tank at the time.

matt

 

[Leopardess]

http://aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25733&highlight="bandaid"+"balance"

 

[plantbrain]

A more basic question, do algicides grow plants? Do plants need them to grow? If not, don't add them.
Plant growth is the goal.
When the plants don't grow, algae will.
When plants grow, the algae don't.
The focus is on the plants.

It's a pretty simple concept, I've spent a lot of $ on snake oil over the years figuring this out. Some things are useful, bleach and H2O2 for cleaning equipment etc, some dipping of tough leaves perhaps, but these are not really algicides folks add to their tanks, although some use H2O2 that way(Don't do this as it can kill your fish at high dosings.). Copper is very useful for selective targetting of algae and many plants are tolerant at moderate levels. If used properly, no harm to fish is done.


Regards,
Tom Barr