Claim 2: Flourish Excel™ is not actually Liquid CO2 or Liquid Carbon!
“Liquid carbon” or "liquid CO2" are misnomers that have been applied to Flourish Excel™ and similar products by our competitors and the general public to quickly summarize the purpose of the product. We don't use those terms in our packaging or marketing because they are inaccurate. Flourish Excel™, which is the product’s name, is an organic carbon source, that yes is in a liquid form. We in no way claim that is is a straight liquid form of elemental carbon (which does not exist) or CO2 (which only exists at high pressure or low temperature, such as in a CO2 canister).
Claim 3: Flourish Excel™ is actually gluteraldehyde! It is a dangerous carcinogen that is harmful to fish, plants, and humans!
This claim, that Flourish Excel™ is Gluteraldehyde, is a common one that is simply not true. I cannot speak for any other companies that may or may not use Gluteraldehyde, I can only speak for our company and our product. While structurally similar, Flourish Excel™ is NOT a gluteraldehyde product. Flourish Excel™ contains a molecule (2.0% polycycloglutaracetal) which contains a 5-carbon chain backbone. This molecule simulates the way a carbon would function in photosynthesis and helps to fill in the gap in a plant’s metabolic chain when there is not enough carbon present in the system (whether using a CO2 system or just from atmospheric exchange). Again, this isn’t to suggest that Flourish Excel™ replaces a CO2 system or atmospheric exchange or will interfere with either of those methods. It’s is simply an addition to the Carbon supplied by those methods, should extra be required.
Here is the SDS sheet for Flourish Excel™. Polycycloglutaracetal is not a carcinogen.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/iu6wapsz...l=0&preview=Flourish+Excel+SDS+20160107+1.pdf
Claim 4: Flourish Excel™ is actually just an algaecide and does not actually help the plants grow!
Flourish Excel™ is not an algicide, we do not recommend it as an algaecide, and make no claim for it being an algaecide - because it’s not. Carbon is a fundamental limiting factor in an aquarium environment, where carbon is only available through gas exchange at the surface, unless you use some other means of carbon introduction. In these such systems, carbon is often the number 1 limiting factor surpassing plant growth. Because of this deficiency, the metabolism and photosynthesis of the plant suffers, causing a back up of other nutrients. Algae, are very good at taking advantage of this and blooming when there is a deficiency of some major nutrient (such as carbon). So, when you add a supplement of carbon, whether this be Flourish Excel™ or a CO2 system, you fill that metabolic gap, the plants can function and process nutrients again, and algae tends to die out because the plants are now functioning properly.