Can Hydrogen Peroxide be used IN the tank on algae?
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While H2O2 and Excel can be used to kill the algae, you should really look at why the plants are not doing as well as they could.
That is the root cause, not a lack of H2O2 or Excel.
I do not ever suggest bleach for anything other than rocks, and non living items you can take out of the tank. For disc, I suggest Tilex for cleaning, works much better than bleach.
So focus on why you have/get algae, not just band aids, the tank will look much better and your more focused on your goal that way(gardening a planted tank), less algae issues too.
Killing algae is not that hard, stopping new growth and growing plants is more problematic for many.
Regards,
Tom Barr
That is the root cause, not a lack of H2O2 or Excel.
I do not ever suggest bleach for anything other than rocks, and non living items you can take out of the tank. For disc, I suggest Tilex for cleaning, works much better than bleach.
So focus on why you have/get algae, not just band aids, the tank will look much better and your more focused on your goal that way(gardening a planted tank), less algae issues too.
Killing algae is not that hard, stopping new growth and growing plants is more problematic for many.
Regards,
Tom Barr
"While H2O2 and Excel can be used to kill the algae, you should really look at why the plants are not doing as well as they could.
That is the root cause, not a lack of H2O2 or Excel."
Tom
It is hard for a novice like me to find the "root cause" of an algae problem.
I don't have a big problem, just an occasional outbreak usually a small amount of BBA on a plant or two.
I have tried adjusting my feeding habits from fasting a few days to feeding twice a day.
None of the tanks are close to daylight.
I have adjusted my EI ferts from daily to every 3 days.
Early last year I did a total black out for five days (black vinyl bags and old bath towels) It worked for about a month.
I do 50% PWC’s on my 46 gallon 3 X a week because I have DD black angels in it (gravel vac).
The lighting in that one is a bit over 2 WPG (96 watt cfl A&H DIY hood).
The 46 is pictured here:
http://gs69.photobucket.com/groups/i60/7NOBMDJJ0N/
As you can see, the algae is not visible. When I do see it, I uproot the plant and dip in a 3% H2O2 dip and replant. A couple of days later it’s gone.
I hope this post doesn’t sound offensive, it’s not intended to be. I look forward to your posts and glean a lot of constructive information from you.
Thank you
Charles
That is the root cause, not a lack of H2O2 or Excel."
Tom
It is hard for a novice like me to find the "root cause" of an algae problem.
I don't have a big problem, just an occasional outbreak usually a small amount of BBA on a plant or two.
I have tried adjusting my feeding habits from fasting a few days to feeding twice a day.
None of the tanks are close to daylight.
I have adjusted my EI ferts from daily to every 3 days.
Early last year I did a total black out for five days (black vinyl bags and old bath towels) It worked for about a month.
I do 50% PWC’s on my 46 gallon 3 X a week because I have DD black angels in it (gravel vac).
The lighting in that one is a bit over 2 WPG (96 watt cfl A&H DIY hood).
The 46 is pictured here:
http://gs69.photobucket.com/groups/i60/7NOBMDJJ0N/
As you can see, the algae is not visible. When I do see it, I uproot the plant and dip in a 3% H2O2 dip and replant. A couple of days later it’s gone.
I hope this post doesn’t sound offensive, it’s not intended to be. I look forward to your posts and glean a lot of constructive information from you.
Thank you
Charles
I agree with Tom. For algae issues, H202 is great for killing the algae when it does rear it's ugly head, but trying to find the cause (so it doesn't keep reappearing) is your best plan of attack. For many of us, unfortunately, it's easier said than done. 
I quit worrying about a 'little' algae being present, years ago. Most of my tanks have a little algae of some sort in them. I just try to keep it under control by keeping the plants as healthy as possible. The more plants you have, the easier it is (as long as the plants' needs are taken care of.)
BTW, your tank looks fantastic, CBWMN.
I quit worrying about a 'little' algae being present, years ago. Most of my tanks have a little algae of some sort in them. I just try to keep it under control by keeping the plants as healthy as possible. The more plants you have, the easier it is (as long as the plants' needs are taken care of.)BTW, your tank looks fantastic, CBWMN.
I used 6% peroxide in my tank a few days ago. It is a 90g medium planted with 4xDiscus, 1 angel, 25 cardinals, 3 otos and 3 plecos. I spot treates some BGA and it killed it within 24hours. I never got past .6ml per gallon but I know others who have used a 3% solution up to and over 1.75ml per gallon with no ill effect but I like to err on the side of caution. Turn off filters and lights, turn on airstone, add solution to effected areas, leave for 30 mins, will bubble like mad then do a 30% water change and turn back on everything. I did a 25% change 24 hours later also to be safe but dont think I had to.
I live in a part of the country that has a high iron content in the ground and thus the water. Could this be a major contributing factor to the growth of this algae in my tanks? A few sites around the net suggest this as a possible cause.
I have done some eyedropper treatments on my pellia and it seems to have been burned by the HP and the algae got hit too but I think it's not going to die completely. The snails and shrimp are going nuts eating dead plant materials in my tree. Even though my water has high iron I will start 50% water changes 2 times a week to see how that works. I've been told by many that doing so has been what it took for them to control algae.
Q
I have done some eyedropper treatments on my pellia and it seems to have been burned by the HP and the algae got hit too but I think it's not going to die completely. The snails and shrimp are going nuts eating dead plant materials in my tree. Even though my water has high iron I will start 50% water changes 2 times a week to see how that works. I've been told by many that doing so has been what it took for them to control algae.
Q
I just found a very informative site about algae.
http://www.aquariumalgae.blogspot.com/
I wish I had found this one years ago.
I will follow the suggestions methodically on one tank and see if the algae clears up. There are so many things to check out and try in this article many of which I haven't read about before in relation to algae.
What I have garnered from many articles on algae is that the conditions for it's formation are few but the reasons are varied. So many articles on this subject state that an imbalance (condition) of nutrients in the water cause the algae to grow but few state the reasons of why an imbalance may exist.
Q
http://www.aquariumalgae.blogspot.com/
I wish I had found this one years ago.
I will follow the suggestions methodically on one tank and see if the algae clears up. There are so many things to check out and try in this article many of which I haven't read about before in relation to algae.
What I have garnered from many articles on algae is that the conditions for it's formation are few but the reasons are varied. So many articles on this subject state that an imbalance (condition) of nutrients in the water cause the algae to grow but few state the reasons of why an imbalance may exist.
Q
