Caution for Flourish Excel users

[TwoTankAmin]

The key here is the size of the dose. For years I have read posts on various fish forums promoting the use of large doses of Excel to fight algae. I used to reply to such threads railing against the practice to no avail so I finally gave up.

I have been dosing Excel now for about 7-8 years into a number of my planted tanks. I always dose 2ml/10 gals of water after water changes. I have never ever lost a single fish from doing this. In fact the normal reaction in my tanks after doing so is an increased activity level- the fish get frisky. This applies to my discus, my L number plecos and an assortment of other fish and even a few shrimp.

All of the additives one may use in a tank come with directions for dosing. When one fails to follow the dosing recommendations they should not be surprised at getting bad results.

Do not overdose Excel to kill alage as you will more often than not end up killing fish.I know most folks wont listen

 

[smokey2957]

Thanks for the info. I did not know that water treatments decreased the o2 when doing water changes, from now on I will run my air stones while doing a wc. I also does excel but not at the same time as wc.

 

[LelandC]

thanks,was thinkin about using excel, but not anymore.

 

[dundadundun]

i double dose prime every week.
then i add that water a week later... no issues.
sulfates neutralize your chlorine... that's what's effecting the o2 from the conditioners most likely.

excel is a proprietary blend closely related to gluteraldehyde. it's a pretty caustic chemical widely used for killing. normal uses of such chemicals include killing anything from algae to germs/microbials. gluteraldehyde is also used in the medical field for the same purposes. it just so happens that when diluted it can act as a carbon source...

it only makes sense that these effects are more than possible when the directions aren't followed closely. one little slip... as you now know...

it is unfortunate that these guys are widely suggested without warning in our hobby. not that they shouldn't be suggested... but with warning.

 

[Squawkbert]

Great info. I no longer use Excel. I use cidex in it's place. So much cheaper.

Same caveat applies w/ Cidex as w/ Excel.

Another contributing factor could be the replacement water itself, particularly if it's well water - it tends to be pretty low in dissolved oxygen coming out of the tap, so aerating it before adding it to the tank is a good idea if you're concerned about dropping O2 levels during changes.

I always add my water with some splashing and turbulence in order to try to see that at least some aeration is going on after I add my Prime & Codex (in tanks where I use Cidex).

 

[tonergirl]

Same caveat applies w/ Cidex as w/ Excel.

Another contributing factor could be the replacement water itself, particularly if it's well water - it tends to be pretty low in dissolved oxygen coming out of the tap, so aerating it before adding it to the tank is a good idea if you're concerned about dropping O2 levels during changes.

I always add my water with some splashing and turbulence in order to try to see that at least some aeration is going on after I add my Prime & Codex (in tanks where I use Cidex).

I had always assumed that the physical act of adding the new water(pouring it into the tank) would automatically super aerate the water your adding, not to mention the act of filling the bucket from the tap itself(not well water). I hope this makes sense to anyone reading this . I always figured everytime I did a water change, I was not only cleaning the tank but also pumping up the fresh oxygen levels? Am I wrong thinking this way?

 

[mountain_webste]

thanks,was thinkin about using excel, but not anymore.

Leland, FWIW I still use, and will continue to use, excel despite my incident. There is nothing wrong with the product, and it is good at what it is advertised to do. Especially for folks with planted tanks that don't utilize CO2 (which has it's own set of risks). My point in sharing my experience, and what I have since learned, is so others can avoid making the same mistake.

While I consider myself a fairly experienced fish keeper, I am by no means a chemist/biologist. Before this, I hadn't had any negative experiences with aquarium chemicals. This was just a confuence of factors that met with an unfortunate outcome.

 

[plantbrain]

If you have plenty of current and water flow, then O2 is never low............and this allows more wiggle room for CO2 enrichment if you use that, and also more for Excel etc.

So why not add more current and keep the fish happier with higher O2 exchange?

You might get away without much if you do not add CO2/Excel etc.......but when you do, then it's that much more important.
Also, with lots of plants, flow and O2 exchange rates are greatly reduced.

So add more current, just enough not to break the surface of the water but a decent ripple

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[WeedCali]

Hmm, i didnt know that.