Newbie Flourish Excel Question

Hollygirl

Hollygirl

Overfilter and Understock
Sep 3, 2007
2,681
1
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Chicago, Illinois
Get ready - stupid plant questions coming. Do I shut the HOB filter off when dosing with Flourish Excel? The plants I have are anubias, watersprite, pennywort and cabomba. All are doing very well but a couple of leaves (at the base) of the pennywort turned brown and died. Is that normal for this plant? The top of the plant is doing great, and the other plants are as well. I don't have any fish in the tank yet, but am assuming that the Flourish Excel won't effect them in any way?
 
The only time you shut the filter off is if you are spot treating for algae using excel. Otherwise you want it spread around. And it won't affect the fish if dosed according to instructions on bottle.
 
Leave the HOB on, it will help the excel spread through your tank. Unless, as stated, you're spot treating.

Excel isn't supposed to be harmful to fish. At normal dosages, I can't imagine it would harm much. I've heard of some plants having troubles, but none of mine have so far(Hornwort, Moneywort, Cabomba, Wisteria).
 
Spot treatment with excel ?? can I do this for brown algae on the plants? I am fighting this bad !! and how to spot treat??
 
grannylvsfish said:
Spot treatment with excel ?? can I do this for brown algae on the plants? I am fighting this bad !! and how to spot treat??
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I honestly couldn't tell you how well it will work, but this is how;

Fill a syringe with the desired amount of Excel to dose your tank with. Stick the syringe in the water and position the nozzle right by the algae you want to "treat". Push out the excel into the water, and the concentration immediately in that area will be very high. If your water isn't moving around much, it'll slowly dissipate, giving the high concentration a chance to do something. I'm not sure what, if any, plants might be damaged by this.

Take this approach at your own risk, as I've only read about it. Seems like the process is exactly the same as spot-dosing with H2O2. I'm not responsible for any plant melting.
 
Hollygirl said:
Do I shut the HOB filter off when dosing with Flourish Excel?
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I leave mine running and pour the dose directly into the outflow to maximize the distribution. Same with Leaf Zone, when I add it.

Regarding the browning and dying of lower leaves, that may be due to being shaded, or simply the plant adjusting to a new tank. I think my lower bacopa leaves are darkening from being shaded, while my crypts experienced a short period of "leaf melt" after being added to the tank.
 
I too add excel directly into the flow of my HOB to maximize the distribution. Some plants do act adversely to the addition of excel, most notably vals.
 
How would I dose my 55 gallon?
 
Bottle says:

Initial dose: 1 capful(5ml) per 10gal(first dose or the dose after a >40% water change)
Maintenance dose: 1capful(5ml) per 50gal
 
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