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Hello all. I was thinking about using this Seachem Flourish excell. It seems to me like alot of people have been haveing great luck with it. I have a 29 that i want to test it with. What are your expieriences with it. I have that Hagen thing with the ladder diffusor right now. I havent seen any better results with over the past several months exept that i think it keeps my ph in check(7.0). Should i use the full dose in conjunction with the co2 or only one at a time. Is this basically the same stuff as Mark Weises Natural Aquarium regulator? I used this before and i was not sure about the results. Of course this was on my 30 gallon which only had anubias and java ferns. The tank i want to use it (29) has crypts, bacopa monnieri, ozelot sword, anubias, ludwiga , rotala and etc.
-sorry if my gramar/ spelling is not good today, i amm a little sick.

Excel is a good product for non-CO2 tanks, especially small ones. I've been using it on my 15g and 23g over the last 9 months and the plant growth have been quite good and steady (slower than with CO2, but that's expected), provided I have enough light and consistent fertilization regime. Excel by itself without the ferts or sufficent light won't do much (except keep some algae in check, which is its other nice "side effect" ).

Haven't tried Excel in conjuction with DIY CO2 yet but will do so in a couple of weeks. The spiel on Seachem site says it can be used in CO2-enriched tanks as well.

One thing I found troubling is the fact you said the Hagen DIY CO2 is not giving you good result. Can you elaborate (are the plants not growing, etc.)? Just from my recent experience with DIY CO2, plant growth should be very noticeable. How much lights do you have and are you adding any fertilizers?

-P

I just read on seachems website in the Q&A section about Excell that anacharis can die from it. It also says other delicate plants. What would these other plants be?

thanks for the reply. My plants are growing, i just want to max. their growth as good as i can. One reason i think i am not seeing to much success with the Co2 is that my filter(HOB) is probably counter acting it and it is only designed for tanks up to 20 gallons. I am adding potassium 3 days a week and iron every sunday. I stoped iron as i saw an uprise in algae. I have 1&1/4 watts of lighting.

Excel will kill anacharis (egeria densa) & egeria najas (not sure what the common name is). I can vouch for the former, and LF can vouch for the latter. The plants you've mentioned in your tank shouldn't be affected.

-P

I am adding potassium 3 days a week and iron every sunday. I stoped iron as i saw an uprise in algae. I have 1&1/4 watts of lighting.

What's your fish stocking? You may need to add the other macros (nitrate, phophate) if it's low. A micro fert (like Flourish, TMG) might help too in addition to the iron. Iron doesn't cause algae (unless you overdose heavily). I think the main issue in your case is the (low) light. Apart from the crypts & anubias, the other plants (esp. bacopa, rotala & sword) prefer much higher lighting than 1.25wpg (closer to 2wpg, or even more in the case of the bacopa). Light is the energy that drives photosynthesis, using CO2 as its fuel. If you don't have enough light, doesn't matter how much CO2 you put in, the plants just won't grow very fast.

-P

I cant speak for the rotala since it is new but the bacopa and the sword are doing good. I definetly do not need to add anything like phosphorus or nitrogen since My P is 2ppm(use to be over 10ppm when i was using a phosphate based dechlorinator) and my Nitrate hovers between 10ppm and 20ppm depending on the time after a water change. Fish stock is as follows for the 29-
8 zebra danioes
2 otocinclus(hoping to add more soon)
4 khuli loaches
3 rainbows(dont know what kind but have stopped growing at 3 in.)

My plants are growing, i just want to max. their growth as good as i can.

Add more lights. IMHO adding Excel in the current situation will not help them grow any faster.

-P

wont the lights just add more algae growth in a tank that already has it?

Short answer is no. Light in itself does not cause algae. It is the incorrect balance between lights, CO2, and nutrients that do. The challenge for all of us is to find that correct balance between these 3 factors that maximizes plant growth and minimizes visible algae. But don't take my word for it. Read about it in books or plant guru websites, like this one. Good luck!

-P

interesting exept i do not think i would take his advice about the 3-4 month water change in low light tanks.