# How much Liquid Carbon For 5 Gallon



## kashif314 (Oct 11, 2017)

I have a small 5 gallon (23 liter) tank. I am using Seachem Flourish Excel. However I am very skeptical about the dose. I think my LFS advised me wrong dosage. He said to pour 2.5 ml every day where as according to instructions on back of bottle a 5 ml is required after a large water change for 40 liters. My tank is 23 litters so I then need a 2.5 ml after a large change and not every day. 

All of you using Seachem Flourish Excel on a small tank please advise me what quantity shall I dose daily? 

I attached an image so you can see. Please advise. Thanks.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

HI kashif314,

Welcome to TPT!

For a 5 gallon aquarium:
2.5 ml at water change
0.5 ml every other day


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## kashif314 (Oct 11, 2017)

Seattle_Aquarist said:


> HI kashif314,
> 
> Welcome to TPT!
> 
> ...


Thanks a lot for the reply. Tank is heavily green and was on pressurized co2 at LFS and now o switched to flourish excel as can't afford pressurized co2 and don't want to do DIY co2. I will see how it goes. Someone suggested me that I need to dose it high as 2.5 ml because of my so green tank. Please have a look at the tank and please reply. I attached the images.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi kashif314,

That is a nice tank! First the bad news, liquid carbon supplements cannot be utilized by plants as efficiently as carbon dioxide (CO2). That said, none of the plants in the tank appear to be species that require CO2. I have dosed Excel at levels higher than Seachem recommends, it didn't seem to improve growth and for some species it seemed to do the opposite. Maybe try dosing:

2.5 ml on Water Change day
1.0 ml daily

I do not think that dosing higher than above with do anything to improve growth.


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## kashif314 (Oct 11, 2017)

Seattle_Aquarist said:


> Hi kashif314,
> 
> That is a nice tank! First the bad news, liquid carbon supplements cannot be utilized by plants as efficiently as carbon dioxide (CO2). That said, none of the plants in the tank appear to be species that require CO2. I have dosed Excel at levels higher than Seachem recommends, it didn't seem to improve growth and for some species it seemed to do the opposite. Maybe try dosing:
> 
> ...


Thanks a lot. Very comprehensive reply and this appealed to me. So I will now dose 1 ml daily and 2.5 after water change. So these plants I have don't require co2? I didn't understand this point. Please explain.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi kashif314,

Those plants can be grown without CO2 gas injection. However all plants need carbon molecules to grow. That is why you are dosing Seachem Excel, to provide the carbon molecules needed for plant growth. Hopefully you are dosing other nutrients as well or have a substrate such as ADA Aquasoil which can provide nutrients through the roots.


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## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

I love your aquascape, it's so cute.


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## Surf (Jun 13, 2017)

> So these plants I have don't require co2? I didn't understand this point. Please explain.


The air has CO2 and it will mix with the water where the plants can get it. Additionally your fish generate CO2. CO2 systems plus brighter lights is mainly used to accelerate plant growth in green houses and in aquariums.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Surf said:


> The air has CO2 and it will mix with the water where the plants can get it. Additionally your fish generate CO2. CO2 systems plus brighter lights is mainly used to accelerate plant growth in green houses and in aquariums.


Do you have some examples you can show of your own tanks?


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## kashif314 (Oct 11, 2017)

Seattle_Aquarist said:


> Hi kashif314,
> 
> Those plants can be grown without CO2 gas injection. However all plants need carbon molecules to grow. That is why you are dosing Seachem Excel, to provide the carbon molecules needed for plant growth. Hopefully you are dosing other nutrients as well or have a substrate such as ADA Aquasoil which can provide nutrients through the roots.


Thanks a lot for the reply. The LFS said to don't use any fertilizers as they used ADA aquasoil which according to them has fertilizers good for 6 months. The tank has been set up for four months now. I however bought one liquid micro fertilizer Flourish comprehensive and two macro Flourish Iron and Potassium. Shall I start dosing my plants now? I mean I don't want to overdose if the soil has nutrients already. But like I said tank is four months old and I bought it now. Please reply. 



Raith said:


> I love your aquascape, it's so cute.


Thanks a lot for liking. 



Surf said:


> > So these plants I have don't require co2? I didn't understand this point. Please explain.
> 
> 
> The air has CO2 and it will mix with the water where the plants can get it. Additionally your fish generate CO2. CO2 systems plus brighter lights is mainly used to accelerate plant growth in green houses and in aquariums.


Actually I had an argument with the store owner who set up this tank over co2 as here members scared me that this tank will never look like as it is right now without pressurized co2 but he was persistent that with Flourish excel the tank will remain as good as it is now even more because excel kills algae too. So far his words are true. I just don't understand why I was told in general planted tank discussion that I need pressurized co2 as must for this tank. I seen some very lush green tanks at LFS solely running on excel.


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