# Hydrogen Peroxide



## Jaseduck (Sep 14, 2014)

I have a 20 gallon long low tech planted tank. I have no CO2 and I dose fertilizers every week. I have ghost shrimp, danio zebra fish, tons of snails, and 3 glow light tetras. I also have Java moss, Java fern, anubias, and some swords. I have experience a ton of BBA and Blue Green Algae. Should I use hydrogen peroxide? Will it kill anything. If so where can I buy it. Thanks please respond ASAP.


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

Walmart pharmacy dept $.95
Don't use more than 1-1.5 ml per gallon. Can be spot dosed/w syringe or pipette
for example directly on the algae(turn off current for at least 20 min).
Kills Riccia F. plants.


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## CannaBrain (Oct 3, 2008)

Here's a recent thread about this. 

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=747466


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## Midnighttide102 (Oct 2, 2014)

Put it in a spray bottle and spray directly on the algea don't do all the algea at once do it in stages y'all have it whipped in no time


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## Higher Thinking (Mar 16, 2011)

Although hydrogen peroxide has not proved as beneficial against bga as it is with bba. BGA can be dealt with by increasing flow to that area, manual removal, and increasing nitrates.


If those strategies still don't work, anti biotics will wipe it out.


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## fish jihad (Mar 1, 2014)

If you decide to treat the whole tank, remove the snails and smaller fish. I lost a nerite and a some csrdinal tetras when i doesed the whole tank.


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## Beakman (Aug 7, 2012)

I had a terrible case of both green and red slime algae in my saltwater tank, and has some pretty nasty cladophora (at least I think that was it) algae in my high tech planted tank.

I dosed hydrogen peroxide into both tanks (using way more than most people recommend) and it worked beautifully. In the saltwater tank the algae was gone within hours and in the freshwater tank it was gone within 3-4 days.

In both cases all of my fish, plants, and corals were absolutely fine,though the corals did close up for about a day after the dose and the hydrogen peroxide seemingly had no effect on the nitrifying bacteria. I left the filters turned on during the dose and tested for ammonia and nitrite over the following days / weeks and there was never a rise in either.


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## Jaseduck (Sep 14, 2014)

Should I use 3% hydrogen peroxide for my BBA?


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

I have/use the kind sold in Walmart pharmacy dept. In the very dark brown bottle.
Looks almost black and is square and cost about $1.
I used 2 ml per gallon and had RCS and a couple of fish in there and it didn't seem to bother them. But I started out using 1 ml per gallon and then raised it.
I found that on Cladophora it works best when used directly on that type via syringe
or pipette. But I did dose it like a liquid fert for a week also.
But when I did that I didn't do both at the same time. Total in tank at one time was 2 ml per gallon.
It did kill my Riccia F. plants but did not harm the Crypts/jave moss/Rotala and Native DHG that I have.


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## Aquatic Delight (Mar 2, 2012)

i just want to make sure to be clear that the concern with H2O2 is not that it harms fish (it does not), it kills ALL Bacteria. when you pour it into the tank it breaks down and adds oxygen to the water. 

usually when i'm treating with h2O2 i shut off my filters. and to be honest i've never measured or paid attention to how much i dose. I just syringe it into the area i need it.


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## Midnighttide102 (Oct 2, 2014)

It won't harm fish I use to use it when hatching angelfish eggs to prevent fungas from forming on eggs it never hurt the eggs or babies and there much more sensitive at that age , I use it in my tanks but never just dose the water I use it in a spray bottle and just treat the areas that need it directly works like a charm


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## Beakman (Aug 7, 2012)

Aquatic Delight said:


> i just want to make sure to be clear that the concern with H2O2 is not that it harms fish (it does not), it kills ALL Bacteria



I am not claiming that for certain the hydrogen peroxide did not kill any nitrifying bacteria, however, neither tank that I dosed it in (including the saltwater tank with no plants and therefore no "secondary" way of removing ammonia) showed no rise in ammonia or nitrite following a dosage of maybe 3ml per gallon when I dosed both tanks with the filters running. 


Also, outside of the fish world there is a debate on whether or not h2o2 actually kills bacteria and I believe the general consensus is that it does not.


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## LynneS22 (Oct 16, 2014)

Midnighttide102 said:


> It won't harm fish I use to use it when hatching angelfish eggs to prevent fungas from forming on eggs it never hurt the eggs or babies and there much more sensitive at that age , I use it in my tanks but never just dose the water I use it in a spray bottle and just treat the areas that need it directly works like a charm


So, just so I am clear. You use a regular spray bottle, under the water, and spritz/spray the algae? I get turning off the filter, because I have a lot of current, but how much should you spray them? Does it just take a little bit, or sort of saturate the area? I have some bba, but not really enough to drive me crazy, but I would like to get rid of it.....usually pick/scrape it off. I just don't want to go crazy with the spray bottle, LOL...


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## secuono (Nov 19, 2009)

If you use too much, it melts crypts, java fern, jungle vals, riccia.


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## brandon429 (Mar 29, 2003)

In no way does h202 have a measurable effect on any bacteria including severe overdose cases. if you want to see the work behind that google

pest algae challenge thread

thats about 1000 sw tanks on peroxide.
b

for the uses above there are both cures and noncures shown, its hit or miss just wanted to clarify you cant do any damage to your filtration bacteria with it using any reasonable dose or application method. the known effects against certain plant species are pretty repeatable and should be considered before tankwide dosing, although you 'll see most threads used that method fine.


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## Midnighttide102 (Oct 2, 2014)

Yes a regular spray bottle I get them at the dollar store I usually just spot spray the area I am having trouble with nothing crazy just 3 squeezes of the bottle I'd rather go slow and have to do it a few times peroxide disapates fairly quickly in the water , also if algea is near the top 3rd of the tank I've sprayed it while doing water change when it was exposed but I've done it both ways under water and above it works wonders 
There is a Vid on YouTube about it I think it's called My secret weapon on algea I don't know how to post a link here let me try to find it again and I'll post what to look up in a few

Bump: Do a search on YouTube Daveguitarfish you will find the Vid there


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## exv152 (Jun 8, 2009)

From personal experience I have seen H2O2 send a tank into a mini re-cycle after using 3ml H2O2/gallon of tank water. I’ve since cut back to 1ml/gallon of tank water. That seems to work better. H2O2 can also be sprayed on the water surface to break up the organic buildup or oil slick you might see from time to time, and I found it works best when you do a water change and reduce the water level to about 50% where you can use a spray bottle to apply H2O2 directly. Then wait a couple of minutes and add the new tank water and turn the filters back on.


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## millern (Mar 12, 2014)

*hydrogen peroxide*

I have read a lot of threads regarding the successful treatment of algae with H2O2. I have tried the 3% with a spray bottle both underwater and above water with absolutely no results. I have tried continuously on blue green, hair, brush and other types of algae. I have sprayed the hell out of certain target areas in the tank time after time and zilch! Any comments would be welcome.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

It has certainly worked effectively for me on more than one occasion- destroying cyanobacteria - (BGA) - overnite, or with a second dose a day later.


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## rodahl (Dec 1, 2014)

Reduced my light from 12 hours to 11 and Have started the Slam treatment with double weekly dose of Excel split between 3-1/2 days. Doesn't mention a second water exchange, but will do a 40% on Tuesday. We'll see how that works on my hair algae. Have also done manual pruning, but it's hard to get a grasp on some, even with a toothbrush, the algae hairs are so fine.


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## Bongox3 (Jun 19, 2013)

Works great... I use a turkey baster, lol... Don't have access to a syringe ... My fish, including small tetras, danios, etc, appear to perk up with the additional oxygen release... No measurement, just sloppy spot application with no ill effects....


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## 10kredline (Nov 6, 2014)

secuono said:


> If you use too much, it melts crypts, java fern, jungle vals, riccia.


And also, it killed my xmas moss tree =(. so count xmas moss in there..


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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

Get 3% H2O2 from Wal Mart. I use the same stuff Raymond mentions. It's like $1
Turn off your filters / any powerheads. You don't want any flow.
Load up 1-1.5 mL per gallon of your tank size in a syringe (I use those meat injector ones lol)
Spot treat the algae during the photoperiod when your lights are on full blast.
Let sit for 15-20 minutes. The algae that got hit should be white and bubble vigorously.
Turn everything back on.

I have never had any problems using this method against BBA and/or rhizoclonium.
All my fish are fine. All my plants are fine (ludwigia, DHG belem, blyxa japonica, e diversifolia)
I have heard that moss species hate H2O2 and they will get wrecked by it.

Rhizo will simply go away if you treat it a few times. BBA will turn red and then white as it dies. I usually treat once a day for a few days in a row and then any algae problems are gone.

Remember that algae will always come back unless you take care of the underlying cause(s)... Spot treating H2O2 is really only useful to get rid of a particularly bad algae outbreak and eliminate what has already grown.


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