# algae, co2, and excel



## Highweigh (Jun 18, 2016)

So my first planted tank has been set up for a few months and I've just started dosing Excel about 3 days ago.

Today I setup my pressurized co2 stystem and got it running on the tank.

I have some blue/green algae and I've heard that supposedly Excel is good at removing it. 

Should I continue to dose excel to remove the algae with the co2 running now?


----------



## SwissCheeseHead (Dec 24, 2014)

Is that the only patch of blue green algae? Can you physically remove it? I think Excel works with most algal types, but if you can remove the stone and give it a diluted bleach bath, followed by a Seachem Prime/Safe bath, that would be a little more effective.


----------



## Watercrayfish (Apr 21, 2016)

Crypt will melt with excel so beware while over dosing.


----------



## SwissCheeseHead (Dec 24, 2014)

I don't believe the crypts are as sensitive to excel as vals are. I think you'll be ok dosing excel.


----------



## crisp330 (Dec 1, 2011)

I was having BGA and BBA in a tank that already had CO2. I added Excel (about 2x recommended) and it completely annihilated the BGA and the BBA is turning red and dying off now. I would keep using Excel, I don't think the CO2 will impact the BGA. BGA is usually from have zero nitrates (at least in my case it was), so make sure to dose those and keep them up as well.


----------



## Highweigh (Jun 18, 2016)

Watercrayfish said:


> Crypt will melt with excel so beware while over dosing.


Hmm I haven't been overdosing, just the recommended amount.



crisp330 said:


> I was having BGA and BBA in a tank that already had CO2. I added Excel (about 2x recommended) and it completely annihilated the BGA and the BBA is turning red and dying off now. I would keep using Excel, I don't think the CO2 will impact the BGA. BGA is usually from have zero nitrates (at least in my case it was), so make sure to dose those and keep them up as well.


Is it common to overdose the daily amount of excel? I heard somewhere that even 3x could be safe?


----------



## SwissCheeseHead (Dec 24, 2014)

I would go with 2x before going to 3x. Not sure what kind of fish or inverts you have in the tank, but they may be affected by too high of a dose. 2x is safe for daily amounts though. But like i said earlier, if it's just on the rock, remove the rock and treat that by itself before treating the tank.


----------



## ichy (Apr 6, 2015)

If its just that rock, spot dose it with Hydrogen Peroxide.
AND 
Do a lot of water changes for a week or so. It will go away.


----------



## irishspy (Oct 22, 2007)

Watercrayfish said:


> Crypt will melt with excel so beware while over dosing.


Crypts melt if you look at them funny. :icon_mrgr


----------



## Deator (Aug 19, 2016)

So in doing a double dose, would you do it just once? or until algae has been gone? I am starting to get some BBA in my tank, after about 6 or 7 months running clean.


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Deator said:


> So in doing a double dose, would you do it just once? or until algae has been gone? I am starting to get some BBA in my tank, after about 6 or 7 months running clean.


Excel, at higher concentrations than the daily double dose, will kill existing BBA most of the time. But, to help prevent BBA from starting you need to dose Excel daily, preferably at 2 ml per 10 gallons of water. So, there are two problems: the existing BBA, and the conditions that lead to BBA starting to grow.


----------



## Deator (Aug 19, 2016)

I dose 1ML daily. I think the NBA came when I upped my lighting. I have since got on a better lighting schedule. And I have been experimenting with going lights, excel free, for 2 complete days every month. Just have natural light for those 2 days. The tank has responded tremendously. Give the tank. "Rest".


----------



## Leeatl (Aug 8, 2015)

I double dosed until BBA was gone then backed off 1ml every few days until the a tiny bit of BBA came back then went back up 1ml and keep it there . I have most of my tanks at about 1 or 2 ml above recommended dose and it keeps the BBA at bay . I also had to fiddle with the lighting some , but I found 10 hrs a day to be ok . I don't do CO2 and have low to medium light .


----------



## josephla (Mar 4, 2016)

@Hoppy what is your recommendation to get rid of existing BBA with crypts and vals and to prevent it from returning?


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

josephla said:


> @Hoppy what is your recommendation to get rid of existing BBA with crypts and vals and to prevent it from returning?


BBA, in my experience is only a problem if you have more than low-medium light. It can start up at lower light levels, but it grows so slowly then that it isn't hard to remove or kill the small spots of it. I have been using 30-35 PAR light intensity on my tank, with DIY CO2 run at a low bubble rate, and Metricide dosed daily at about 1 ml per 10 gallon. I can find spots of BBA, but rarely even look for them, and they don't grow enough to be a problem.

Once you have a lot of BBA, the infected leaves are not going to recover, so just remove them. If the plant stub at the substrate has BBA I think it is best to dump that plant entirely. BBA on hardscape can be killed with hydrogen peroxide or by squirting the whole tank dosage of Excel/Metricide directly on the patches of BBA for a few days. That will kill it, and it shouldn't return if you have also adjusted your light properly, use low CO2, and Excel/Metricide daily.


----------



## Jeff5614 (Dec 29, 2005)

Hoppy said:


> ...That will kill it, and it shouldn't return if you have also adjusted your light properly, use low CO2, and Excel/Metricide daily.


Using low CO2 will keep BBA at bay?


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Jeff5614 said:


> Using low CO2 will keep BBA at bay?


No, it won't. But, the best defense against BBA is healthy growing plants. And, with low to low medium light it takes only a small addition of CO2 to go from plants struggling to stay alive to healthy growing plants. But, DIY CO2 is difficult to keep at a steady concentration and fluctuating concentration of CO2 triggers BBA. However, adding Excel (Metricide) along with the CO2 seems to be very effective in eliminating that trigger effect.

The big thing is: you don't need 30 ppm of CO2 to get the benefit of it if you have low to low-medium light. Even 5 ppm is very beneficial at that light level. See http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/100-low-tech-forum/1072202-low-light-c02-2.html#post9476106


----------



## Jeff5614 (Dec 29, 2005)

Gotcha!


----------

