# Anyone spot dose H2O2 instead of the 1-2 punch?



## laconic (Oct 7, 2013)

The H202 1-2 punch is very effective and quick but the drawback for me is the amount of H202 used that can potentially kill fish/shrimp/snails etc.

Over the past week, I have tried spot treating H202, using a much smaller dose and spreading it out over days instead of one shot. I cannot get the whole tank done in a day so I do sections.

1. Turn off filters
2. The mild whole tank dose is 3% H2O2, at a dosage of 2 tbsp (30 ML). per 10G of actual tank water volume. I use about 25% of this per day so 7-8ML. I use a syringe and dose as much of an area as I can right on top of the algae.
3. I turn on the filters after 20 min or so and do no water change.
4. I have not done this but I imagine a spot treatment of excel after the h202 would increase success
5. Repeat the next day on another section of algae.

The process is slower but I have not lost any fish/shrimp/snails. If you have patience and want to lower the risk of death, try it.


----------



## Zapins (Jan 7, 2006)

laconic said:


> Over the past week, I have tried spot treating H202, using a much smaller dose and spreading it out over days instead of one shot. I cannot get the whole tank done in a day so I do sections.


This is a much better idea than the 1-2 punch method which can also damage plants in the process.

I also have used the same idea of treating a small patches per day.


----------



## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

You can find peroxide in a spray bottle also, my wal-mart has 8 oz bottles. I use that instead of syringe. Harder to measure how much you're applying though. Gotta be careful because you can really spray out a lot before you know it.


----------



## CannaBrain (Oct 3, 2008)

I love H202, been using it since the first time I decided to deal w/ a pretty neglected 20g that was like 1/2 hair algae. Used that method, killed it all. Within the week, my snails had pretty much eaten all the dead algae. Haven't had the issue since in any tank, and I dose it quite often now, 1 - 2 times a week. I do it at night, right before the lights turn off, since the extra o2 molecule from the h2o2 will eventually unbind, leaving o2 and h2o. And since I'm not tryin to pump my tank full of o2 so as to displace my co2, my hope is that it would serve more as a night-time aeration and gas off over night before lights come back on, though I honestly don't know how long it takes for the separation of the h2o2 to take place.

Anyways, here's an article I came across while doin some research that states


> According to the CAPM, "Concentration of hydrogen peroxide of only 2 ppm peroxide have been demonstrated to inhibit the growth of algae."


http://www.clearpond.com/docs/barley_article.html

Also explains how barley straw and lavender stalks can be used in ponds to control algae.


----------



## Bloomer (Mar 22, 2014)

I've never had good luck spraying peroxide just once at algae from a syringe. Sometimes there's an effect, sometimes not, I've tried it submerged and emerged. Emerged works better, but not 100%. I'll have to try the repetitive method you described because that does work quite well for dosing the whole tank. 

I seem to have my water chemistry under better control these days, but I've treated algae very successfully at 2 ml/gal, repeated in a day if needed. I've done it 3 times in really bad cases with a pwc before the third dose, but never any more than that. Never have seen any effect on the biofilter, but there has to be a point where repetitive dosing harms it.

One situation where a syringe blast has helped a lot is for algae between the substrate and glass. I've gone along the interface, using an entire tank dose on algae and this does seem to work very well, likely because it stays in place much longer. I use a 5 ml syringe which helps even out the dosing. Again, never have seen any negatives from this either.


----------



## jmf3460 (Aug 21, 2013)

I am wanting to spot treat some BBA algae I have growing on my driftwood, Zapins how much can I use in a 46 gal daily?? I have a pipet so I would use that to spot treat and I can turn the filters off during the activity.


----------



## Zapins (Jan 7, 2006)

Peroxide can be used at a maximum safe level of 2-3 mL per gallon per day. Higher than that and it becomes harmful. It is best to spot treat with the peroxide as the OP mentioned because it ensures that whatever you are treating is exposed to a much higher concentration of peroxide while the tank as a whole experiences a very low concentration after the peroxide diffuses out of the treatment area and mixes with the water.


----------



## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

2-3ml/g for 2% peroxide, not 50%.


----------



## DennisSingh (Nov 8, 2004)

Just saying...I have found that the higher the co2 along with o2(flow), with overdosing, your plants are less likely to melt. Fish, I've killed fish..


----------



## BooRadley (Aug 9, 2014)

I have a 10G with hair algae, I want to take the fish and snails out and dose with H2O2. Will placing my fish in my crystal clear 29G put the 29G at risk for hair algae? Because one tank is bad enough!


----------



## PortalMasteryRy (Oct 16, 2012)

I recently tried using h202 with good results. It will still melt plants but it looks to be less potent than excel. The good thing about it is you can see where the affected areas by looking at the bubbles created by the h202 when you inject it at a certain spot.


----------



## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

Don't want to be premature on this. I just took you guys advise on this method of treating algae. I used a syringe which I bought from the Flea Bay. It is made for filling ink cartridges
in printers. Has a 20 ml capacity and a needle that is 20" long and just under 1/8th inch in diameter. Cost about $8. Took the chance it would make it here for overseas intact and it did. This was the item number...181069456566 and the name of the seller is...aquahk8.
I though I was nuts when I clicked on the "purchase" button but now I am rethinking it.
So anyway I used 12 ml(10g tank) and I will use it every other day to allow time for it to nutralize/dissapate from the tank. I have yet to turn back on the filter but I have already seen the bubbles coming from the treated aria.
I keep hearing that since Cladophora is so close to plant like that most treatments won't work on it. I had this tank/w high light and double doses of Excel.
I reduced it to one T8 bulb and stopped the Excel and the color of the Cladophora changed to a more dull color but stopping the Excel gave it more strength to adapt to the new light level.
BTW do any of you know for sure which type of snail will eat this type of algae ?
I had Nerite and they won't touch it.
It will like take three weeks to do the whole tank every other day like this. Is that long of continuos treatment harmfull as long as I only do it every other day ?
I will proceed/w water changes and ferts as usual.


----------



## PortalMasteryRy (Oct 16, 2012)

I had a tiny clump clado that I just nuked yesterday. The thing is now white and dead. I did spot treat it twice the same day. So far none of the plants are melting. The baby tears close to some algae that I spot treated with excel melted after one day. I might have stopped the circulation for too long.

I did spot treat one clump of my marilea minuata because of some tiny fuzz algea growing and the plant did not melt and new shoots started showing up the next day. 

Looks like excel is now mostly going to be an additive for my DIY liquid ferts for now.


----------



## Bloomer (Mar 22, 2014)

Raymond,

I love it when a question is asked and the responder reverses it on the poster, but...cladophora is a really nice thing to have unless you're looking for a perfectly clean look in a tank. I've had tanks full of it and also spirogyra that support incredible bioloads. 

If what you have really is cladophora, you should be able, with lots of patience to pick it out and get rid of that way. Maybe not permanently, but mostly it will disappear. The cladophora tanks I had were redone for other inhabitants, the cladophora was given to a friend and after a month or so never reappeared. 

It can be nuked with Excel or peroxide dosed repeatedly fairly easily in a lean water column. I have yet to find any algae excel won't eliminate over time if the water column is nutrient poor. Seems the water column makes a big difference, in nutrient rich tanks, neither work very well at guaranteed safe levels. Just my experience with algae. :icon_smil

BooRadley,

Yes, if any of the water from the hairy tank (net drips, tiny stringers on the fish) goes into the 29. You could put the fish in a MethBlue bath for a few minutes, then with a bleached net, transfer them to the 29, that should reduce the risk of algae a lot, good for the fish, too. Use the tank dose, not the dip dose.


----------



## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

I like GSA but only like the Cladophora just a bit. But it has taken over in my tank. I think it is dieing somewhat because of the light level being lowered very much. That which is up high is fine but that on the bottom is loosing color.
This dummy got carried away and bought an Odyssea two bulb T5 for that tank.
According to Hoppy's chart it has about 110 PAR at 10" and I'm at 10.5" in there.
So I took it off and put back the single T8. Been a little over two weeks and I don't expect anything to happen fast.
Oh ...I was double dosing Excel in there every day...only retarded it. When the tank lights come on I'll see what damage the HO2O did. Don't really want all of it gone.
Just tamed/confined.


----------



## Bloomer (Mar 22, 2014)

Sounds like a plan!

Don't be too hard on yourself, Raymond, I put a finnex fugeray planted on a 20 long. It was my first "real" LED and wow is that guy bright! The older ones I have are awful, so even though I read the reviews, I wasn't sure about fugerays. Did OK for a few weeks, then one morning, everything in the tank was trailing foot long algae strings. No CO2 or any tech in the tank. I raised it a bit at a time and 6 inches or so above, it's doing much better! :icon_lol:


----------



## brandon429 (Mar 29, 2003)

heres my spot dosing (tank drained not when full, much more powerful that way)

before during after 

instead of jacking w params I just kill algae and soon it stops, given the params were decent originally. as my co2 use gets better the algae will also get better, but the point is cheat as needed we don't have to ever actually have algae wrecking our tanks when good cheats abound


gha was welling up in the middle of the tree so I zapped it clean. no hand removal, went away nearly completely 48 hrs


----------



## laconic (Oct 7, 2013)

brandon429 said:


> heres my spot dosing (tank drained not when full, much more powerful that way)
> 
> before during after
> 
> ...


It never occurred to me that those who spray drained the tank a bit. Thanks for the tip!


----------



## gus6464 (Dec 19, 2011)

You can always play it safe and spot dose 1ml/gallon every 24 hours. The algae will go away it will just take a little bit longer. That way you have 0 deaths and nothing to worry about.


----------



## Jaseduck (Sep 14, 2014)

srry


----------

