# H202 Hydrogen Peroxide treatment tips



## klumsyninja (Apr 16, 2008)

Anyone try this to kill their algae off?

It's totally safe for the fish right?

Got any tips?


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## imeridian (Jan 19, 2007)

I've used upwards of 2.5ml / gallon of 3% H2O2 without ill effect on livestock.


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## tropicalfish (Mar 29, 2007)

I've squirted several syringes of that stuff into my 75 gallon tank without any ill effects...
Other than massive columns of bubbles rising from the BBA.


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## chicken (Aug 22, 2007)

I've used it to kill clado, BGA, and BBA. Turn off the filter, use a syringe to squirt on the affected areas. I use about 1 ml per gallon. Leave filter off for about 20 minutes.


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## spinjector (Mar 20, 2005)

imeridian said:


> I've used upwards of 2.5ml / gallon of 3% H2O2 without ill effect on livestock.


How does one determine "ill effects"...? What are the symptoms..? I know what my mouth feels like when I rinse with it after brushing my teeth and I've mixed it up a bit too strong...


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## imeridian (Jan 19, 2007)

Rephrase my earlier response to read "...without visually apparent ill effect on livestock."

If I were to see the fish darting around rapidly, rubbing against surfaces, hanging at the surface, or otherwise behaving differently than immediately prior to the addition of the H2O2, I'd then call those ill effects.

Mucus membranes and scales are pretty different, combine that with the fairly rapid decomposition of H2O2 into water and oxygen, and I would _expect_ the impact with these doses to be minimal on the fish. I can only give information in an anecdotal sense on this subject.

I have seen radically different behavior in fish when dosing Melafix on its own, or high (overdosing) levels of Excel, but not when dosing H2O2 on its own.


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## spinjector (Mar 20, 2005)

That would make sense. I was wondering if there would be any cumulative long-term effects. For instance, I remember from high school chemistry class that pain & injury from caustic substances can be delayed for quite a while, whereas acids will burn & hurt immediately. In aquatic animals, I would worry first and foremost about damage to gill membranes.

Regarding Excel, I've been seeing more and more suggestions lately of using it as a medicine instead of a supplement. Some say to overdose it wholesale into the water, while others say to spray it directly on algae when the water is low during a change. But really, it seems to me that if you're going to use an expensive product like that in a manner contrary to its labeled directions, you might as well just use an inexpensive and proven algicide.

So what exactly is Excel? I remember when it first came out a few years ago, I researched and cross-referenced for days on Google to try to figure out what it was and what it did. I remember reading a couple of science papers, and wandering my way to some information on similar chemicals being used in - of all unexpected things - DNA typing & analysis, mostly as some type of catalyst for certain processes. I also read some material safety data sheets, but I've forgotten all the details. Why are people using it as an improvised algicide..? How does it affect the algae..?


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## imeridian (Jan 19, 2007)

Excel is polycycloglutaracetal, a polymerized isomer of glutaraldehyde. It is, from my experience, very effective as an algicide.


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## spinjector (Mar 20, 2005)

imeridian said:


> Excel is polycycloglutaracetal, a polymerized isomer of glutaraldehyde. It is, from my experience, very effective as an algicide.


Interesting...

So it's killing two birds with one stone - as both a plant supplement _and_ an algicide...?

Since that's kind of going outside the labeled directions for the product, what kind of dose would you suggest..?

And what kind of toxicity does it have for the critters...?


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## spinjector (Mar 20, 2005)

Ahh never mind... I see the reference to polycycloglutaracetal being used for aquariums way down in the last paragraph.

I might just start a new Wiki page for it, as it does not have it's own yet.


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## imeridian (Jan 19, 2007)

The standard "overdosing" for Excel is 2-3X the labeled *daily* dose. I have used 2X the 'waterchange' dose myself, but only when also using H2O2. With either chemical it would be better to work up to high doses in order to judge how well the plants and inhabitants are handling it.


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## spinjector (Mar 20, 2005)

ok, cool... thanks...

i'm going to start fiddling with it and see what happens...

since it has to be dosed daily, maybe i'll try to dig up a used peristaltic dosing pump on ebay and start running it with that...


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## imeridian (Jan 19, 2007)

A peristaltic pump would be nice for daily standard dosing of Excel, but I think that money would be better put toward a CO2 regulator. It's also unnecessary for algae treatment doses, as you only need to do that for a couple of days. I must admit, though, that I have considered mixing some in with my daily fertilizer solution.


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## Aquamadman (Aug 10, 2007)

I got curious as to how much you dose per litre of water since I got about 100 litres in my thread algea infested tank.


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## EricSilver (Feb 23, 2004)

klumsyninja said:


> Anyone try this to kill their algae off?
> 
> It's totally safe for the fish right?
> 
> Got any tips?


Depends how much you use. Overdose and you will kill your fish and your plants. 

But here is the real issue: After you eliminate your current batch of algae, a new batch will come along to replace it. SO H202, alone, is a temporary, but still no-win solution. 

The better thing to do is identify the cause of the algal growth -- find their food supply -- and eliminate it. Balance your tank so that bio/chemical/mechanical filtration removes more pollutants than the inhabitants produce, and you will not be troubled by algae.


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## Aquamadman (Aug 10, 2007)

Thats mostly what Im trying to do. I have already succesfully eliminated BBA without any chemical help but thread algea prove to be a much bigger challenge. 

Will this H2O2 kill shrimp? I got about 10-15 cherries in the infested tank.


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## MrAL (May 14, 2008)

So just use the over the counter, bought from the drug store hydrogen peroxide? That's the one right? I just want to make sure because i'm thinking of trying it out.


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## EricSilver (Feb 23, 2004)

Aquamadman said:


> Thats mostly what Im trying to do. I have already succesfully eliminated BBA without any chemical help but thread algea prove to be a much bigger challenge.
> 
> Will this H2O2 kill shrimp? I got about 10-15 cherries in the infested tank.



How do you plan to apply it? 

What I would do is remove the plants and soak them in a bowl of water with peroxide in it. Spot-treating with a syringe or squeeze bottle in the aquarium will not work unless you have a strong, food-grade solution (12% to 30%).


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## EricSilver (Feb 23, 2004)

MrAL said:


> So just use the over the counter, bought from the drug store hydrogen peroxide? That's the one right? I just want to make sure because i'm thinking of trying it out.


OTC is 3%, which is too weak unless you are using it in a concentrated out of tank plant dip. 

You can get food grade (12%) from health food stores. You can get 30% from a garden supply store (but be E-X-T-R-E-M-E-L-Y careful if you get stuff that strong.)


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## EricSilver (Feb 23, 2004)

Aquamadman said:


> Will this H2O2 kill shrimp? I got about 10-15 cherries in the infested tank.


Shrimp are pretty sensitive. I've never used H202 in their presence, but I would wager they would notice if you used too much.


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## inkslinger (Dec 28, 2003)

http://www.gpodio.com/h2o2.asp

I've Spot-treated with a large syringe over 250mil in my 110g tank and did not lose any fish or plants . I don't have any shrimp so I couldn't comment on that.

But you need to shut everything off even the lights and let it sit for an 1 1/2hr before turning everything back on. I use 1 32oz bottle in 3 Days an got rid of my BBA any it only coast $1.69. 

But you still need to see what cause it in the first places

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm
http://aquariumalgae.blogspot.com/


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

So what is the best amount to use? I see options for 1 mil, 2.5 and now around 2.3. How long do you use it for?


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## MrAL (May 14, 2008)

I've been dosing excel on my 10g tank for the past week and the algae which i think is bba is turning pink. I was just wondering if it will just go away or will i need a fish or a shrimp to eat them all away. What's next?


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## MrAL (May 14, 2008)

Oh and by the way, my 10g tank is an all shrimp tank and i don't see any deaths. So i'm guessing it's shrimp safe.


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## imeridian (Jan 19, 2007)

The standard 3% "for treating cuts" type H2O2 is what I use and was referring to in my earlier statements in this thread. It is effective against hair algae/spirogyra at 2ml/gal, spot treating or just dumping it in. Lower doses didn't seem to be effective. I think working up would be wise, start at 1ml/gal, then up to a max of 2.5ml/gal. Observe fish and plants, etc. I haven't had any other types of algae to try it on.... thankfully.


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## Aquamadman (Aug 10, 2007)

EricSilver said:


> How do you plan to apply it?
> 
> What I would do is remove the plants and soak them in a bowl of water with peroxide in it. Spot-treating with a syringe or squeeze bottle in the aquarium will not work unless you have a strong, food-grade solution (12% to 30%).


Indeed a very good point but that still leaves the thread algea which have attached tomy driftwood and what has gotten caught in my java moss. 

I think I will try a low dosage and wait for a week before trying a higher dosage in case the 1st one wasnt effective enough.


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## Aquamadman (Aug 10, 2007)

When dosing ferts weekly I noticed a significant decline in the growth of thread algea to almost no progress. In the 4 week period that I postponed dosing the algea took of and even attached itself to my crypts. Now that I dose again the new leaves dont show a single trace of algea.

I think the algea only thrives where its able to leech nutrients such as my substrate and teh driftwood and in between the java moss. The other plants mostly got infested because of me stopping ferts. 

Also when I removed the algea from the substrate some particles of the algea were caught in my Limnophyla A. so I'm guessing that once I can get the algea to clear from the substrate, driftwood and moss it should be peanuts to get the remainders out of the plants but for now I have to try dosing the H2O2 first.


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## EricSilver (Feb 23, 2004)

Aquamadman said:


> When dosing ferts weekly I noticed a significant decline in the growth of thread algea to almost no progress. In the 4 week period that I postponed dosing the algea took of and even attached itself to my crypts. Now that I dose again the new leaves dont show a single trace of algea.
> 
> I think the algea only thrives where its able to leech nutrients such as my substrate and teh driftwood and in between the java moss. The other plants mostly got infested because of me stopping ferts.


Based on remarks like that, as well of those of Tom Barr and others, we should start accepting algae as the degenerative disease it is. Just as a vitamin C deficiency leads to scurvy, aquarium nutrient deficiencies lead to algae. 

Perhaps some enterprising folks at GLA and elsewhere will consider packing pre-measured ferts in vitamin-like capsules or packets for those of us who don't know the first thing about proper dosing, or for whom mixing powders is inconvenient. One capsule/packet a day would help keep our plants happy, and the tank algae free. I would definitely buy such a product.....


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## inkslinger (Dec 28, 2003)

http://www.gpodio.com/h2o2.asp


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Okay, H2O2 definitely will melt marselia sp on contact. :hihi:


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

Hydrogen Peroxide = natural antibiotic, anti-fungal, anti-protozoan, anti-viral and antiseptic disinfectant. 
Just plain 3%

Quarantine Procedure / Treatment
1 U.S.A. Teaspoon = 4.92892159 millileters, 2 teaspoons of H2O2 per gallon is perfect! 
The treatment is the dose used to kill algae and practically all bacteria and parasites, protazoans, etc. 
Two hour bath and plants are cleaned.

This treatment was recommended to me and used on angel fish with head fungus. 10ml per gallon caused the fish to pearl :icon_eek: but caused no harm. 50% WC after 2 1/2 hrs. Followed the following morning by 25% WC.
*Caution* HP strong enough to kill algae kills *ALL* bacteria good and bad. In a tank it will cause a new cycle.


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## inkslinger (Dec 28, 2003)

In my 110g tank I use a 32oz bottle of H202 in 3 days and did not lose any fish or plant just BBA?


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## zavikan (Jan 5, 2009)

EricSilver said:


> Based on remarks like that, as well of those of Tom Barr and others, we should start accepting algae as the degenerative disease it is. Just as a vitamin C deficiency leads to scurvy, aquarium nutrient deficiencies lead to algae.
> 
> Perhaps some enterprising folks at GLA and elsewhere will consider packing pre-measured ferts in vitamin-like capsules or packets for those of us who don't know the first thing about proper dosing, or for whom mixing powders is inconvenient. One capsule/packet a day would help keep our plants happy, and the tank algae free. I would definitely buy such a product.....


I personally figured out the dosages for my 38 gallon tank as per the estimative index. I then dilluted with distilled water so that 1 dose of each was 5 ml (one flourish cap, which i checked, is dead on 5ml).

So all I have is 3 old flourish bottles (flourish, kno3, fleet enema/water),

Monday: 5ml kno3 5ml fleet
tuesday: 5ml flourish 
etc etc etc

the 250ml bottles lasts me almost 2 months. I would think you could do the same with larger tanks. Maybe just use a larger bottle w/ a larger cap (laundry detergent?)


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

EricSilver said:


> OTC is 3%, which is too weak unless you are using it in a concentrated out of tank plant dip.
> 
> You can get food grade (12%) from health food stores. You can get 30% from a garden supply store (but be E-X-T-R-E-M-E-L-Y careful if you get stuff that strong.)


Tried a syringe w/ 3% last night Java moss in my low tech 55g was starting to clump up with BBA on top just under the waterline. Filled to 10ml and hit the two clumps with the pumps off but the lights still on. 30ml total used on two golf ball size areas. Today totally changed color and it's dead.


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