# Low tech/excel question



## BusyGal (Jan 17, 2008)

I have a low tech tank...no CO2 and medium lights, set on a timer for 2x day, morning and evening about 8-9 hours total. 

Some of my plants leaves start losing their deep green color, get transparent, or turn yellow and start dying. Why? I would also like to know EXACTLY what florish EXCEL does? Is says it supplies organic carbon but I remember on past posts that someone said it was castic chemicals. I have a lot of fish in my tank but it is offset by lots of filtration.

Thanks.


----------



## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

Excell supplies the carbon that plants need to live (carbon based life form...). Dosed at the level recommended it won't hurt your fish. Some say that certain shrimp are very sensitive to it. I have used it at 2x's level with my cherry shrimp. They do fine with it. Excell is not a fertilizer per se.

Sounds like you need some fertilizer. You could use dry fertilizers or flourish also makes some liquid. You could use root tabs depending on the plants you have. You will need potassium, nitrogen, and phosphates. You could look for a fertilizer that has all three. I began with a pond fertilizer until I could get my dry fertilizers. I just put a small amount in.


----------



## wearsbunnyslippers (Dec 6, 2007)

basic photosynthesis formula:

6 CO2 + 6 H2O + photons -> C6H12O6 + 6 O2

carbon dioxide + water + light energy -> glucose + oxygen

dissolved co2 can be the limiting factor in plant growth, in a low tech tank it is normally low lighting. adding excel provides some of the carbon needed for the above formula.

i dose flourish and flourish excel as per the directions on the bottles, and i have no issues with my fish or my plants turning yellow. try to identify your deficiency and resolve that, whether it be lighting, co2, or ferts.

i have double dosed excel to kill algae and also noticed no negative affects on my fish...


----------



## BiscuitSlayer (Apr 1, 2005)

BusyGal said:


> I have a low tech tank...no CO2 and medium lights, set on a timer for 2x day, morning and evening about 8-9 hours total.


Your first line kind of contradicts itself. (Low tech and medium lights)

Tell us more about your setup and maybe we can better determine what is going on.

What size tank?
Lighting?
Bioload?
Fertilization, if any?


My initial guess is that your light might be driving up uptake of nutrients of your plants. If you aren't providing nutrients, to suplement the uptake the plants yellow and melt away. This process is expedited with more light.


----------



## BusyGal (Jan 17, 2008)

I use Excel, maybe 1-2 week and also Flourish 1 day a week. My tank has a lot of fish but I also have 3 filters running. One wet/dry, one penguin that has the bio-wheels and also some carbon is in those filters, and I run another canister filter whose main reason is to pump the water that goes through the UV light. I cut back the lights as I was getting lots of algae growing on my plants. That has helped and my algae issue isn't a problem anymore, and I think the excel helped a little.

I have Java moss and java ferns and they do great but my swordlike plants tend to lighten up in color, some get yellow, but mostly they just get transparant and lose the color and then the whole stalk is ghost like and is dead. My plants don't seem to grow much.

I was hoping to get a balance with the fish, filters and plants. Should I use more fetilizers? The tank is 6 months old and I used eco-complete and florite as the substrate. I don't want to use CO2.


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

You need to swap the dosing of the Excel and Flourish- use the Excel every day and the Flourish only 1x a week. Flourish comprehensive is really mostly just micronutrients/trace (IDK why they call it "comprehensive"?)

I agree that it sounds like you need to dose macronutrients as well- nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (N-P-K). You could go with Seachem's liquid ferts if you'd like (they make each one of these in the same bottles as the Comp.) or go with dry ferts if you want to save $$ in the long term. 

I'd highly recommend using fert tabs with the swords. Swords especially like iron, so it's good that you have some Fluorite in your substrate.

You could get all of your dry ferts and fert tabs at www.GreenLeafAquariums.com- I got the WonderGro fert tabs from there, and my sword is sending up a flower! :icon_smil


----------



## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

*Ferts*

I think the best and cheapest ferts are in dry form. Can be bought at http://www.rexgrigg.com/index.html. I prefer dosing with K2SO4, chelated iron, and baking soda. For read that plants need a lot of potassium and iron helps red plants to keep their color in low light tanks. The baking soda I use sparingly to raise my GH from 0.

Beware other's have told me rexgrigg's is old school. That is he doesn't believe in using dirt in tanks as those into natural plant tanks. Diane Walsteed has at aquatic plant central proven can work.


----------



## DaveS (Mar 2, 2008)

Hilde said:


> I think the best and cheapest ferts are in dry form. Can be bought at http://www.rexgrigg.com/index.html. I prefer dosing with K2SO4, chelated iron, and baking soda. For read that plants need a lot of potassium and iron helps red plants to keep their color in low light tanks. The baking soda I use sparingly to raise my GH from 0.
> 
> Beware other's have told me rexgrigg's is old school. That is he doesn't believe in using dirt in tanks as those into natural plant tanks. Diane Walsteed has at aquatic plant central proven can work.


You must mean that you add baking soda to raise your KH right? If you want to raise your GH you would use something like Epsom salts instead.

Dave


----------

