# Specific Excel dosing



## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

I dose per directions between a 10g, 20g, and 7g.


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## jrill (Nov 20, 2013)

10 ml day in 20long.


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## MeCasa (Apr 22, 2014)

One cap is 5 ml?

Right?

AquaAurora, the instructions are vague so how many caps per tank do you do?

jrill, we do about the same, 2 in your 20 and 1 in my 10

But it seems absurd to do 1 cap in a 10 and only 3 on a 150


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## jrill (Nov 20, 2013)

Yes, 3 on a 150 seems silly.


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## rodstewart (Apr 25, 2014)

I use a syringe to measure half ml per day for a 6 gallon nano planted mostly with java fern, moss and rotala.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

MeCasa said:


> One cap is 5 ml?
> 
> Right?
> 
> ...


 Seachem website states clearly 5ml per 10 gal daily or every other day.
One capful per 50 gal each day or every other day.
What is vauge bout the directions?


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## Zorfox (Jun 24, 2012)

Actually, the "loading dose" is 5ml per 10 gallons. The "maintenance" dose is 5ml per 50 gallons.

So according to their directions you would initially dose 75ml on a 150 gallon tank. THEN dose 15ml per day.

For a 10 gallon the initial dose would be 5ml and THEN 1ml per day.



> On *initial use or after a major (> 40%) water change*, use 1 capful (5 mL) for every 40 L (10 gallons*). *Thereafter* use 1 capful for every 200 L (50 gallons*) daily or every other day. Dosing may be slowly increased in high-growth aquariums. For smaller dosing please note that each cap thread is approximately 1 mL.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Zorfox said:


> Actually, the "loading dose" is 5ml per 10 gallons. The "maintenance" dose is 5ml per 50 gallons.
> 
> So according to their directions you would initially dose 75ml on a 150 gallon tank. THEN dose 15ml per day.
> 
> For a 10 gallon the initial dose would be 5ml and THEN 1ml per day.


 
Yea,what he/she said:redface:


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## jrill (Nov 20, 2013)

Zorfox said:


> Actually, the "loading dose" is 5ml per 10 gallons. The "maintenance" dose is 5ml per 50 gallons.
> 
> So according to their directions you would initially dose 75ml on a 150 gallon tank. THEN dose 15ml per day.
> 
> For a 10 gallon the initial dose would be 5ml and THEN 1ml per day.


There is no argument that that is was it says, but it still seems silly.:icon_cool


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## Zorfox (Jun 24, 2012)

jrill said:


> There is no argument that that is was it says, but it still seems silly.:icon_cool


Why? The dose is the same for any sized tank. 

The confusion is that the OP is using two different doses. The OP is using a "loading" dose on a daily basis on their 10 gallon. Then the're using a "maintenance" dose on the 150 gallon. 

Loading dose = 0.5ml/gallon

Maintenance dose = 0.1ml/gallon


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi MeCasa,

I used to dose Excel (glutaraldehyde) at the recommended 'Initial Dose' of 5ml per 10 gallons and two times (2X) the recommended 'Daily Dose' of 5 ml per 50 gallons. I did this as an algae inhibitor. I found that Excel / glutaraldehyde is an effective treatment for some "hair-type" algae as well as black brush algae (BBA).

I found however that dosing the product at two times (2X) the recommended 'Daily Dose' was causing growth issues with several plant species in my tanks, specifically Limnophila aromatica, Ludwigia X Lacustris, and Echinodorus vesuvius. I now dose per the instructions unless I am dealing with a specific algae issue.


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## jrill (Nov 20, 2013)

I suppose because the loading dose never made sense to me. Excel dissipates in 24hrs according to seachem so why is the initial dose different from daily. Just seems silly is all. That's why I dose 10 ml daily on my 20 plus I have had good results doing so. But I have to admit I often fall back to 5 ml daily.


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## Zorfox (Jun 24, 2012)

jrill said:


> I suppose because the loading dose never made sense to me. Excel dissipates in 24hrs according to seachem so why is the initial dose different from daily. Just seems silly is all. That's why I dose 10 ml daily on my 20 plus I have had good results doing so. But I have to admit I often fall back to 5 ml daily.


Ahh, I see. There is a little more involved than that. Here is a quote from Seachem in an APC thread where someone asked the same question.



Seachem said:


> The statement that Flourish Excel is only available for 24 hours is a valid statement, but is dependent upon quite a few factors (ie: organic waste present, plant load, etc.). In testing this product in "moderately" planted aquariums, we found that the 5mL of Excel per 50 gallons was enough to supply the plants with carbon for 24 hours. The Flourish Excel also can interact with organics in the system and be broken down. So, the more fish you have (ie: organics), the less Excel that you will have available to the plants. Lets take, for instance, someone who has only a few fish, relatively clean water, and very few plants. It is completely safe for them to use the recommended dose of Flourish Excel (5mL/50 gal), but they may see some buildup of Excel over time. The buildup is not a negative aspect, it means that we are likely maintaining a good amount of carbon in the system. Well, if we perform a >40% water change on the system, we will remove any of the leftover Excel that was in the system. We therefore know that at this point it is completely safe to add the 5mL/10gallons. Many people with heavily planted tanks are able to dose the larger amount on a normal basis, but we cannot recommend this since there are other unknown factors involved with the possibility of buildup. I hope this answers your questions in regard to that.


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## jrill (Nov 20, 2013)

Zorfox said:


> Ahh, I see. There is a little more involved than that. Here is a quote from Seachem in an APC thread where someone asked the same question.


Interesting. I had not seen that post. Thanks.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

MeCasa said:


> One cap is 5 ml?
> 
> Right?
> 
> ...



[PDF I based mine dosing from]
I will say I do not do a larger dose on water change day, but the same excel dose as every other day... so I guess I don't follow their directions exactly.
I'm not good at keeping a consistent pour amount for using the caps, but some people can. I bought needle-less syringes from amazon to measure out doses (can measure as little as 0.01 to 1 ml at a time.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Syringe-Luer-Slip-Sterile-Pack/dp/B000FMYDLU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1404831808&sr=8-3&keywords=syringe+needles"][syringes][/ame]
I used tape and taped dosing amounts for each tank to each bottle + made a simple 'holster' out of tape for the syringe (one per each bottle, so no 'cross contamination' of sorts).


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## MeCasa (Apr 22, 2014)

I misread the instructions :redface:

I have some of the plants that Seattle says do not like overdosing, so I'm going to cut back on my 10

That makes more sense now, 1ml per 10 gallons makes 3 capful (15ml) proportional for the 150

Look at the good point jrill, we can cut back (save money) without feeling guilty ;-)

Live and learn ;-)


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## jrill (Nov 20, 2013)

MeCasa said:


> I misread the instructions :redface:
> 
> I have some of the plants that Seattle says do not like overdosing, so I'm going to cut back on my 10
> 
> ...


I like the results I am getting but I may try 5ml for awhile and see if I notice a change. Its hard to change when things are going well. [emoji111]


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## MeCasa (Apr 22, 2014)

Good results are the final parameter as to what balance is good for your tanks. I'll try cutting back because a couple of the plants that Seattle mentioned are doing OK but not great while others love the extra Excel.


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