Report: Seachem Excel as algaecide

Watercress · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

And the rooster causes the sun to rise. You are jumping to conclusion.

Archived from group: rec>aquaria>freshwater>plants

Victor Martinez · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 23

It seems the poster who reported that Seachem Excel works as an
algaecide on top of being a source of organic carbon was right!
I had a lot of hair algae in my 110g heavily planted tank. So much that
the outflow of my eheim filter had to be scrubbed and cleaned at least
once every two weeks. Algae grew very fast and was very happy.
I started dosing Excel daily for a week or so, then forgot about it.
Four weeks later (or so), almost all the algae is gone. I'll be sure to
order another large bottle of Excel to continue dosing as a preventative.
It works!

--
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Watercress · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

Wow, it is on the web, so it got to be true. (^_^; Yes, I am trying
to piss you off.

Watercress · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

Perhaps, the plants in your tank benefited from the Excel solution and
starved the Algae to death?

I noticed a similar occurrence when I added some lawn fertilizers to my
tank. The plants grew very rapidly and the brown slime that used to be
in my tank disappeared. I can jump to the conclusion that the lawn
feritlizers killed the algae but I rather not do that. I don't deny
that there may be a causal relationship between the brown slime's
disappearance and the addition of the lawn fertilizer, but I won't go
so far as to assert that the lawn fertilizer killed the brown slime.

Watercress · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

Nope. How did you ever jump to that conclusion? :-0

Eric Schreiber · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 48

Watercress wrote:

> And the rooster causes the sun to rise. You are jumping to
> conclusion.

He may be, but so are you - you're concluding, a priori, that he's
wrong.

--
Eric Schreiber
www.ericschreiber.com

Victor Martinez · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 23

Watercress wrote:
> And the rooster causes the sun to rise. You are jumping to conclusion.

Really? Then by all means explain to me what exactly caused the hair
algae to die off. I didn't change anything else in my routine.

--
Victor M. Martinez
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Victor Martinez · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 23

Ozdude wrote:
> I really don't think it's an algaecide per se, but rather, it's bringing the
> tank into a balance where the plants can out compete the algae.

I recommend you guys google for the thread discussing this last time. It
has a very good explanation on why seachem excel *is* an algaecide.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov
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Richard Sexton · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 47

>I recommend you guys google for the thread discussing this last time. It
>has a very good explanation on why seachem excel *is* an algaecide.

It is not an algicide. It hurts algae bad and can kill it though.

The US Govt. thinks there's a difference.

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Elaine T · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 78

Victor Martinez wrote:
> Watercress wrote:
>
>> And the rooster causes the sun to rise. You are jumping to conclusion.
>
>
> Really? Then by all means explain to me what exactly caused the hair
> algae to die off. I didn't change anything else in my routine.
>
An alternate explanation is that your plants, given a good carbon
source, outcompeted the hair algae. Either way, the outcome is great!
I really like Excel in my very low algae tanks too.

--
__ Elaine T __
> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <

Rocco Moretti · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 19

Victor Martinez wrote:
> Ozdude wrote:
>
>> I really don't think it's an algaecide per se, but rather, it's
>> bringing the tank into a balance where the plants can out compete the
>> algae.
>
> I recommend you guys google for the thread discussing this last time. It
> has a very good explanation on why seachem excel *is* an algaecide.

Which thread is this? Googling on "seachem excel algaecide" gave me two
threads - this one and one titled "Which fert should I reduce to cut
algae growth?" from January.

In it I saw a lot of back-and forth, but nothing I would class as a
"very good" explanation of the algaecidal properties - the best I saw
was "nudge-nudge-wink-wink" type quotes allegedly from the Seachem CEO
that danced around the issue.

That's not to say that I doubt that Excel can kill algae, or at least
make its life miserable - it's just I can't find any sort of
*explanation* of why it kills algae, just anecdotal claims that it does.
I'm curious for the reason behind it - what's in it that might cause the
effect people see?

Ozdude · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 66

"Victor Martinez" wrote in message $bh2.696@fe2.texas.rr.com...
> Watercress wrote:
>> And the rooster causes the sun to rise. You are jumping to conclusion.
>
> Really? Then by all means explain to me what exactly caused the hair algae
> to die off. I didn't change anything else in my routine.

There may be something in this:

I use Seachem Flourish and my algae gets out of control after using it. I
can't find Excel around here, so I can't quantify your observations. It'd be
nice though if the liquid plant fertilizer could help with my algae which is
about as bad as yours was.

I really don't think it's an algaecide per se, but rather, it's bringing the
tank into a balance where the plants can out compete the algae.

I think I have an excess of something in the tank, or an out of balance
situation because it grows on large leaves too, spoiling the plants
eventually. I thought the plants (lots of them) were supposed to out-compete
algae?

Oz

--
My Aquatic web Blog is at http://members.optusnet.com.au/ivan.smith

Richard Sexton · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 47

>I really don't think it's an algaecide per se, but rather, it's bringing the
>tank into a balance where the plants can out compete the algae.

No, it kills algae. Try it for yourself. Take a tank in good
shape. Add moss balls (Cladophora algae). Now add flourish excel.
The moss balls will die.

Dr. Greg Moran, CEO of Sea Chem will tell you it's not an algicide
and will explian why silly US laws make it so. But he will also
tell you not to use it on Cladophora as it will not do it any good.

There's no warning on the label about this becasue they figured
who'd want to grow algae?

--
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blank · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 10

> I can't find Excel around here

Try these folks. I use them all the time for seachem products.

http://www.aquaria.com.au/catalog/

Nikki Casali · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 48

Richard Sexton wrote:
>>I really don't think it's an algaecide per se, but rather, it's bringing the
>>tank into a balance where the plants can out compete the algae.
>
>
> No, it kills algae. Try it for yourself. Take a tank in good
> shape. Add moss balls (Cladophora algae). Now add flourish excel.
> The moss balls will die.
>
> Dr. Greg Moran, CEO of Sea Chem will tell you it's not an algicide
> and will explian why silly US laws make it so. But he will also
> tell you not to use it on Cladophora as it will not do it any good.
>
> There's no warning on the label about this becasue they figured
> who'd want to grow algae?

I've got some Excel but haven't got around to trying it. What if you're
already injecting with CO2. Does it have any impact on shrimp etc? Will
my algae eating fish suddenly go hungry?

Nikki