We have dosed excel in the past, not always very regularly. We were gone over Christmas so no dosing for about 2 weeks. Last week we added some new plants and decided to get on a more regular dosing schedule (frets and excel). MWF we dose 4ml excel, MR we dose 4ml flourish (switching to thrive this week).
I know excel can affect shrimp (we've lost 2 this week), and my research is saying it can also affect crypts. In the last 24 hours I have noticed one of our established crypts starting to melt.
So my question is this: should we quit dosing excel altogether? Or cut the dosage back to 1/4 dose for now and slowly work up?
What size tank? I've never had any problems with excel and crypts dosing up to 2-3x the recommended amount and a variety of basic and rarer crypts. I'm using it with pfr shrimp as recommended w/so far no issues.
Excel is actually diluted gluteraldehyde, a dangerous disinfectant when exposed to in commercial concentrations. As Zoidburg said if you're insistent on using it go slow with low dosage.
Well, at the beginning of the week I cut excel back to 1ml each day. All the crypts in the tank are now showing some sign of melt. 4 plants are well established and 4 have only been in the tank about 2 weeks, but this is the first melt they have shown. We're planning to discontinue excel for the time being.
We also just started dosing Thrive this week, 4 pumps Monday and Thursday. The melt was starting before the thrive, but it wouldn't make it worse, right?
If you're planning to use Excel on the tank as a source of carbon, I would continue the using it. If your plants are melting after you began dosing, there is no point to stop dosing. The plants will adjust and grow back leaves which won't melt due to the dosing. If you stop dosing while the leaves melt and regrow the leaves will probably just melt again when you begin again, leaving you in the same situation. Alternatively, your established plants could be melting due to the plant hormones released as the new plants begin to melt. I'd personally continue dosing.
As far as the shrimp go, you probably want to make sure your not dosing directly over any shrimp when you dose(& plants for that matter). I try to always dose into the out flow current of filter so excel is quickly diluted into the water stream. When you start dosing again, you might want to start at a low amount (1/4) & build up to the desired dose, as suggested by @Zoidburg. Although, he is a fairly incompetent mollusk, so trust him at your own risk. [emoji23]
I'm not familiar with Thrive. I'm not sure dosing SeaChem Comprehensive that often is necessary, it is mostly micros which are not needed in as high of a quantity as the macro nutrients.
Thanks to both of you! I think we will continue with the 1ml of excel but back the Thrive off to 1/2 dose twice a week.
We're just hoping the red Wendtii doesn't melt away completely! Everything else is showing a bit of melt but not bad.
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