The Planted Tank Forum banner

The "One-Two Punch" Whole Tank Algae Treatment

412K views 546 replies 219 participants last post by  Dallascowboys16 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
NOTE: Others have reported deaths of shrimp, snails, and fish - particularly known sensitive ones. Please read the entire thread for details before experimenting. For anyone who wishes to try this, I am changing my initial recommendation for H2O2 to 2 tbsp. per 10G, down from 4 tbsp. This treatment seems especially hit-and-miss with shrimp, so for them, I do not recommend this treatment AT ALL - unless you consider them expendable.


PREFACE:


This is a technique I've developed. While I've provided this info in several threads now as personalized help, I feel it deserves a full write-up in its own thread.

In brief: It uses a properly executed H2O2 whole tank treatment, followed by a whole tank Excel treatment, to provide a much greater algicidal effect than either alone; without noticeably increased risk to fauna or plants.

This has been performed by me many times, and by others only a few. While in all cases no adverse effects were observed, I cannot guarantee it to be 100% safe. Only through many more tests in a wide variety of tanks can that be established. Keep that in mind should you decide to try it, and if you do, please share your results in this thread.

Even if you don't try this, you may still find some of it informative.


FIRST PUNCH: H2O2

Whole tank H2O2 treatments don't get much attention. The results are typically very poor, at least until you get into such doses that fauna are at risk; and after a few failed attempts, most folks understandably write this option off.

But the truth is, most people perform this treatment completely wrong.

The WRONG Way:

Typically, the first thing done is to turn off the filters and lights. Already, one mistake has potentially been made, and a path paved to another.

Turning off the filters does prevent H2O2 from flowing through the biomedia. That's good, because we don't want the H2O2 to kill too much nitrifying bacteria, nor want the H2O2 depleted at this point in reaction with these bacteria. But often, this leaves little or no flow in the tank.

The effect of any chemical is determined by: Concentration * Flow * Time.

A H2O2 spot treatment works with no flow, solely because of the incredibly high concentration at the location where it's applied. But in a whole tank treatment, it's far more dilute. So instead, high flow is required to carry it around the tank, to contact the algae and have some positive effect.

Without that, there is only one place where high flow is occurring. Fish gills. And that is the one thing we don't want the H2O2 reacting with!

Moving on now. The H2O2 is added. Some amount of time is allowed to elapse, a half hour or so. Then the treatment is "terminated", by turning filters and lights back on. This is the next mistake.

Virtually all of the H2O2 still exists in the tank, because without flow, very little of it has reacted with anything. While light does break down H2O2, this is measured in days - even in direct sunlight. Not minutes. So the light has no effect, in the time scales we're working with.

The biofilter at least is now reducing the H2O2. And with flow restored, the H2O2 is at last starting to have some effect on the algae. But the fish are already getting close to suffering noticeable stress. The full concentration of H2O2 has been flowing through their gills for a half hour, completely without reason since this time did nothing to kill the algae. And they will continue to be exposed to gradually lessening concentrations, further increasing the stress, as the filter slowly removes it. It may take another half hour before H2O2 is sufficiently reduced.

The RIGHT Way:

As I said before, Concentration * Flow * Time.

So if you want an effective treatment, provide massive flow during the entire treatment period. Since flow is constant through fish gills, to protect them you shorten the time, by wasting none of it with periods where the algae isn't affected, and correctly terminating the treatment. If this is done, the increase in safety is actually enough that concentration can be increased.

First, prepare the tank. You want as much flow as possible. If you have extra powerheads, add them. If your sole source of flow is your filters, you'll have to temporarily remove the filter media to a bucket of tank water, and leave the filters on. Otherwise, this is optional but still beneficial. I have a cheap Koralia clone that with 1,320GPH flow, turned out to be too much for any of my tanks; but I keep it around because it's ideal for this treatment.

If you have Marimo balls, temporarily remove them to a bucket of tank water as well. Cladophora is very hardy, and normally not affected by whole tank H2O2 treatments. But this treatment can burn them badly, especially on sides exposed to direct flow. If they're also infested with undesirable algae, they can be treated simply by keeping them in the bucket in a dark place for a week. They can tolerate extremely long blackouts without harm, unlike other algae.

Keep the lights on. Light has no effect on the H2O2, only your ability to see what's going on.

Now add 3% H2O2, at a dosage of 4 tbsp. per 10G of actual tank water volume (excluding substrate, plants, etc.). Yes, that's double what's typically used; as explained previously we can use a higher concentration.

Allow to circulate for 15 minutes. During this time, redirect flow a few times if possible, to make sure all areas get covered. If you have particular trouble spots, try to ensure they get direct flow during part of the treatment.

Now terminate the treatment. Do a 50% water change, or more if you know it's well tolerated. Return the tank to its normal configuration, including replacing filter media if it was removed.

Less hardy algae may be effectively killed by this alone, especially if flow was good. But all algae will be weakened, and now it's time for:


SECOND PUNCH: EXCEL

Any remaining algae not killed by the H2O2 is now extremely susceptible to Excel.

If you weren't already using Excel, or were using it at the recommended dose, add Seachem's recommended initial dose of 5ml per 10G. No further large doses are necessary in this case. Algae builds up some tolerance to Excel, similar to sensitive plants like Vals. In this case, the H2O2 treatment followed by a single, sudden Excel spike is enough to quickly finish algae off.

If you were already using Excel overdoses, continue using the previous dose.

Enjoy your algae-free tank. If there are any underlying problems that caused the algae outbreak in the first place, correct them so your tank stays algae-free. In some cases, a thorough algae removal like this is enough to improve plant health to the point where algae will not return.


CLOSING NOTES:

I've used this treatment many times over the course of the last year.

It was originally developed to deal with what I call my SOS, "Staghorn On Steroids", as featured in my signature. SOS doesn't behave quite according to the rules. Like most algae it likes high light, but will thrive in medium light if flow is high. It laughs at high CO2, H2O2 spot treatments, and Excel spot/tank treatments. But it falls hard to the "One-Two Punch", and I relied on this treatment heavily when trying to figure out how to keep it from growing. Which took a while, during which time I probably would have given up in frustration if I hadn't found a way to periodically eliminate it, without ripping out half my plants after each failed tank parameter adjustment.

I've tried it on other algae too, mostly out of curiosity rather than necessity. Works great. Burning my Marimo balls was a nasty surprise, but certainly showed how effective it is, as they've never been affected by any other algicidal treatment. Should I ever have an invasive clado problem, I expect this might be able to eliminate it.

I've never seen any adverse effect on the more sensitive inhabitants of my tank; including otos, cories, bamboo shrimp, ramshorn and pond snails. No idea if it's safe for other shrimp, as I keep no other varieties. I'd like to see someone try it on a tank with a few expendable cherries. Java moss was unaffected. I have some anacharis, which is particularly sensitive to Excel, but which I've gradually acclimated to a normal dose; it too is unharmed by this treatment. Hopefully others can soon add their experiences.

Off-topic but related. Recently I see the use of AlgaeFix being more freely discussed, now that certain people have finally softened their views on it, and mentioning it no longer results in guaranteed chastisement. Yes, it works, I've used it, and it's certainly easier than my method. But it isn't safe for invertebrates. Several times I've also had fish severely stressed or killed by AlgaeFix, and although in the majority of cases this doesn't happen, I consider it a gamble. I have an idea why this occurs different from other hypothesis I've seen, and how it might be avoided, but that's a topic for another thread I'll soon post. At this time I consider my treatment possibly safer than AlgaeFix when a powerful full tank treatment is required, and certainly usable in more circumstances.

Hope this proves useful to you!
 
See less See more
#43 ·
So after following this thread for a few weeks I thought I give it a go as Algae was getting worse and worse. I didn't have enough plants initially, wanted to "clean up the tank" before planting a large load. My tank is a 75g rimless, not filled all the way to the top and decent amount of substrate, so I figured dosing is on 50g-55g estimate of water.

1. turned off the filter and removed the media, just in case.
2. got two koralia 750gph powerheads setup diagonally in the tank.
3. I dosed 300ml of H202 with syringe right into the stream from one of the powerheads.
4. moved one of the powerheads for 15 minutes all over the tank to get as much flow as possible everywhere.
5. Stopped the treatment, 50% water change, Prime+
6. Recommended excel dose at 5ml per 10g, so around 27ml.

And here's the report. Right away something was wrong, one of the nerites looked like he wasn't dealing with it all ok. Fell to the ground, almost completely came out of it's shell. Everyone else was fine.

Next morning, here's the count
all nerites dead
one otto dead
90% of shrimp dead or dying (almost all babies, and most of adults, total about 50).

So what could have gone wrong? 1500GPH isn't enough flow?
 
#44 ·
I tried this on my 2.5 g along with algaefix after excel treatment. 1 day later no change however will report again when I get home (away for 10 days). All I have are ramshorn and mts. Since the tank is so small and no fauna I kept my Redsea nano filter running and added a fluval mini internal filter on full blast. Scared to try this on my 6g edge since its such a closed system and since the algae is at a minimum. Both tanks got out of control after multiple 2week periods of being away. Anyway thanks for sharing this write up, will report again once I get back.
 
#47 ·
Ok, this isn't good. I haven't had a single death with many treatments performed, but others are reporting WAY too many. I feel terrible about every one. :(

So, I am immediately changing my recommendation for anyone who still wishes to try this to 2 tbsp. per 10G of H2O2. This will be added at the top of the original post in bold.

I would also like a shrimp expert to verify whether the one-time Excel dose of 5ml per 10G, being used here and recommended by Seachem as their "attack" dose, is considered shrimp safe. If I don't get a reply here in a few days, I'll ask again on the shrimp forum.

nvladik: 1,500GPH is plenty of flow.

vvDO: The active ingredient in Algaefix is known to enhance absorption of other chemicals, and I've found reference to it being used just for that purpose in several scientific papers. This is a whole different area of experimentation that no one, including myself, has tried in a controlled manner. I wouldn't recommend using AlgaeFix in combination with other treatments, unless you understand that it may pose an unusual risk.
 
#49 ·
vvDO: The active ingredient in Algaefix is known to enhance absorption of other chemicals, and I've found reference to it being used just for that purpose in several scientific papers. This is a whole different area of experimentation that no one, including myself, has tried in a controlled manner. I wouldn't recommend using AlgaeFix in combination with other treatments, unless you understand that it may pose an unusual risk.
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as my tank has no inhabitants except plants and MTS/ramshorn snails.
 
#50 ·
I plan on trying this on a 55gal with what I think is hair algae. The tank contains neons, angle fish, guppies, and pond snails. I don't care if the snails make it or not. Are these fish sensitive to this treatment?
I've done it many times with neon tetras, guppies, and pond snails. No problems with these - at least for me.

Karatekid14 reported the loss of ember tetras, though.

No one has tried it with angel fish.
 
#51 ·
likely this is due to how much stuff the h2o2 has to react with in the tank
the more matter the h2o2 can react with, the less stressful for fish
an experimental dirty tank vs clean tank might help to set those differences aside
for instance algaefix is far more effective don right after a big water change as there is less organic matter for it to bond to before reaching out to algae


as far as shrimp
i've seen the roach of shrimp.. cherry shrimp die from excel (it takes more than a normal amount usually)
i would not reccommend dosing excel on a shrimp tank at all. esecially not higher line or more sensitive shrimp species
 
#52 ·
HD_Blazingwolf: Agreed, and most of my tests have been in very clean tanks, with only small bits of algae. I went to 10ml/10G in an absolutely filthy tank once, without incident.

I hope no one would ever try any aggressive treatment on the really expensive and sensitive shrimp species. It would be nice if safe limits could be established for cherries and Amanos, though. I went ahead and posted an inquiry on the shrimp forum to that end.
 
#53 ·
Well, it does get back to dose makes the poison, too much, kills the fish etc, too little does not kill the algae.

IME over the years, slow lower dosing worked best for algicides.
It took me about 2-3 months to kill the BBA in one large tank, but no issues.

Algaefix, H2O2 and Excel all bind to organic matter rapidly. Less than 1 hour I'd say in most any aquarium. Large water changes also add a lot of O2 for the fish respiration. Always a wise thing before any treatment.

I dosed Algaefix to knock back GDA with a single treatment with a single treatment of Excel, it did not eradicate a full bloom(90%). That also included a 60% water change and I also doubled the light for that week to see if increasing that would change the results. So it might have less/little to do with the chemicals.

The increase in light actually helped.

I noticed this before several years ago when I lived in Isla Vista CA.
Once the plants really took off from the added light, the GDA died back a lot and then a week or two later, nothing. Seems there might be a critical growth RATE to balance particular planted tanks. So plant growth momentum seems to play a role, how exactly, I'm not sure. I did not use chemicals back then at all.

Dark Cobra, I would keep using Clean tanks. Otherwise you introduce other variables. I noticed a big difference with ADA As vs the clean bare bottom tanks with the Algaefix. Mostly with moss infested with hair algae.
Easy to get since I have the moss outside and it's always got some hair algae available in the bonsai trays.

I suppose you could toss a lot of driftwood or some flith into a tank and load up, or use clay loam, ADA AS etc in one tank to see.

Seems that the more organically loaded tanks would have a higher requirement vs the clean tank in virtually all cases, the lower O2, or perhaps the dose killed the biofilter perhaps some. Those, not the chemical killed the fish/shrimp.
 
#54 ·
When I treated my tank as per this thread I noticed a bit of ammonia the next day. I did another 50% water change and everything was fine.

This was on a very established tank (2+ years) that had 0 ammonia before the treatment. The tank also had substantial mulm buildup in the substrate (i.e. lots of organic matter for the peroxide and Excel to react with). I had not removed the media from the filter and left the filter running. I can only assume decaying organic matter, dead algae cells in combination with a weakened biofilter was the cause. I didn't lose any fish but there was at least 1 cherry shrimp death (probably more but I didn't see them and I assume they got eaten pretty fast by the snails, shrimp etc).

I think the lesson to take away from this is to monitor ammonia soon after the treatment and be prepared to deal with it.

Seems that the more organically loaded tanks would have a higher requirement vs the clean tank in virtually all cases, the lower O2, or perhaps the dose killed the biofilter perhaps some. Those, not the chemical killed the fish/shrimp.
 
#59 ·
This method killed the algae very well but also my fish. When they started acting weird I tested my water and they all came out 0. I did a 25% water change on top of the 50% and turned off the co2 and turned on the air pump. I think the best method would be to have even higher flow than you think is okay and remove the inhabitants if possible. Well actually the flow would only need to be enough to circulate the water if the fish are out, right?

I really don't know what went wrong, I had high flow and given the amount of cellulose/debris/algae, all the H2O2 should have converted to O2 quickly. I still think this is a viable method but it needs to be tested a bit more.
 
#60 ·
I notice you have a small tank - 12.5 gallons. Perhaps your fish death, as compared to my lack of (I have a 75 gallon tank) is related to how small your tank is. I would think that a 60% water change + a subsequent 25% change in a 12 gallon tank is a lot more destabilizing than a 50% water change, followed by another 50% water change 24 hours later in a 75 gallon tank. In other words, all else being equal, a 75 gallon tank is going to have more buffer/be more stable than a 12 gallon.

Two questions:
How long had the ottos and tetras been in the tank before treatment? In other words, were they well established? My fish had all been in the tank at least 1 year before treatment and are used to 50% weekly water changes.

How soon after the treatment did the fish die?

One other data point: After the H2O2 treatment I drained the water as quickly as possible, using a garden hose and a gravel vac at the same time.
 
#61 ·
I understand that my tank would be more fragile than a 75 but I believe that something else happend. Okay exactly what I did
1. tank age: 15 months, I only had lost an oto
2. stopped filter
3. turned on pumps, 325 gph
4. dosed 70 mL H2O2
5. waited 15 min, re-adjusted pumps
6. 50% water change took 8 min
7. dosed 5 mL excel
8. 20 min later noticed otos acting odd, added air stone
9. 40 min later oto died
10. tested water, normal
11. over the next ~hour or less more died
12. 25% water change
13. tested water, normal
14. none died, which makes me think it was the H202

that's as best I can remember it, that was Saturday.
 
#62 ·
Yeah, I'm not saying that the chemical treatment wasn't the cause of the death, I am just wondering if it was chemicals + large water change.

Is it routine for you to do 50% water changes? In other words, would a 50% water change be a departure from the norm for your tank inhabitants? Maybe this is irrelevant, don't know, but curious.

The reason I ask is b/c I do 50% changes every Sunday, and my ottos are fine. BUT, looks like it is wise to tread lightly on this protocol
 
#63 ·
I think the expression 'an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure' applies here. It's pretty obviously that this treatment will have different effects on each person's tank depending on the different parameters, etc. So your kinda rolling the dice, not really knowing how it will turn out. How do you control for all those variables? you can't. Being pro-active and over-killing organic removal and other maintenance habiats from the getgo is your best bet, instead of relying on dosing chemicals with unknown effects on your livestock.
 
#64 ·
Yes, but that doesn't help the person who has 'let the tank go' and is trying to re-set it rather than tear it all down and start from scratch. But your point is well taken.

I'd be curious to know whether most of the people who did this protocol and didn't experience widespread livestock death had 'relatively' larger tanks.
 
#66 ·
Hi Guys,

I got my 90p - 48g tank treated with H202 to kill the BBA ( 99% killed Yahhh :icon_mrgr ) from reading here and there online. But if i know this thread existing here i would do a little different.

1) should remove the media filter :( i didn't do it in my case. :angryfire
2) do the water change sooner :( didn't do either haha :eek:
3) shouldn't get excited and dosing more h202. LOL :iamwithst

so what i did on my 48 gal ?

Dosing H202 about 140ml while the light is on - before dosing, i shut down the filter completely and no flows in the tank ( believing that i can distributed the h202 across the water surface evenly and let it settle down to the substrate about 3-4 mins) lol. My substrate soil got inflected so i gotta to this way.

Turn on my filter to max (yes !! need to be strong so it can rotate the water and hitting every spot that got inflected)

i didn't lost any fishes or shrimps :) :icon_mrgr

I didn't change the water right away, not until 4 days after the h202 treatment :( i should've . Plus the next day, i saw the BBA turn red, i was like Yeahhh i must did it right. So i dosing another 100ml ( LOL ) while filter still running this time because i want to have the H202 dilute faster. ( i wouldn't suggested to do this way because it may kill your plants )

Here some pics for you guys to see
 

Attachments

#68 ·
Not ruling out tank size as a possible issue, but I've done this several times in my 10G at the original 4 tbsp/10G dose without problems.

Asking if 50% water changes are routine is a great idea. This could drastically alter parameters if the tank normally gets small changes, or just top-offs.

Another thought just crossed my mind. H2O2 becomes a more powerful oxidant at low pH. When I want to avoid bleach, I sometimes spritz hardscape outside of the tank with vinegar, then H2O2, and it burns through stuff that H2O2 alone won't. On micron media it also removes stains and restores flow much better than bleach or H2O2. I have no idea if this is significant at any pH that one might encounter in an aquarium, though.
 
#70 ·
The only chemical reset that I know that is always beneficial is a large water change. Assuming your dosing what the plants need the water change is always positive regardless of setup. Dosing a chemical cocktail is very risky and that risks increases with small tanks and other parameters. I'd rather do what Jeff5614 describes before I put chemicals in.
 
#73 ·
Going to give this a shot tomorrow. I had things under control after algaefix dosing but a neglected DIY co2 bottle and removing some plant mass caused a major algae bloom. I have ordered my pressurized co2 setup and am planning on adding quite a few new plants in the next few days. I can't use the algaefix now because i have stocked the tank. I currently have 16 neon tetras, 7 Harlequin Rasboras, three amano shrimp, and a ton of ramshorn snails. I will get some before and after pictures and let everyone know how it turns out.


Any last minute advise?
 
#74 ·
Any last minute advise?
Make sure you noticed my change in dosage down to 2 tbsp. 3% H2O2 per 10G, which increases the safety margin for fish in a wider variety of circumstances. It still seems effective enough against algae, according to a few reports I've gotten in the thread and PMs using the new dosage.

After seeing the reports regarding shrimp here, I was thinking about reducing the Excel as well. But given the hit-and-miss nature of these reports, as well as some discussion on the shrimp forum, I don't think any whole tank algae treatment can be 100% shrimp safe; regardless of dosage. Use only if you are willing to risk the Amanos, as the result will be essentially unpredictable.

Finally, always keep an eye on your livestock - during this or any other treatment. If you see any disturbing behavior, terminate the treatment and perform a 50% water change immediately to reduce chemical levels. Reduce CO2 (if present) and provide extra oxygenation for the next 24 hours. This will greatly alleviate stress.

Whatever you decide, let me know!
 
#76 ·
Well, the deed is done, here are the results.

1. Removed filter floss and seachem matrix from HOB filter.
2. Disconnected CO2 from powerhead.
3. Added 200ml of H2O2 trough HOB filter.

Everything was going good. About 5 min in the larger of the ramshorn snails fell off the front glass and retreated into his shell. Neon Tetras and rasboras were acting perfectly normal. Amano shrimp were doing their thing as well. 10 min in Tetras are still schooling well and acting normal and rasboras kinda hanging out up top, still no movement from the ramshorns, Amano shrimp start to become more active (i wouldn't say stressed, just moving around a bit more than normal). I terminate treatment at 15 min and nothing has changed from the 10 min mark.

4. Performed a 50% WC.
5. Waited 30 min and added 20ml of excel (never dosed before)
6. Ran filter and powerhead in same condition as above for 1 1/2 hour while i step out for a bite to eat.
7. Replaced filter floss and re installed bag of Matrix into filter.
8. Added 1 tsp of Acurel F and Boom!

I added the Acurel thinking it would be better to have the dead algae in the filter floss where i could dispose of it rather than having it decompose in the tank. After 30 min the water is much more clear than it has been in a long time and the filter floss is filthy. I will probably replace the floss again later tonight. One thing worth mentioning is after the dose of Acurel F, as the water cleared, my neon tetras all shot into the DHG and buried themselves. At first i thought they had all lost their mind but then i realized that they had been at the bottom of a very dark and murky aquarium for the last two weeks. I am thinking that the light is much brighter and they are hiding from it. Here are a couple pictures, i have not cleaned the glass yet and i plan on doing so tomorrow when i set up my new canister filter. Thank you darkcobra for taking the time to develop this method and if nothing changes it was very successful.



Sorry, i realized i had not taken any pictures during the WC.






And the finished product before a good cleaning.

 
#78 ·
Well, the deed is done, here are the results.
Sounds like everything went well, excellent!

I added the Acurel thinking it would be better to have the dead algae in the filter floss where i could dispose of it rather than having it decompose in the tank.
Given the kind of algae you have, I think this was a great idea. :thumbsup:

One thing worth mentioning is after the dose of Acurel F, as the water cleared, my neon tetras all shot into the DHG and buried themselves. At first i thought they had all lost their mind but then i realized that they had been at the bottom of a very dark and murky aquarium for the last two weeks. I am thinking that the light is much brighter and they are hiding from it.
LOL!

Thank you darkcobra for taking the time to develop this method and if nothing changes it was very successful.
You're welcome! Thanks for the detailed report, and pleast post back if you have any thoughts or new developments.
 
#81 ·
I'm used metrcide and h2o2 in on my green hair algae.

Im on day 3 of treatment on a 1 gallon tank.
I've been doing metrcide 3drops/day
and a capful of h2o2 on day 2.
My stargrass has black tinges but otherwise everything else seems fine.
some green hair algae have turned white and died

i have a bit of bga in the substrate, between the glass, any ideas on how to treat that...?
 
#82 ·
i have a bit of bga in the substrate, between the glass, any ideas on how to treat that...?
Take either the amount of H2O2 or Metricide you're already using. Add water to it to increase the volume - the reason, and amount of water, will become evident shortly.

Turn off filters. Suck up your H2O2/Metricide solution into a syringe with a needle. Inject it right into the substrate in the middle of the BGA patch, up against the glass.

The substrate tends to hold the chemical right up against the BGA, so it won't dissipate as fast as in a normal spot treatment. As long as you have enough volume to fill this area of the substrate, even a diluted solution will have a powerful effect due to this prolonged contact.

Wait 15 minutes and turn the filter back on. Done.

If the BGA extends up the glass above the substrate line, you can also "tent" that area. Use rocks, plastic, or whatever is handy to make a temporary cover. It doesn't have to be perfect. As the treatment seeps out of the substrate, it will be somewhat trapped in this area, ensuring the BGA on the glass gets a good dose too.

In the ocean, there's a seaweed called Caulerpa. It's an invasive species which grows on the ocean floor. Nothing eats it except one species of slug, which does so only grudgingly. And it crowds out all other plants and corals. So once it becomes established in an area, nothing else remains. It's sometimes eliminated by laying tarps over the ocean floor, then pumping chlorine under the tarps. So I didn't invent "tenting", just borrowed the technique.

You can get creative with it. For example, you might "tent" a plant by putting an inverted plastic bag over it, adding a treatment with a syringe, and then loosely tying off the bottom of the bag. Kind of like a dip, but inside the tank. You still have to limit the amount of chemical, as once you remove the bag, anything that remains is dispersed into the water and becomes a full tank treatment; but holding the chemical in the bag, and the more limited amount of water within it for as long as you like, would make this a powerful treatment. I haven't done it, and can't imagine why anyone would. But who knows, it might inspire someone. ;)
 
#84 · (Edited)
My faunas are;

cardinal , neon and serpae tetra
SAE
boesemani rainbow
Emerald corydoras
bushynose pleco


And my floras are;

Riccia
Java fern and moss
anubias nana
crypto ( parva, undulata,...)
red tiger lotus
blyxa japonica
pygmy chain sword
pogostemon stellata
hygrophila ( sunset,polysperma )
limnophila aromatica
Micranthemum Umbrosum
bacopa caroliniana
rotala wallichii red
Ammania Sp gracilis
snail ( nerite and MTS )

My question is which of them are susceptible to " one two punch algae treatment " ? I want to try this on my BBA :(:(. Thanks
 
#88 ·
I actually do use Metricide 14 now for all treatments, as well as normal carbon supplementation. But unless discussing Metricide specifically, I prefer to just say Excel, since more people are familiar with that; and I convert Metricide dosages (at 2.6% glutaraldehyde) to the larger Excel equivalents (1.5%) when posting.

I used to use Excel, and found no difference between it and Metricide once the difference in concentration is accounted for. I love Metricide. It's so much cheaper, I tend to keep a normal dosage in all my tanks, even those tanks that don't need it because they have CO2. Doing this keeps sensitive plants like vals and anacharis acclimated to it, so I never have to worry about melting if I move them between tanks. :)
 
#89 ·
First of all, Thank you Darkcobra! I've been trying to eradicate staghorn for a couple of months without success.

After reading the thread I decided to try this method out. I had no reservations since my inhabitants are 3 serpae tetras and 10 neons. When I started for some reason I dosed the tank in teaspoons NOT tablespoons. Effectively reducing the dose by two thirds. I have a 55 gallon heavily planted with about 15 gallons of substrate, rock and plants. I did not remove my filter material. It is only the blue filter material one gets by the roll cut to fit in a corner overflow (was an old reef tank). I added 60ml of peroxide and a 1700LPH powerhead to my 2000LPH main pump. So to say the least I had plenty of flow! I constantly moved the powerhead around hitting everything, uprooting a few lol. After 20 minutes I changed 50% of the water.

The fish showed absolutely no signs of stress. In fact, they were trying to eat small plant pieces floating around. As soon as I finished I realized I underdosed the tank. Since I had to leave town for a few days I decided to just continue to overdose with API CO2 booster (no LFS carries Excel around here) and see what happens. It's been 5 days now and there is certainly improvement. I saw no increase in nitrate, nitrites or ammonia. If the algae does not disappear within a couple of weeks I will redose with the same "underdoseage".

I thought it would be helpful to post my results even though it was not the 30ml/gallon recommendation since it WAS effective. It may be another method for those that have sensitive inhabitants to do multiple applications at a much smaller dose. I kind of view it like antibiotics for us. One pill won't do very much but a few days worth will.

Hairgrass before the treatment...



Five days after treatment...
 
#90 ·
Hey Zorfox, thanks for the report!

Algae not initially killed will, for a time, adapt by producing more of its natural defenses to both H2O2 and Excel. So each successive treatment will be a bit less effective. Best case scenario, it will require more than 3 treatments at 1/3 dose, to get the same effect as a single treatment at full dose. Worse case, the algae will grow sufficiently resistant that you have to increase dosage or frequency to see substantial continued improvement.

That's why I prefer to use the largest H2O2 dose I can reliably get away with, and a sudden spike in Excel rather than continuous overdosing. Still, "chipping away at the stone" can work too. If you prefer to proceed this way, I encourage it, and would love to see future updates.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top