Plants sensitive to Seachem Excel

Riccia fluitans. I can personally attest that it is DESTROYED by Excel, but I was dosing at pretty high levels. Does anybody know WHY these plants are sensitive to it?

It must be the high levels as I dose it in tanks with Ricca everyday and I haven't had any problems with it. I also have val in my tanks. No damage done to those either.

I think we should go for a list of plants that are sensitive to OVER dosing excel, since I believe it is safe for most plants when used as directed.

I've killed a few mosses dosing Excel directly onto them with a syringe. It only took a day or two before they went downhill. However, I've had no problem with mosses that have been in the tanks that I've dosed, it just seems that they didn't like the direct contact with it.

Digsy said:

no problem with mosses that have been in the tanks that I've dosed,
it just seems that they didn't like the direct contact with it.

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Excel can be tricky with moss and fissidens. I've killed a lot of moss I pre treated with a water:excel dip before adding it to my tank. I now use cheap 3% H2O2 instead with great results and no moss dying on me. The only exception was Subwassertang and Willow Moss, which seem especially sensitive to both Excel and H2O2, so they should only be treated with low concentrations of chemicals.

It will also melt Anacharis.

I wonder if it is any coincidence that the plants melted by Excel tend to be true aquatics with no emergent form. True aquatics tend to be the plants that can utilize the bicarbonate (kH) from the water as a carbon source when carbonic acid (read: dissolved CO2) isn't abundant.

See box 2: http://www.tropica.dk/article.asp?type=aquaristic&id=835

The scientist from Seachem who talked about the chemical properties of Excel at the AGA convention last year said that it was similar in molecular form to the chemical made in the half-way stage of photosynthesis between CO2 and plant-manufactured sugars.

Makes me wonder...

Jungle vals are sensitive to high concentrations of BOTH excel and peroxide IME. All of the leaves melted, but most grew back in time.

I will second the mosses and fissidens. They have died with direct contact with excel, however I have not seen damage in either from direct contact with peroxide when I dosed 2ml/gallon with the filters off for one hour during/after treatment. That being said I will probably not try it again after spy's experience.

YMMV

Here's a recent H2O2 thread on APC;
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...iences-systemic-dosing-hydrogen-peroxide.html
that could include most Excel concerns.

Just killed a lot of HM with Flourish Excel :heh:

JenThePlantGeek said:

I wonder if it is any coincidence that the plants melted by Excel tend to be true aquatics with no emergent form. True aquatics tend to be the plants that can utilize the bicarbonate (kH) from the water as a carbon source when carbonic acid (read: dissolved CO2) isn't abundant.

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this is what i have noticed as well, plants with no emergent form tend to be much more sensitive to excel. my hypothesis is that it has to do with the absence of the waxy cuticle found in aquatic plants.

My HM loves Excel, it, however, melted when I tried H2O2. Probably has something to do with the fact that it can act as an algicide.

WOW!
I'm not having that problem. I use all the SeaChem ferts including excell in all my tanks. I dose as per Sea Chem guidlines. My vals, anacharis and everything else grow like mad.
I am however looking for an alternative due to the expense.
Red Crane