Does Flourish Excel Work - It is YOUR Huckleberry?

[@StarlightBettaGamer]

I just bought some of this for the first time, went looking for regular flourish while i wait for my good stuff to come in the mail but they didn't have any. decided to give this a try and the new tank setup i did ( I have plants in other tanks established, just moved them with fresh fluval stratum, and the new plants i bought are doing fine in the other 40 gallon tank still ) started to melt within a week of using excel once. crypts and javaferns. i've never seen a javafern melt before. Could just be because everything got moved, and the tank doesn't have great lighting ( yet ) but i've done this before exactly the same minus the excel and i had basically no melting at all, now my plants are melting completely to the root, though to be fair those ones are quite small but still. but as i said, larger portions of the same new crypts are normal in the other tank, granted it has better lighting. snails are having a field day in my 5 gallon lol I'm seeing a lot of melt on my new red root floaters too in my 26 gallon ( older plants seem normal? ) but i'm also seeing quite a bit of green regrowth on them too so who knows.

[@giorgos75]

I own 2 planted tanks (240L & 120L) and I was using excel for about 2 years, then i decide to 'break the bank' and get a co2 pressurized system for the 240L , in a week time i saw crazy plant growth compared to what i was used to.. and guess what another co2 system is coming for the 120L , the only thing i regret is the $$$ i spend all these months to purchase excel bottles. Keep up the good work ! Best regards from Greece Subbed !

[@TheWaterBox]

Thanks for sharing that info!

[@Marvin_Alain]

Thank you for featuring me in your vlog! I was shocked (in a good way) when I saw my name. 😂 I am honored! Keep it up, we are learning so much! ❤️

[@TheWaterBox]

No problem!! You rock!

[@kristyna2116]

Hello! Great video :) Thanks to you I am over a week in a dry start for my 66g (250l) tank and your videos got me well prepared, it's going really well. So thank you! Keep up the video quality, love you

[@TheWaterBox]

Glad to help!

[@NYGOLD]

Great video!!! I also used a very popular fertilizer and it just gave me algae blooms. Seems there is quite a bit of POPPYCOCK in the aquarium hobby.

[@TheWaterBox]

Well, yeh, ferts can give you algae blooms lol Excel isn't a fert though.

[@raunaksinha1293]

I am using it . It works as you say but you have to be very very carefully and it better works as a algea remover . very informative video , thank you .

[@TheWaterBox]

Thanks for sharing

[@sunshineshrimp4938]

So glad I found your channel, literally every time I'm thinking about something for my tanks one of your related videos seems to pop up in my suggestions haha.

[@TheWaterBox]

It's youtube's psychic Algorithm!

[@jeebuzcrust]

The moment I added this to my Flourish dosing my plants exploded. Huge growth difference when already using root tabs and Flourish. Green Myrio, Amazons, cryptos, all plants... no algae prior to adding it.

[@brianklimaszewski]

I use it once and awhile for when I'm going to be busy or out of town and use it as an algaecide. The one product I do use and think is great is flourish advance. I use it almost every day when I set up a new tank or add new plants to a tank for a couple weeks and then slowly decrease dosage

[@TheWaterBox]

Thanks for sharing!

[@sko1beer]

I don’t use it often but when I get black beard growing out of control in my tank I stick 2 capfuls into my 200 litre and with the lights out it all clears up in a few day’s. I know why I get the black beard I don’t do the water changes enough so when it’s cleared I do my water and filter clean ups. This stuff is good to have in your box of tank tools

[@jonathanmatzkin7768]

Had this product in my arsenal and didn't know what for. Thanks for explaining the product! Now that I have it...I may use it. Then again I may not.

[@TheWaterBox]

Well, I hope you find use for it... someday! :)

[@hotbox1266]

I love your sense of humor lol

[@TheWaterBox]

Thanks!

[@johnruiz1743]

Appreciate your opinion, and your videos! If you find time to respond, I am curious your thoughts on using Seachem Excel as I am about to describe. It sounds like you and many scapers prefer it as an algaecide, and in this video I believe you state dangers to livestock with prolonged use. When starting a new tank, or re-scaping, would you consider using excel after flooding and for the first month or so? It sounds like it would be a good buffer to stop algae from consuming extra nutrients prior to the desired plants rooting and begin to take over. Sort of like 'Boxing Out' the algae until the plants are strong enough to do it themselves. TIA

[@TheWaterBox]

Not PROLONGED use rather than OVERDOSING. If you want to keep using it to help keep algae down then there's actually nothing wrong with that.

[@covyangeles8038]

Very informative video, thanks! I'm currently dosing "liquid carbon" and this video really helped me understand how it works. 😁

[@TheWaterBox]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ryanbarton6739]

I'm using it to get rid of bba. it hasn't been a week yet and I don't see a lot of but maybe a little results

[@TheWaterBox]

Ah! Good luck!

[@Tayturs]

This is a perfectly timed video, I just ran out of Excel and I wasn't sure if I was going to invest in getting a new bottle. I also just planted some vallisneria and didn't realize they can be incompatible. Nice save! I hope I don't get algae now that I'm stopping using it.... although curiously enough one of my tanks from last year had a bad outbreak of some form of fluffy bluish-black algae tufts growing on all the plants, I forget what it was but I read using Excel inconsistently could cause it. I stopped using it in that tank after struggling with the algae for months and it just disappeared on its own after I stopped using Excel. Weird.

[@TheWaterBox]

Sounds like Blue Green Algae. Annoying stuff. I got rid that usually by blacking out the tank.

[@michaeljdt9235]

I used it 2 days ago ad it’s definitely working

[@TheWaterBox]

Good to hear though it takes more than 2 days to see actual results.

[@shababhsiddique]

Very insightful. Is there a safe dose for tank with jungle val?

[@TheWaterBox]

Not that I know of.

[@renthemouse]

Hi water box, I was wondering if you could make a video on top 10 Coldwater fish, I would really appreciate this as I am getting new Coldwater fish and there are literally no videos on this subject! Thank u so much I love your channel and I am subscribed to it!

[@TheWaterBox]

Great suggestion! I'll have to research that. I don't keep cold water fish as most plant tanks are suited towards tropical fish.

[@melburnmt7320]

Follow up question, I've got a fair bit of green-hair algae going on and although it looks quite natural, it's a bit excessive. What are your tips, or anyone else, to combating this?

[@TheWaterBox]

Hair algae usually goes away fast for me when I figure out where the problem is and fix the balance in my tank. I don't know what you're doing to your tank so I can't advice you. What lights, how are you dosing, Using Co2? What kind of plants, how is your flow set up in your tank.

[@sergiolapico7784]

Hydrogen Peroxide. Works a treat if dosed correctly. Have 4 tanks which have been treated and no losses of shrimp or fish. Hair algae gone.

[@heidycastro9165]

What is a good fertilizer and tabs recommendations ?

[@TheWaterBox]

You talking about an all-in-one fert?

[@heidycastro9165]

Wow I'm surprise u answer me I really appreciate it

[@TheWaterBox]

@@heidycastro9165 Np but still didn't answer my question lol

[@heidycastro9165]

Yes I did get a bottle name (aquarium co-op easy green all in one fertilizer

[@TheWaterBox]

@@heidycastro9165 That should work fine. He sells tabs too.

[@carlom1245]

I don’t think it does anything, but I’ve been having issues with some plan like Amazon swords not growing height but new leaves. Any idea how to fix?

[@TheWaterBox]

thanks for the comment.

[@michaelchambers6273]

@@TheWaterBox must have really read his comment lmfao

[@TheWaterBox]

@@michaelchambers6273 Yeh, happens. I have to go through tons of comments and I miss some.

[@matthewray5954]

You right bro. Facts. Im subscribe now

[@VinnysAquatics]

Great information! 👍 very well explained...thank you 😃

[@TheWaterBox]

Glad it was helpful!

[@VinnysAquatics]

Your videos are always helpful 👍

[@TheWaterBox]

Thanks again! :)

[@daveyy420]

You MUST dose this properly. For example I have a 5 gallon betta tank with two amazon sword. I only dose 0.5ml every other day. They do noticeably better when i use it. One of the products glutaraldehyde breaks down into is c02.

[@TheWaterBox]

thanks for sharing

[@gilbertproductions4754]

Nice lighting setup!

[@TheWaterBox]

Thanks!

[@RequiemWraith]

Are there lists anywhere of which plants react negatively to the liquid stuff?

[@TheWaterBox]

Not really. Just reports. I know Val has been luck with it as that's the one that many people report. Otherwise it could be really random but there's also a handful people keep naming. I don't have a list.

[@RequiemWraith]

@@TheWaterBox Ah well, Googling and trail and error it is then

[@TheWaterBox]

@@RequiemWraith Yeh, and it's VERY inconsistent. Some people report it melted there "enter plant name here" and some say it was fine for them. So it's really hard to make an accurate list.

[@larryjenson8368]

I tripled dosed this for a week in my 360 l tank. Now my plants are thriving due to the fact that they aren't suffocated by BBA. I haven't lost a single plant (even cryptos or moss balls) or a single fish. My tank looks so much better. Wish I'd known about this stuff before...

[@TheWaterBox]

👍

[@arflo768]

I use it to clean plants (outside the aquarium) or when I get a new plant. I don't dose it because my fishes act weird when i put some in the water

[@TheWaterBox]

Thanks for sharing!

[@jauken83]

I use it as an algaecide, and it does make a noticeable difference. I also have a ton of vals, and they started going absolutely crazy when I started the excel. I did ramp up to a full dose over a week or so to avoid shocking the plants.

[@TheWaterBox]

Nice! So it did work for your Vals? That's good to hear. So much conflicting reports about Vals though. Glad it worked for you!

[@jauken83]

@@TheWaterBox they were sort of surviving but not thriving. I had read about val melt, which is why I ramped up to a full dose over time to give the plants a chance to adjust.

[@TheWaterBox]

@@jauken83 That might be the key to dosing excel with Val in the tank. Hmmmm... Thanks for the share

[@user-rm5mx9od2z]

Loving the new look bro. Haha you look great.

[@TheWaterBox]

Appreciate it!

[@mattp4805]

Maybe it is poppycock but if the plants can't use it then how does it go away? It isn't used by algae, it doesn't decay, and it doesn't vaporize, so how else does it's concentration lower?? It has to be interacting with something!

[@TheWaterBox]

Good question!

[@infernaldaedra]

I don't think the mystery is if it works or not I think it helps plants "breathe" as when I use it in tandem with C02 I always get pearling. But if I only use C02 or I only use Excel I won't get pearling.

[@lekonjames654]

Wow thank God I saw this video ahahah, my vallisneria gigantea is declining, the leaves have turned brown-ish at the top during the last week and this is when I started using Excel, literally a week ago 👀

[@TheWaterBox]

Oh wow!

[@nickybnick]

Awesome! Would you be willing to make a few videos that are heavy in chemistry? I love your content either way

[@TheWaterBox]

Maybe. I'm not all that well versed in chemistry myself. I'd have to dig in and learn it and then teach it back out.

[@Mathias_NB]

I don't know how, but it got rid of a major staghorn infestation I had, and really fast too.

[@TheWaterBox]

Right on! Glad you finally got rid of that stuff!

[@terriandlola]

I need to get rid of Staghorn!

[@Toneloke-3000]

I'm so glad you're back making consistent informative videos👍. In your new videos I only see shelves behind you. What happened to that fish tank wall you were planning last year?

[@TheWaterBox]

I'm working on it

[@glenisold79]

2:43 the emperor protects

[@carlheller6648]

I'm a lucky one because it didn't kill my val it made it grow crazy for me. But ya I used it as a aicdiade it kill alge

[@TheWaterBox]

That's good to hear!

[@chubzaquatics257]

Great video 👍

[@TheWaterBox]

Thanks 👍

[@georgeleiter6277]

I have been using API CO2 Booster for several months, dosing daily. I have never had a problem with. I also do not have an algae problem. :)

[@TheWaterBox]

Right on!

[@0OMess]

Excel works like an algicide, if you dose it correctly and according to you aquarium. And the placebo effect doesn't work like it's being suggested.

[@TheWaterBox]

Thanks for sharing!

[@TheWaterBox]

MORE TO LEARN ABOUT PLANTED TANKS: ☑️ Beginners Planted Tank Guide: goo.gl/oCujCK ☑️ Aquarium Lighting Guide: bit.ly/2INYuMA ☑️ Aquarium Co2 Guide: bit.ly/2rSteVY ☑️ The Dry Start Method: goo.gl/XC8Rnz ☑️ Using Soil: goo.gl/PxkvK4 Jurijs Jutjajevs' Dipping Solution: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmrLe6CgbMeSibM Liquid CO2 Myth: bit.ly/2DApNN8 The story of liquid CO2 fertilisation: bit.ly/2PGHfSk Ecotoxicology of Glutaraldehyde: bit.ly/3krUmoP

[@TheWaterBox]

OMG, you clicked the VIEW REPLY button! Here's a joke for you: How do you get a squirrel to like you? Act like a nut.

[@min2oly]

@@TheWaterBox 😂😂😂😂😂

[@victorfox9623]

Need a disclaimer that Excel will melt simple plants like anacharis and vals.

[@TheWaterBox]

@@victorfox9623 It's in the video dude

[@anoobis_]

So, its just an extra expensive algaecide. Actually ordered 2 bottles of 250ml instead of a whole 500ml bottle so I could sell one if it doesn't work when I tried it myself but I guess I'll just sell em both lol.

[@TheWaterBox]

pretty much! lol

[@StanTheObserver-lo8rx]

Vallisneria doesn't seem to like any additives. I don't think it even likes iron added. It really is a plant that just wants water and lots of light.

[@TheWaterBox]

thanks for the insight on this.

[@kevywilliams3304]

Seriously !!!! I had black string Algue ... I used it ... I had none in a week . It works ! And by the way .. to much light makes more Algue

[@TheWaterBox]

Good to hear!

[@mrj197]

With the pandemic I cut my dosage of all fertz down and down to save money until I realized I didn’t even need to dose the water column the only thing I fertilize is the substrate and run co2 now and no difference and still have intense growth before I was spending $60 a month in just fertilizer now 0

[@TheWaterBox]

Nice!

[@mrj197]

Thanks!

[@TheWaterBox]

np!

[@kelterskelter1969]

Good Vid. Used excel for years with great java fern, decent anubias & living, but not thriving, swordplants then a house move changed everything. Broke my plant-gro led lights in the move & struggled to grow even java fern after. Fixed up new lighting & growth improved a lot but nothing like the previous house. Tried diy CO2 & got an immediate huge improvement without using excel ( after 2 years of trying without CO2). Have 4 tanks now with 4 diy CO2 (citric acid/Bi-carb) setups running over 12 months. Moving on from the diy CO2 to bottle & brewers regulator now ~ after a while the mixing up of water & citric acid in 1 bottle & bi-carb + water in another got boring. Personal tip: use a co2 reactor rather than a micro-bubbler with good strong 2ltr soda bottles. 2 bubbles/second for 8 hours a day last me 5-6 weeks between changing mixes. The smaller bottles will just not hold enough volume at pressure for a decent time. They wound up venting over pressure with the solenoid off after 2-3 days in addition to not diffusing enough CO2 into the water when using the wasteful diffusers ~ Changing reaction solutions was every 7-10 days per tank with the small soda bottles & micro-diffusers. Yearning for an easy life, I'm going for: 1 x 24hr power timer, 1 x CO2 bottle, 1 x Brewers regulator, 1 x solenoid, 4 x Splitter (if required for multiple CO2 feeds), needle value & bubbler for each feed, pressure pipe to each tank, reactor for each tank & a check-valve on each pressure pipe feed 2" above tank waterline. Hoping this is a good lazy solution & only need to change a gas bottle or 2 a year.

[@TheWaterBox]

Great insights!

[@brettpacker2779]

Nutrient rich substrate sand cap T8 light bunch of val and enjoy

[@TheWaterBox]

👍

[@hugoagogo4324]

I use it daily and I do believe it keeps algae at bay but I could be wrong !!

[@TheWaterBox]

Thanks for sharing

[@monkeseeaction21987]

To provide carbon to my plants I used DIY CO2 system. I buy bulk citric acid and baking soda and it's really cheap. To deal with algae spores I use a 9 watt inline UV. 40 dollars or so from ebay. It permanently solves all my algae spore and green water problems. And it's a one time investment. Also if your algae is out of control that is because of an imbalance of nutrients and lighting. I would consider those before using aigaecide as a permanent solution. I have the same stuff (aquarium co op easy carbon) just in case I make a mistake and get an algae bloom so I can quickly fix the problem, but if you get your balance right and keep some cleaning crew, you won't get lots of algae.

[@TheWaterBox]

Nice, thanks for sharing your process.

[@RedrumTV5150]

Is the SALES business, we having a saying that goes...... there's a SUCKER born EVERY minute. And that's what the maker of seachem FLOURISH counts ON.💯

[@TheWaterBox]

👍

[@al-wilsonalino6091]

I tried using this as algaecide....it ended up melting my anubias white....

[@TheWaterBox]

Sorry to hear that!

[@al-wilsonalino6091]

Well learned my lesson. Not gonna use excel no more 😁

[@TheWaterBox]

That would do it for me as well. Those are usually expensive plants.

[@ainumairah5410]

how is it going, does it doing better without liquid carbon?

[@al-wilsonalino6091]

@@ainumairah5410 all melted up. Restarted with actual co2 set up.now it's too much and a lot of algae grew hehehe

[@soehian]

I believe in Excel products most of the time, but after 2 years of heartache, sad to say not Excel. My problems were, Excel will kill plants, not just Vals. But because you don't know which plants will react badly, it becomes a roll of the dice. This starts off a chain reaction. Unhealthy plants start to melt. Tank maintenance starts to increase and because you can't do tank maintenance all the time, algae then starts to grow. But algae, particularly hair algae, seem to reproduce more the more you try to rip it out because the spores will travel all over the tank. Before long you're looking at the Excel bottle wondering if you're using it to kill algae or grow algae. Because the plants themselves don't seem to be doing anything. A DIY CO2 kit with two soda bottles, citric acid and baking soda will just cost a few bucks. If you have it on every day for just 7 hours, it should last over a month or more at a rate of 1 bubble per second. With adequate lighting and soil substrate, you should have no problems getting a healthy planted tank going. Healthy plants will outcompete algae and your algae will start to reduce. Fish have no problems with CO2 and your plants will thrive on it. This is how I got my 130L tank to finally work. Btw, I learned about DIY CO2 from Chang's channel. Thanks bud, it was a lifesaver.

[@TheWaterBox]

Nice, thanks for noting down your experience on this!

[@abhishekkulkarni8654]

you look nice clean shaved :) i watch your videos regularly

[@TheWaterBox]

You rock!

[@vinniekoltes4201]

A side by side would get the best result … I use it as a double dip , black and green algae… take the plant to the side dip it for 24 hours double dose …

[@TheWaterBox]

👍

[@atomicwinter31]

The utter confusion when reading the description basically sums up anybody finding a definition on urban dictionary.

[@TheWaterBox]

Haha!

[@asier2001]

Algae and Vals eraser

[@TheWaterBox]

👍

[@danforsythe5869]

I shut off my filter and my light and dose with Excel in the morning. About 4 hours before I turn on the light cycle. Light and high filtration breaks Excel down quicker and makes it less effective. This works for about 4-5 weeks after a re-scape of a tank to keep algae down and allow the plants to take hold and choke out algae growth.

[@TheWaterBox]

Good to hear!

[@not_ur_senpai866]

I never know how to pronounce Jurijs Jutjajevs Name Lol

[@TheWaterBox]

Dude, I just mumbled it out as best as I could in the video! lol

[@not_ur_senpai866]

@yajia1 thanks bro nice to know!!!

[@TheWaterBox]

yuriys yutyayefs... that's worse in English.... we call that a tongue twister.

[@lekonjames654]

Whoever uses it though just be careful , do not overdose because instead of removing algae it blooms it. If you use it as an algae removal , try to use less than required. Another reason to be Very careful is to prevent Co2 poisoning. If your fish act weird use less of it , however it is very unlikely to happen with exel...

[@TheWaterBox]

👍

[@Omega59er]

May the Emprah protect you, guardsman.

[@TheWaterBox]

Right on!

[@tiagomelo8431]

Good explanation...by the way what happened to your voice haha

[@TheWaterBox]

It's allergies or something. It's annoying lol

[@victorfox9623]

@@TheWaterBox get tested. My good friend thought she had a bad case of seasonal allergies but turned out to be the beer virus. She would have never known if she didn't get tested. After 3 days of rest, she was feeling perfectly fine.

[@TheWaterBox]

@@victorfox9623 Beer Virus? Never heard of that one. Yeh, I've had this thing with the throat on and off since my heart attack 4 years ago when they stuck a tube down my throat

[@bojangles2492]

@@TheWaterBox Corona

[@ronyap65]

You should set the context early in your vlog! You should have made it very clear that you’re examining Excel as a CO2 replacement and in that context it is poppycock!!

[@TheWaterBox]

Good point!

[@akisuper2730]

IT ACTUALLY MELTED MY ANUBIAS D:

[@TheWaterBox]

Sorry to here that Aki Super! May the water gods give you better luck next time.

[@akisuper2730]

@@TheWaterBox No worries! I may have lost my anubias, but my other plants are doing spectacular as of now. Thank you for the reply and all the time you put into your videos and viewers!

[@TheWaterBox]

@@akisuper2730 Right on!

[@pursuitofadequacy]

Why would you skip the sciency stuff, I want the sciencey stuff

[@TheWaterBox]

I keep it simple for more of the general audience. Getting to sciencey gets people lost and a more of a long form video and it's not all that important to understanding that Excel does more to kill algae than growing plants.

[@bguen1234]

You don't need a CO2 system. There's no CO2 bubblers in rivers and lakes.

[@carlgrimes2512]

😂 Thank you for pointing out the obvious. The only problem is that you don't understand the process of gas exchange, carbon, minerals, in nature vs what happens in our aquariums. I used to think the same until I used CO2. Anyways have fun in Flat Earth land.

[@ParteVerdeA]

Fisk killer? 🙈

[@TheWaterBox]

Yeh I know. I already uploaded when I realized the mistake but hey, congrats for noticing!

[@Domwpiemonte]

It is just disinfectant, not more than that…

[@TheWaterBox]

👍

[@jfdd43]

Without fail it kills all my plants. I avoid it

[@TheWaterBox]

ALL? Wow. That's pretty bad.

[@gladboy7722]

👍👍👍💯💯💯🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹...

[@TheWaterBox]

👍👍👍

[@fuaadharoon8436]

Fisk....lol

[@TheWaterBox]

SHHHH! No one is suppose to know!

[@tropicalstreamaquatics9285]

Goldfish lives matter

[@TheWaterBox]

Right oh!

[@fisharefriends598]

It’s toxic junk.

[@TheWaterBox]

Thanks!