how often to use flourish excel?

[boost.puppy]

Hey guys, I have been using flourish now for about 3 months, my plants look great & having lots of little off shoot babies... but I want to get them to that "wow" factor & waiting to save for my co2 upgrade, I decided to get Flourish excel. it says on the packaging to use one capful per 10gal (40l) and it will last 1-2 months... however it also states that not to add any more until you have done a 50% waterchange... in which case I would do within two weeks (I do 40%-50% weekly as I had a nitrate problem & german Blue rams) so how often should I top up? every 2 weeks or 1-2 months???

I don't want to overdose, but I definately don't want to dilute it, otherwise buying it is pointless.

I was thinking of getting Flourish iron too, has any one used this product before?
I'm finding I sometimes get some brown tinges on the outside of my more leafy plants (java ferns amazon swords & anubias *spelling?*)

I have also bought a new globe for my tank with is 12000 kelvin (my dad who has marine says thats really weak) will this be enough? it's only a baby tank (2 ft but it's extra tall *20inch*)

[happygirl65]

Hi boost.puppy!

I will share some of my experience with plants and hope it helps. I am sure there are some more experienced people here who can jump in as well :) I have been doing this for over a year but am still learning as I go.

I think in order to properly advise you we need some more info about your tank. :)

So if you could post the size of your tank, (2 ft x 20 in tall but how wide is it or how many gallons is it?

How many watts is the bulb you mentioned?

You said that the bulb is 12000k. That is not a weak bulb for plants, (it can be quite bright actually) the 12000k rating refers more to a color spectrum than strength but it is considered a daylight bulb. (the bulbs on my high light tank are only 10,000k and I have had amazing results!;) )

I have used excel before and I think it is a great product. Although to get the best results I had been advised to dose 1/2 the suggested amt every other day in my med-low light tank. Some people use it daily as part of their dosing routine. Basically it is a liquid form of carbon and is only available to the plants as a nutrient for 24 hours.

I found that to be too much as it increased algae.

One thing I have learned is that you usually have to take suggestions as a starting place and experiment on your own with what is right for your tank. :) How much you need to dose, of what, and how often will depend largely on the type of plants you have, how many, how much light they are getting, for how many hours per day and how heavy your bio-load is in your tank.

As for brown leaves on your amazon swords, they might need more fertilizers at the root as they are heavy root feeders. The same goes for crypts, you should (if you don't already) put some root tabs under the gravel as that might help. The Java ferns and anubias will get their nutrients from the water column so you don't have to worry about them. Most root tabs last about 3 months and you just push one under the root of your swords and crypts.

If the tank is not too large you might want to look into doing DIY CO2 and mixing up your own yeast solution. It gets harder with a tank larger than about 30 gallons though.

I think if you are not ready to do anything with CO2 then Excel is a good option. You could start with half a dose once or twice a week and see how it goes. :) And if you are having good results with the other ferts then keep doing what you are doing. :)

Also remember to give any new change at least 3 weeks to start to see results as it can take a while for changes to really make a big impact on your plants.

[boost.puppy]

wow thats an incredible reply!
thank you!
the globe is 18Watts 12,000 kelvin (so ultra white)

the tank is 82 litres or 20gal

we are considering a CO2 set-up soon.. probably need more investigating though..

I will post a pic soon so you can see my plants & what I mean.. I'm hoping to get some flora base next week. just have to get it past my other half :)

my new tank arrives in roughly two months time.. this will be the baby...
ex marine tank.. basically running it with Biological filtration & canister to buddy-up.. metal Halides.. uv sterillizer t5& t8 lihting.. and thats just what I have so far :)

[happygirl65]

I forgot to ask what type of bulb. :) Is it a normal output flourescent bulb, or a power compact?

The difference being that basically PC bulbs are much more intense than normal flourescents.

If it is a normal output florescent you are just under 1 wpg and if it is a pc then you are just above. Either way you are in the low or med low light category which means you can grow lots of crypts, anubias, vals (though dont use excel with vals or they will melt) and some swords. You can also probably get away with lots of stems like various hygro and ludwigia. :) I can't wait to see your pics :)

I think at that light level and without CO2 I would hold off on plant substrate and just go with root tabs and the fertilizers you already mentioned. It is easier and since you are upgrading your tank soon anyway you could put your energies there. :)

Your new tank sounds nice...how big? Just curious. I am sharing your celebration for upgrading....I am dreaming of it for myself! ;)

Send us pics! :)

[boost.puppy]

so its settled... I'm buying T5 lighting this weekend :)

whats the best root tabs???

my new tank holds 359 litres in the display tank.. add another 100-150 litres for sump & breeding tank.. heres a pic of it as a marine tank :)
it has t5 & t8 lighting & 3 globe metal halides, uv sterilizer & 2x TUNZE powerheads... I'll be running it with a trickle filter & external Fluval canister filter.. and getting a co2 system with PH monitor.

it's currently a rare coral reef tank.. it's pretty nice.. it was my engagemewnt present from my dad (who has marine tanks) I'm converting it to a heavily planted, discus, catfish & ram colony :)

with some serious aquascaping!!! Hopefully I'll have updates as i'm planning on making a journal.
we just have to sell off a wrasse & blue faced angel so we can put the corals in our big 6 foot tank.

here's the tank 6 months ago...
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t176/kurramiah/20080106_IMG_0143.jpg

sump:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t176/kurramiah/ROSkimmer-1.jpg
where the protein skimmer is I'll be turning it into a breeding tank & where the live sand (biological filtration) will be turned into a trickle filter with bioballs & filter wool.