liquid Carbon

[Ceahorse]

Anyone have any experience with this Liquid Carbon. for C02 replacement.

[MickYoumans]

I use 1 cap full each day of Flourish Excel in my 55 gallon community tank. The plants seem to like it. I know using pumped in CO2 is the optimum, but this seems like the next best alternative.

[Apistomaster]

I know that some fish have died after Excel has been added to their water.
The incident I am most aware of was one where 12 young Sturisoma aureum I gave to a very skilled and knowledgeable pleco breeder lost all the Sturisoma within a few hours after adding the Excel. Young Sturisoma, less than 2 inches are very delicate fish. They normally live in the riffles of shallow, well oxygenated streams.
Not a large data set but it would give me pause before I used it.

To be fair, I have another friend who recently lost all of his fish over night when his CO2 injection system was out of adjustment and it suffocated all the fish in his heavily planted 125 gal including 6 large 4 year old domestic discus.

Try lower doses before going to the full, recommended dose and watch closely how your fish respond.

[nickmcmechan]

i used the use excel on my festivum tank, every time i added they hid in the corner with fins clamped for about 3 hours...through elimination i concluded it was the excel so i switched to pressurised co2 which is cheaper in the long run anyway

i wouldn't even consider using it in a discus tank

i may have came to the wrong conclusion, but i swear my festies are happier after switching to pressurised

[cc_woman]

I always try to underdose by a bit. In smaller tanks it works just fine by adding 5-6 drops, but in larger tanks it is a waste of money. I dose with it in all my tanks under 15 gallons, never had any issues. For more sensitive fish and shrimp I would certainly be careful.

[Wahter]

Flourish Excel
http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/FlourishExcel.html

I've used this successfully in planted discus tanks up to 2-3 times the suggested dose to kill off algae.



Walter

[Ceahorse]

Thanks guys..
Super.. Dunna yet.. but if i do, its gonna be very little. I just wanna give my plants a boost every once in a while. Im using low CO2/Light plants anyhow.. but it'd be nice to be nice to them..

i think it should be fine cause of all the water changes anyhow. (discus)..
CO2 won't work in my tank cause the filter is a hard core drip and ill be wasting it anyhow..

Will this carbon evaporate with turbulance like CO2 does?

[KDodds]

Just a word of warning, some plants do not respond well to the use of liquid carbon supplements, Valisneria and Egeria/Anacharis the chief genuses that "melt" when this is used.