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Re: algae and Excel
Bill wrote:
> Does any one have any experience with excel reducing the growth of algae in > your tanks. I have been using it for about 3 or 4 weeks, since that time
> algae seems to have cut back quite a bit. I read some past post about excel > that say (you need to read between the lines) I guess I just didn't get
> it.
Say what?
Seachem doesn't advertise that it reduces algae growth. If it did then
I expect they would promote it that way. Furthermore, I see no reason
why it should reduce algae growth.
A month or so ago I decided to see what would happen if I grew some
Myriophyllum matogrossense in sunlight. I set up a small bucket with a
layer of compost covered by a layer of mixed sand/gravel and planted
about 9 stems in the bucket. The water was still, so after about a week
of very slow growth I decided to supplement nature by adding Excel to
the mix.
The myriophyllum responded not at all to the Excel and about a week
after starting the additions I had a nice frothy green scum on the
bucket and quite a bit of attached algae inside. What little growth I
did get on the myriophyllum was stunted. I stopped using the Excel and
the scum disappeared.
Perhaps that same growth pattern would have happened without the Excel.
I can't tell, as it wasn't a controlled experiment. Besides, my little
attempt at growing myriophyllum outdoors probably isn't a good test for
Excel. The main problem in this bucket is that there's no circulation
and a whole lot of light; conditions where a lot of plants will fail.
Just the same, I think the result I got with Excel were about the same
as the results I could expect without it.
Roger Miller