paytertot
Aquarium Advice Addict
So this may be a dumb question, but I've read a lot of posts that talk about glutaraldehyde, but I'm confused about what it is, where you get it, and how you use it.
Glut: exactly what is it?
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It's the ingredient in excel and is used as a carbon supplement in planted tanks. You can buy big jugs on amazon, mix some with RODI water and you have cheap Excel that lasts a long time! I know rivercats knows a ton about it
OP
OP
paytertot
Aquarium Advice Addict
Thanks, that does help. How much are you supposed to dilute it?
Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
It's C5 H8 O2
You did ask for specific right?
It's a fluid that plants can extract the carbon from and use it instead of CO2. Some common aquarium products that contain it are Excel and API CO2 booster. I personally buy a gallon of Metricide 14 day formula and dillute it with a gallon of water. It's a lot cheaper to do it that way when you start using large amounts of it. To use it you just pour it in the water; I would probably start out at 1ml / 10 gallons daily and work your way up from there depending on how powerful your lighting is and how many plants you have.
You did ask for specific right?
It's a fluid that plants can extract the carbon from and use it instead of CO2. Some common aquarium products that contain it are Excel and API CO2 booster. I personally buy a gallon of Metricide 14 day formula and dillute it with a gallon of water. It's a lot cheaper to do it that way when you start using large amounts of it. To use it you just pour it in the water; I would probably start out at 1ml / 10 gallons daily and work your way up from there depending on how powerful your lighting is and how many plants you have.
OP
OP
paytertot
Aquarium Advice Addict
It's C5 H8 O2
You did ask for specific right?
It's a fluid that plants can extract the carbon from and use it instead of CO2. Some common aquarium products that contain it are Excel and API CO2 booster. I personally buy a gallon of Metricide 14 day formula and dillute it with a gallon of water. It's a lot cheaper to do it that way when you start using large amounts of it. To use it you just pour it in the water; I would probably start out at 1ml / 10 gallons daily and work your way up from there depending on how powerful your lighting is and how many plants you have.
I don't have anything yet really I was just curious about exactly how you dilute it. That helps a lot, thanks. What kind of container do you keep it in?
wildroseofky
Aquarium Advice Addict
It needs to be kept in an opaque container that light cannot penetrate. Evidently light renders it useless. I bought a small blue can at the hardware store that is used to store kerosene. It is made of thick plastic and has a pour nozzle that pulls out. Works great. Just make sure you label it well. My son thought I was keeping kerozene in my room. LOL
Old Scales
Aquarium Advice Addict
A cheap way to make a light proof container is to buy a one gallon jug of distilled water and a can of black spray paint made for painting plastic. Clean the outside of the water jug with rubbing alcohol to clean the plastic for better paint adhesion, then paint. When you get your Metracide 14 gallon. take out 1/2 g of the water in a separate container. Pour in 1/2g of the glut in the 1/2 full painted water jug. Pour the separate water into the glut jug. Now you have 2 g's of diluted glut. You can use an empty Excel or hydrogen peroxide brown bottle for keeping the glut by your tank for dosing. Still keep the jugs of glut in a dark place like a closet. I dose the tank using a medicine dosng eyedropper from the drug store. OS.
Mrs.h2012
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It's C5 H8 O2
You did ask for specific right?
It's a fluid that plants can extract the carbon from and use it instead of CO2. Some common aquarium products that contain it are Excel and API CO2 booster. I personally buy a gallon of Metricide 14 day formula and dillute it with a gallon of water. It's a lot cheaper to do it that way when you start using large amounts of it. To use it you just pour it in the water; I would probably start out at 1ml / 10 gallons daily and work your way up from there depending on how powerful your lighting is and how many plants you have.
Interesting! I was wondering about a cheaper way to get co2, so big thanks to OP for posting this! Just a question though (probably dumb... But I'm asking!) where do you get metricide 14 day formula?
Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
Mrs.h2012
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How long does this last?
Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
Well a standard bottle of excel says to dose 1ml / 10 gallons daily. Most people use more than this (I double this amount)
A 500ml bottle of excel costs about $10
1 $20 bottle of metricide 14 day solution makes about 15 bottles of excel.
Mrs.h2012
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Ok. Enough said. That's a huge savings! I'll be doing this ASAP! Thanks you!
Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
Mrs.h2012
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You're welcome
My budget overall just got a little tighter and I'm about to run out of the co2 I have and was wondering if there was a cheaper way and I saw this! So glad I did!
Old Scales
Aquarium Advice Addict
When you get the Metricide 14 it will come with a little bottle of activator. DON'T use that. Throw it away. The original use of this product is in cold sterilization of medical implements. That's what the activator is for. OS.
OP
OP
paytertot
Aquarium Advice Addict
Thanks so much everybody, exactly the info I needed! 
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