What type of Algae?

[SpeedEuphoria]

nope

The reason that spot treating works, is as long as you have the filter(s) off, there is more time and quantity of excel on the affected area(more direct exposure). Same thing as removing plants and treating, just less hassle IMO removing/replanting.

One benefit to this is that you dont have to use the 3x or 5x or whatever quantities that could be harmful to fish, you can just use the 1x dose.

If you have lots of spots then either systematically attach them with spot treatments, or if the whole tank is infested then a larger full tank dose would prob work better hence the 3-5x.

Again the underlying cause is what your really looking out for, as you can put a bandaid on things over and over. So keep an eye on nitrates as thats the most used fert, but if you have a high fish load(and 5-10ppm nitrate reading) then its likely that an other nutrient is lacking.

Either way always remember that light is the driving force, meaning more light=more demand for nutrients=faster growth. CO2 also falls in this category.

[bluerose]

What other nutrients could be lacking? Hypothetical I know but I'm still learning plant-keeping.

The BBA came in on the Anubias- but I'm getting some hair algae on my driftwood and some sort of algae growing on the tank walls in spots as well.

[Purrbox]

Originally Posted by SpeedEuphoria

I'm pretty sure that depends on the bottle size, which should be OK unless you have a 2 liter bottle of Excel like me(10ml cap size). I just use a syringe anyway(actually it was for medicine that I got from the vet, unused ofcourse).

Thanks for pointing that out. I've had several different sizes of the smaller bottles, and they all had the same size 5ml cap.

Originally Posted by bluerose

What other nutrients could be lacking? Hypothetical I know but I'm still learning plant-keeping.

In general it works like this.

Light --> CO2 --> Macro Nutrients --> Micro Nutrients

The nutrients at the beginning of the chain drive the need for nutrients further down the chain. This is why we generally take a look at light first to see what plants can be grown and what the demand is likely to be for the rest of the nutrients. Whenever there is a problem you want to start at the beginning of the chain and work your way down, since the nutrients at the beginning have more of an effect.

While we generally only speak of Nitrate, Phosphate, and Potassium as the Macro Nutrients, there are others. The others are generally in sufficient quantities in your tap water. If you have a very low GH, or an unbalanced GH then you may have to look at Calcium and Magnesium as a part of the Macros too.

The Micro Nutrients or Trace Nutrients are used in smaller quantities and generally aren't talked about individually with the exception of Iron. A good trace fert like Flourish "Comprehensive", Tropical Plant Nutrition, or CSM+B will provide all the Trace Nutrients in the right proportions that aren't found in sufficient quantities in most tap water. You just need to target the Iron level and the rest will be taken care of as a result.

[bluerose]

So for a low-light plant tank with a plant substrate (I have Flora-Base I think), what ferts should be dosed?

Do I need the Excel for any other reason than algae combat? (I haven't seen any new algae on the walls since I started dosing...)

[Purrbox]

Generally for a low light aquarium you'd only need to dose a good trace fert and potassium about once a week. However if it's heavily planted and lightly stocked, it is possible to need to dose Nitrate and Phosphate as well. Flourish Excel is a carbon source, and while not necessary in a low light aquarium will benefit the plants.

[bluerose]

Good to know... I see you recommended some trace ferts in your last post- what about potassium?

[Purrbox]

I wouldn't recommend Flourish Potassium only because it is extremely dilute. I'd recommend getting K2SO4 or KCl for Potassium. You can get KCl from the grocery store in the salt substitute section under the name NoSalt. I prefer K2SO4, but for the most part it only seems to be available from places selling dry ferts and it's not worth the shipping for just that one by itself.