Hydrogen peroxide

[Sk3lly]

I watched an online video showing a man with a spray bottle of diluted hydrogen peroxide spraying the plants and inside surfaces of his tank to cure algae growth. This looked effective and easy. So ive gone online to look at buying some hydrogen peroxide, ive read up on it and it says its toxic to plants and animals. Anybody heard of this technique or used it before?

 

[Old Scales]

Why order it online and pay shipping? H2O2 is a common item at drug stores. It is pretty strong stuff the oxidizes, therefore breaking down the outer walls of organic cells thereby killing it. It's used in pure form to spot treat algae on plants in tank. For a outside the tank plant treatment, I would mix it with water no stronger than 1 part H2O2 and 2 parts water(33% solution). The trick is to get it to oxidize the algae and be used up before it has a chance to keep working into the plant's cells. So longer and stronger is not better in this case. Hope this helps. OS.

 

[Sk3lly]

Well i was going to bolt it on with an order for ferts and would of been free shipping but i can try elsewhere. Is a good idea. So if i were to draw up a pipette of peroxide neat, turn filter off and let water settle, then simply release on algae?? Is that ok for the fish? Thanks for your help

 

[Old Scales]

Yes, that's the procedure. Don't dose more than 3 ml of pure for every 10g of tank water in any one treatment. If more treatments are needed, I wait till the next day. Good luck, OS.

 

[Sk3lly]

Thts what i needed. A dosage. Cheers bud. I think i will air on the side of caution though and only dose 3ml a day

 

[aqua_chem]

Up to 2 mL/gal is generally considered "safe" for most fish/plants. I've dosed twice that without any problem, but I would dose less if I were worried about sensitive species of shrimp or something along those lines.

 

[flitabout]

I have done 3 mls per gallon and not had any issues. Before anybody gets after me Rivercats told me to do it. I had a horrid case of bba when I first got my t5hos. Turn off your filters, draw up the h2o2 into a syringe and slowly squirt the algae. Wait 20 to 30 minutes and then start up the filter again you should notice in the next 24 hours that it turns the algae red. That part is oddly pretty. It's the algae dying. In the next few days after it will turn gray then white and finally it will begin to just dissolve so no removal is needed. You can treat different areas if you have a really big algae issue.

 

[Sk3lly]

Yea i think im going to give this a go. Its more a preventative measure against algae for me. Ive just upgraded lighting so im expecting a back lash

 

[flitabout]

If you are looking for a preventative, I would go with glut, metricide 14, excel, co2 booster, which ever type you want to use. It's better on most plants. Some plants will have a sensitivity to glut, like vals and anacharis. But it is a great algaecide.

 

[Sk3lly]

If you are looking for a preventative, I would go with glut, metricide 14, excel, co2 booster, which ever type you want to use. It's better on most plants. Some plants will have a sensitivity to glut, like vals and anacharis. But it is a great algaecide.

Well i currently dose excel as my carbon source until my co2 setup arrives. I did try to spot treat with excel in the same way as described earlier with the peroxide. Didnt really notice much of a difference though

 

[Sk3lly]

Can i pick your brains on ferts too please? I currently dose excel and flourish and have root tabs. Im about to order seachem iron, seachem potassium and seachem phosphorus. Do i need seachem nitrogen?? Is nitrogen nitrate combined with an oxygen molecule?? If so will my slightly overstocked aquarium provide enough??

 

[flitabout]

What dose are you using. I dose 1ml per gallon and I haven't seen bba since. I did come up with a gsa but that was a phosphate deficiency.

 

[Sk3lly]

What dose are you using. I dose 1ml per gallon and I haven't seen bba since. I did come up with a gsa but that was a phosphate deficiency.

I dose 5ml daily for my 24gallon. I think i overdose actually

 

[Sk3lly]

Well overdose going by the instructions on the bottle. Way under dose compared to yourself

 

[flitabout]

That really depends on your level of nitrate. Chances are you aren't going to need it. I rarely see tanks with fish let alone an overstocked one that needs nitrates. You might be better off getting dry ferts. I have had really good results since switching to them. For the money you also get more and they last longer. So much better I still have the liquids sitting in the fridge.

 

[flitabout]

I also have very highlight over my tanks which is why I dose so high.

 

[Old Scales]

Sk3lly,
When you get your CO2 setup running, do NOT stop using Glut altogether. Your plants are used to that form of carbon and need to be weaned off Glut slowly. If you do not want to use Glut at all after CO2, lower the dose by one fourth every two weeks. I am planning on dosing Glut permanently at half what I did before CO2 for its carbon and algae fighting properties. OS.

 

[Sk3lly]

That really depends on your level of nitrate. Chances are you aren't going to need it. I rarely see tanks with fish let alone an overstocked one that needs nitrates. You might be better off getting dry ferts. I have had really good results since switching to them. For the money you also get more and they last longer. So much better I still have the liquids sitting in the fridge.

Ok i wont order the nitrate. If a plant was showing signs of a nitrogen deficiency, what would i look for?

 

[Sk3lly]

Sk3lly,
When you get your CO2 setup running, do NOT stop using Glut altogether. Your plants are used to that form of carbon and need to be weaned off Glut slowly. If you do not want to use Glut at all after CO2, lower the dose by one fourth every two weeks. I am planning on dosing Glut permanently at half what I did before CO2 for its carbon and algae fighting properties. OS.

Can i continue to dose excel at my normal dosage as well as injecting Co2?? Is excel the same as glut?

 

[flitabout]

Yep you can still continue to use it. I am using DIY co2 and glut at these levels. This might help for diagnosing plant deficiencies. Aquatic plant deficiency - Aquarium-fertilizer.com