Plants dieing from Excel?

[Cohenjl13]

So i have been really bad about using my Excel/flourish up unti about a month ago where i have done it every day.

I add 10mL per day for my 110g. At first it was fine now my BBA is turning red and dieing off but all my italian vals are dieing as well.

Am i adding to much? Not enough? am i missing something?

 

[coralbandit]

Excel melts vals and crypts I believe ?Possibly some mosses also but I am not a plant person like some..I am pretty certain there is a lot of info on excel damaging vals and crypts out there .
I would lower the dose or stop...

 

[Cohenjl13]

Well crap, thank you.

Anyone know of a good tall plant i could replace the Vals with?

 

[toolman]

Some have had success with vals &excel if starting with a low dose until they learn to tolerate it, then increase the excel to regular dose. But I don't have exact details on how long or Val type.
I personally cant keep vals alive somehow, going totry again later.

 

[Delapool]

As above. Corkscrew Val never made it (although could be fish), the common narrow and broad-leaf types I found melted badly and came back.

With new plants I give a day or two of no dosing, then quarter or half dosing and doubling every three days or so depending on how they are going. Some still don’t make it overall (very much a brown thumb and gone through a lot of plants).

I had Val with something like quadruple dosing and doing quite well in the end.

 

[Cohenjl13]

Ok, maybe ill just wait it out and lower dosage a little to see how they are. This is normal val i think i got it from petco a while ago when i started the hobby

 

[Fresh2o]

You should look into using Metricide 14 as an alternative to Excel. A 500 mL bottle of Excel retails for under $10 and at that dosing rate should last you about 50 days. 3 bottles should last about 5 months. For roughly the same cost you could get a gallon of Metricide 14 (must be 14 and not 28) from Amazon. Typically you diluted it 50:50 with distilled water to bring it to a strength similar to Excel. That gallon will last about 25 months.
As with Excel, handle with care. Both are light labile so keep in opaque containers.

 

[Cohenjl13]

I looked for this on amazon last time you mentioned it on a different post of mine but I couldn’t find it! All I found was like 12 and 24 or something

 

[kashif314]

Well I am using excel for like a month without any problems so far. However its always advisable to start with low dose if you have sensitive plants. Do you use fertilizers? Seachem or any other? Maybe you dosed that too much?

 

[Fresh2o]

I looked for this on amazon last time you mentioned it on a different post of mine but I couldn’t find it! All I found was like 12 and 24 or something

View attachment 304571

Only one left! Glutaraldehyde-Cold-Sterilization-Solution-Gallon.
https://www.amazon.com/Glutaraldehyde-Cold-Sterilization-Solution-Gallon/dp/B0030ULOK2

 

[arnoldndana]

I use quarter cap Excel once a week. A good tall plant is water wisteria.