Does Excel kill my plants?!

[hartgirl]

Someone told me yesterday that Excel will kill my hornwort. When I initially researched this plant I found nothing that said that, but now I see that some people say it does and some don't. Seachem doesn't have it on their list of plants that are sensitive to Excel....what are your thoughts?


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[Brookster123]

Horn wort may not like the excel, i know it melts anarchis so.. start the dose low and work up, if it melts?? time to make a choice..

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[BBradbury]

Your Hornwort

Someone told me yesterday that Excel will kill my hornwort. When I initially researched this plant I found nothing that said that, but now I see that some people say it does and some don't. Seachem doesn't have it on their list of plants that are sensitive to Excel....what are your thoughts?


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Hello hart...

Hornwort doesn't require commercial fertilizers. You don't need to use it. I keep this floating plant in all my low tech tanks and it grows fine with low to moderate light, regular water changes, and no more fertilizers than what the fish produce. Save your money and just feed the fish a balanced diet.

B

 

[hartgirl]

I didn't so much care for it for the hortwort exactly. The excel did seem to help my struggling water sprite so I was using it for them...then along came hornwort. I stopped using the Excel last water change in case so I'll wait until the hornwort bounces back and then maybe do a half dose and see what happens. (My crypts seem to like excel too)....


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[Brookster123]

What's the lighting? Plant load?

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[hartgirl]

I have low light. An 48" Aqueon LED with all three spaces filled. Two colormax and one day white LED strips are being used currently. I have the hornwort in the corners and along the back middle and sprite along the back in between. The java ferns are wedged in rock crevices and the crypts are mostly in the front and in the bases of rocks in the middle...

On the lighting issue....I am most likely getting a finnex planted plus soon. I don't want to add too much more but I sure would like it if the corners were a little brighter with just a little more over the middle. That corner hornwort lost a lot of needles...


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[Brookster123]

Yah, that light will not need the added carbon, the planted plus will though.

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[hartgirl]

Good to know. I'll hold off for now on the Excel. I just came out to the tank and some feisty fish has dug up some of my corner hornwort or I would take a pic of the needles now. I stuck the ends through mesh and planted that so the fish would have a harder time uprooting it....gotta get a bigger piece lol.


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[Karay]

If the hornwort has just been introduced recently the melt could be caused by the new water parameters. The old may die off and be replaced by new growth. My crypts have done that even in established tanks when I have something different to the tank. I've heard crypts may not like excel either. It can vary from person to person of course. I suggest to start your doses small and gradually increase when you do get started.


Cheers, Ray

 

[hartgirl]

If the hornwort has just been introduced recently the melt could be caused by the new water parameters. The old may die off and be replaced by new growth. My crypts have done that even in established tanks when I have something different to the tank. I've heard crypts may not like excel either. It can vary from person to person of course. I suggest to start your doses small and gradually increase when you do get started.


Cheers, Ray

I read that as well so now I am not sure if it's excel or the new water....I think either way it's best if I just let it adjust and then go back to excel once it has bounced back, just to be sure? What do you think?


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[Brookster123]

I've had plants melt something fierce after intoduction, you'll know in a couple weeks what's up.. unless you have some bba growing in I'd say holster the excel for now cowgirl,)

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[hartgirl]

I've had plants melt something fierce after intoduction, you'll know in a couple weeks what's up.. unless you have some bba growing in I'd say holster the excel for now cowgirl,)

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Lmao thanks Brookster123...I get a little eager to do everything all at once sometimes...


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[Brookster123]

Lmao thanks Brookster123...I get a little eager to do everything all at once sometimes...


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It's cool, im.the same way.. I've found patience, even when I twist my own ear to remind myself to be patient, is key in this hobby. Espaeciallyyyyyyy with plants!

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[hartgirl]

I'm newish to plants so I'm defiantely figuring that out, so I'm stopping excel and keeping the leaf zone/ flourish combo...plus getting a new light (leaning towards the finnex planted plus most likely...suggestions for medium light in a large and deep aquarium welcome


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[Delapool]

Someone told me yesterday that Excel will kill my hornwort. When I initially researched this plant I found nothing that said that, but now I see that some people say it does and some don't. Seachem doesn't have it on their list of plants that are sensitive to Excel....what are your thoughts?


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Would you have the link? I'm trying to build my new val up to go past normal dosing but slow going.

 

[Mama Karoti]

My hornwort did better before I started dosing Excel, but it hasn't died. It just isn't flourishing as much as it used to. I chose my other plants (which ARE flourishing) over the hornwort.

I have actually been experimenting with allowing a few of my water sprite "offshoots" to grow as floating plants, and they are kinda neat looking. My gourami loves them.

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[hartgirl]

I have some floating water sprite as well but mine aren't exactly thriving. I'm sure it's a light issue...but I'm sort of playing with different setups to see what works over time....I started using Excel and Flourish/Leaf zone combo at the same time so the plants that are thriving could be responding to Excel, the ferts, or both. We shall see!


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[BBradbury]

Hornwort

Good to know. I'll hold off for now on the Excel. I just came out to the tank and some feisty fish has dug up some of my corner hornwort or I would take a pic of the needles now. I stuck the ends through mesh and planted that so the fish would have a harder time uprooting it....gotta get a bigger piece lol.


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Hello again hart...

Hornwort is a floating plant. I've always let it float close to the light. It grows very quickly because all of the plant is exposed to the light. I have to thin it weekly.

B

 

[Mama Karoti]

I have found water sprite to be nitrate hogs. If my nitrate levels get too low, they don't do well. Just something to factor in to your experimenting.


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[hartgirl]

I have found water sprite to be nitrate hogs. If my nitrate levels get too low, they don't do well. Just something to factor in to your experimenting.


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Thanks! This planted tank business is definately an experiment!! I test my water like a crazy person and my nitrates are always up there in the 40ppm range. I used Seachem's Purigen but since the plants came I have taken it out to see what they do to nitrates....but some combo of lights/ferts does not allow the sprite (or Hornwort) to grow fast enough to suck up the nitrates in my tank to get them into the more 20ppm range. I am pretty sure it's lighting as I have an Aqueon led on a deep tank. But I will be switching to Finnex Planted + to trail into the medium light range in a couple of weeks. I won't say I'll never do CO2, but right now mastering low/medium light plants without CO2 is good


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