# do I need flourish excel?



## jesssan2442 (Feb 19, 2013)

I have some stems of moneywort floating my 3g tank and the only living thing in the tank is Mercedes and she's only about an inch (stunted from being a petco baby) I'm not sure thats enought nutrients for my plant plus I have some hitch hiker duckweed that also will need nutrients... Do I need to add nutrients? 

I plan on getting a few more plants like anacharis, java ferns, and anubias, will I need root tabs for them?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Not Excel, Excel is the CO2 supplement and it is very easy to overdose and kill fish especially babies!

You can, however, use regular Flourish Comprehensive. It's a regular liquid fertilizer that works amazing, I use 1 drop per gallon each week. Today is actually my dosing day! :-D I used to use API LeafZone but Flourish works much better and takes less too which will last you a long time!

But anyway the duckweed will flourish if you don't have fast moving waters, they'll just take what's in the water column along with anarcharis and your moneywort. So your liquid fert will be great for that. Java Fern and Anubias should not be buried fully, if you have the rhizome of them peeking out of the substrate then that's fine but if you bury them completely they'll rot away. So if they are tied to something and not planted then the root tabs really won't do anything for them.

I'd just try the regular Flourish for now and see how that works out for you. Just be careful if you use a little too much of it, you end up with some algae lol but the anacharis should grow quick enough along with the duckweed, to battle away some of the algae


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## darkangel (Jun 11, 2013)

yeah, I don't think you don't need flourish excel unless you have lots of plants and decent light. 

what is your lighting? fertilizer really only should be used if your lighting is strong enough and the plant is actually going to use it up. if you supplement with low lighting, you will get lots of algae.

I actually overdose flourish excel in my 2.5 gallon, I have a lot of vigorous growers and over lighting and the extra carbon is used up really rapidly. if your going to get lots of plants and want to try flourish excel, you can always visit the plantedthetank.net and ask for help. just let people know your light, the types of plants and tank size, most people there used it for years and will tell you how much to dose.


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## jesssan2442 (Feb 19, 2013)

My lighting is a desk lamp with a 13w 6700k bulb, I was going to get a higher wattage but My tank is only a 3g and I didn't want to much...


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## Bounce (May 26, 2012)

I agree with darkangel. I overdose excel often and it's never hurt my fish at all.

A word of caution though, if you use excel with anacharis, it will melt. I don't use root tabs with java fern or anubias. I have these tied to driftwood.


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## darkangel (Jun 11, 2013)

jesssan2442 said:


> My lighting is a desk lamp with a 13w 6700k bulb, I was going to get a higher wattage but My tank is only a 3g and I didn't want to much...


I assume 13w fluorescent? Your sitting at a 60watt equivalent so you are already at the high end of lighting for a small tank, no need to go higher. 

This is the exact same kind of lighting I have for my 2.5 gallon  I have a desk top lamp with 13w fluorescent light bulb at 4100K for 10hrs a day, so yours is actually a bit higher than mine.

Since you have such strong lighting, you can probably use excel then. I would recommend you use it when you have more plants though. To avoid algae, get yourself some intense growers, they will out compete algae. Things like hornwort, dwarf hygro, penny wort, cabomba and guppy grass will grow an extra inch every week. 

I am using 4 drops per day for excel, despite the strong light and supplement, I have no algae.

p.s. if you have incandescent then its low lighting, than scratch whatever I said above. lol


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## jesssan2442 (Feb 19, 2013)

Its flourescent!!! I just joined theplantedtank so I'm gonna try to get a plant package from another member because I only have chain stores in my town and they're pretty pricey!


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## darkangel (Jun 11, 2013)

jesssan2442 said:


> Its flourescent!!! I just joined theplantedtank so I'm gonna try to get a plant package from another member because I only have chain stores in my town and they're pretty pricey!


Yeah, if you can get trims, go for those.  People with fast growing plants will always have some for sale usually. lol I highly recommend cabomba and wisteria! They look all bushy and lacey with good lighting


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