# Dosing with Seachem flourish/excel



## KumoBetta23 (Feb 27, 2016)

So I have finally set up my very first planted tank. I love how well it turned out! I'm just wondering if anyone knows how much to dose of Seachem flourish/excel for a 7 gallon? The online seachem calculator says 0.6 ml for the flourish but I'm a bit stumped on the excel. I know it's 5 ml for 10 gallons so 2.5 for a 5 gallon and since I have a 7 gallon, would it just be a bit above 2.5 ml? And once a week should suffice? If anyone has answers, please let me know. I'm new to the planted tank world  Here is a photo of my tank as well.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

What a lovely tank and 'scape!

I don't use Excel as I don't have plants that need the extra. I do use Flourish Comprehensive, root and Iron tabs.

I hate to tell you but those green and white plants are terrestrial and not aquatic. They will eventually rot. They are Dracaena sanderina/Lucky Bamboo. If you use Excel and dose Iron you can grow some nice red plants to take the place of the Dracaena.


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## KumoBetta23 (Feb 27, 2016)

Thank you! I just got the tabs so that's good! Ah no way!? One of my LFS said they were aquatic. Lame. I'm SO glad I posted the picture of my tank now. Thank you! I heard red plants are harder to maintain but I may have to give them a shot!


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## KumoBetta23 (Feb 27, 2016)

I just took them out and will be purchasing some plants to take their place tomorrow. Any recommendations on specific kinds of plants?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Everything I have is low-to-medium light and low maintenance. In my tanks 12" high and under:

Crypt 'petchii'
Crypt Lutea
Crypt pygmaea (foreground; very small)
Crypt Wendtii

Tropica Swords
Red Flame Swords
Micro Chain Swords

Anubias
Java Moss
Subwassertang

Stem Plants:
Ambulia
Najas/Guppy Grass
Ceratophyllum submersum (Soft Hornwort)
Narrow Leaf Anacharis
Wisteria
Water Sprite
Bacopa

I let my stem plants either float or anchor them with plant weights. Once they grow roots I plant some of them in groups. 

*The ones in red you might have to buy online or ask if you LFS can get them.

BTW, you do know Excel is a carbon source and not a fertilizer? So you'll need a liquid fertilizer for stem and plants like Anubias.


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## KumoBetta23 (Feb 27, 2016)

Thank you Russell! You've been so helpful I added two more plants today and a rock...this is the tank now, fully planted:


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## KumoBetta23 (Feb 27, 2016)

Oh, I also use Seachem comprehensive as my fertilizer. That's what I meant in my title of Seachem flourish/excel, I forgot to add the comprehensive part lol. I dose 0.6 ml of it 1-2x a week.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Great job! Like it so much better and more natural with the Dracaena gone.

I did forget: You might want to see if you can use Excel with the Marimo. I used it to kill Hair Algae and Marimo is a form of algae. It might be fine but I'd check. Might have to dose lower and gradually build to a full dose. Someone else will be better versed on Excel and Marimo.


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## lokabrenna (Mar 30, 2016)

~2.5 ml for the Excel should be fine. It usually takes quite a bit to "overdose" on Excel, but if you're worried, under-dose a little until you get more confident. 

The one caveat is the Marimo, as Russell said. Don't have experience with those because (apparently) they're illegal where I live, so I'm not sure how they go with the Excel.

(Also, FWIW, when planted keepers OD on Excel to kill algae, what they're actually trying to do is boost the growth of the non-algae plants to the point where they outcompete the algae. So it's not that Excel kills algae per se, it's that algae starves and dies in the presence of healthy, growing plants *if* all the other tank parameters, i.e. light and nutrients, are also correct. Again, not sure how this dynamic plays out with a Marimo.)


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## trumpredmr (Feb 4, 2016)

Good lord I'm jealous of your tank. Can I ask you two questions? Does the algae scraper help with the walls? Got some on mine now and can't add a nerite (as I've wonderfully been advised to get) until cycling complete. 

Also, how did you have so much luck actually planting the dwarf grass? I tried, it died. But I now have aquascaping tools to plant them instead of my fingers.


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## ShelbysFish (Sep 5, 2013)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Great job! Like it so much better and more natural with the Dracaena gone.
> 
> I did forget: You might want to see if you can use Excel with the Marimo. I used it to kill Hair Algae and Marimo is a form of algae. It might be fine but I'd check. Might have to dose lower and gradually build to a full dose. Someone else will be better versed on Excel and Marimo.


Is it safe with snails as well?


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## hellobird (Nov 11, 2015)

I have always gone with 2 drops per gallon of both flourish and excel, as I have seen seachem recommend these dosages on another forum, it has worked great for me although I no longer dose excel and sometimes only do a half dose of flourish if I notice algae is getting a bit much.
I have always heard to never dose excel with marimos, as they are a form of hair algae and its likely to kill them, I'm not sure if you could start at a low dose and work your way up..
Excel and flourish are both safe with snails too!


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

> Does the algae scraper help with the walls?


Whats an algae scraper? I have 3 heavily planted tanks and have never used one. I leave that to my Mystery Snails.


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## KumoBetta23 (Feb 27, 2016)

trumpredmr said:


> Good lord I'm jealous of your tank. Can I ask you two questions? Does the algae scraper help with the walls? Got some on mine now and can't add a nerite (as I've wonderfully been advised to get) until cycling complete.
> 
> Also, how did you have so much luck actually planting the dwarf grass? I tried, it died. But I now have aquascaping tools to plant them instead of my fingers.


So sorry for the late response (finals are killing me). I haven't had any issues with algae so far in this particular tank but in an old tank I used an algae scraper and it worked well until I got an algae eater. He worked even better haha. I would give it a try! As for my dwarf grass, I was able to plant it using my fingers (I have small hands). It's been two weeks and they're still doing great! Some plants have turned yellowish/brown and I've had one small one die out but the other plants are all doing well. I am dosing iron, potassium, flourish comprehensive and excel and it's seeming to work. I hope the plants perk up more by the end of the month when I add my fish in  The aquascaping tools are awesome. They'll work better than fingers sometimes.


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## KumoBetta23 (Feb 27, 2016)

hellobird said:


> I have always gone with 2 drops per gallon of both flourish and excel, as I have seen seachem recommend these dosages on another forum, it has worked great for me although I no longer dose excel and sometimes only do a half dose of flourish if I notice algae is getting a bit much.
> I have always heard to never dose excel with marimos, as they are a form of hair algae and its likely to kill them, I'm not sure if you could start at a low dose and work your way up..
> Excel and flourish are both safe with snails too!


 Thank you I'm having pretty good luck so far with dosing and my marimo is actually doing great as well! I thought about taking it out and putting it into another tank but someone who has the same tank as me and doses with Seachem as well has some marimos and they never died. *Fingers crossed it works for me too!*


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## KumoBetta23 (Feb 27, 2016)

NickAu said:


> Whats an algae scraper? I have 3 heavily planted tanks and have never used one. I leave that to my Mystery Snails.


 This is an algae scraper. It works well with walls and is good for tanks that don't have snails/algae eaters


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## trumpredmr (Feb 4, 2016)

For now I am stuck using the algae scraper on the walls and it does a pretty good job except for the spots in the corners and whatnot. The light on a timer I think has helped. All the LFS don't have any nerites or the ones that they do look half dead. I only need one for my fluval spec 3, but havnt found anywhere online I can only order one. Hopefully soon though.


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## Sky (Jun 23, 2011)

trumpredmr said:


> Good lord I'm jealous of your tank. Can I ask you two questions? Does the algae scraper help with the walls? Got some on mine now and can't add a nerite (as I've wonderfully been advised to get) until cycling complete.
> 
> Also, how did you have so much luck actually planting the dwarf grass? I tried, it died. But I now have aquascaping tools to plant them instead of my fingers.


Is that dwarf sag in the front? It's very nice!


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Guys. I was cleaning my tank a few weeks ago (I do weekly water changes, don't worry!) and forgot my Marimo, as it fell and rolled under my bed. It was dry, green, and bushy. Didn't smell or anything. It was out of water for 3 weeks. .-.

Just sayin. Might be ded.


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