SeachemFlourish Excel Bioavailable Carbon - Organic Carbon Source for Aquatic Plants 2L

The price was good. Cheaper than at the pet store and it works great for my fish tank. I have a bad black beard algae that I can’t seem to fully get rid of. I use this when it gets bad and it clears it up for a while. If I were more diligent with my routine it might clear it completely but I’m not right now.

This aquarium supplement helps keep my aquarium plants lush, while discouraging algae growth. It’s much easier than maintaining a CO2 system, and at 5ml per day for a 55 gallon aquarium, it lasts a long time. Good value for money.

Absolute must have for anyone keeping live plants in an aquarium. Excel helps your plants grow and out compete algae keeping everything healthier and more attractive. You could of course go with a hi-tech CO2 injection system, spending much more money and time but for most of us his is the best way to help get extra carbon to our submerged plants.

This product worked wonders for my tank. I had battled black beard algae in the past but didn’t realize the root cause of it fast forward to now, I had moved and set up a new tank and started having the same problem again! So I started researching and it led me to realize my planted tank was lacking CO2. I had recently added more light and my plants started taking off tremendously and the BBA started to appear. I decided this was the product for me vs an actual CO2 line. I followed the directions and upon the initial dose (my tank is a 54 gal corner) it did make my water appear white and hazy even after a water change. I have a community set up from corydoras, oto’s, platies, nerite snails, dojo loaches and khuli loaches. All my fish handled this product well except my corydoras. I have a had time keeping those as is but those were my two survivors that I managed to keep alive and I believe this product did cause them pass. So just note that they may be sensitive to this product. I still give this 5 stars though. It did as it said and my tank is looking fabulous again!! It took about 2 weeks to clear up an minor infestation.

The 2L bottle excel is a good value, especially if you have prime. When I first seriously began my foray into planted aquariums, I was using API's liquid CO2 product. When that ran out I switched to Excel because I worked in the industry and knew it to be an excellent product. The difference in plant growth between the two brands was appreciable once I switched. As much as I would like to, I can't run gaseous CO2 in my small to nano sized planted systems currently. Excel has been keeping everything in decent shape until I am able to do so and I will continue to use after I set up a proper CO2 system. Excel's line of plant care products has made all the difference in my moderately low tech set ups, and I have used nearly every name brand of fertilizers and supplements known to the hobby.

I don’t have a co2 tank and just use this. It’s been over a week now and I can already see the difference it’s making on my plants. It even saved some from melting and now they are back to green again. I have 7 fish in 10 gal tank and they are perfectly fine. I do like 1/8 of the cap daily. One star off because it hasn’t stopped all the algae growth.

I thought this was important stuff I found. Use it as a reference when necessary.3 FAQ's on Flourish Excel from the Seachem website.Q: When I first dosed my tank with all the Flourish products I was experiencing quite a bit of hair algae. Within three days the hair algae had turned a reddish orange and about four days after that it had completely disappeared. Do you have any idea just which of these products could have caused this? I must admit that I have never seen such a dramatic change with the algae when I first used the Flourish products, and I would really like to be able to repeat the experience when ever the algae re-appears.A: This is a known side effect of Flourish Excel that may sometimes occur. It has been reported to us by other consumers, however it does not occur under all conditions therefore we do not promote it or sell it for that purpose.Q: I have an AP Bio-Chem Zorb pouch in my filtration system. Will it scavenge the organic component of Flourish Excel?A: Chemical filtration medias will have a very minimal impact on Flourish Excel but not enough to warrant removing them from your filter when you dose this product.Q: Is it better to add Flourish Excel at night or in the morning based upon plant carbon uptake physiology?A: Carbon intake is a function of photosynthesis. Based on this, it would be ideal to dose Flourish Excel during the day. But given that Flourish Excel can stay complexed as a carbon source for up to 24 hours before it dissipates, you can dose at any time of the day and the product will be available for the next 24 hours. Flourish Excel is not carbon dioxide and there is no impact on pH using Flourish Excel.

All Seachem products are high quality and this size will last a really long time. The dosage is a bit confusing but with some research you'll figure it out.