Seachem Flourish Excel 500ml

I purchased this product after some plants I had bought introduced black beard algae to my aquarium. I tried a couple of other products prior to this with no luck. I tried spot treating with Hydrogen Peroxide and while that did seem to work, it was too difficult to use. I had the algae all over the tank to the point that the Hydrogen Peroxide just wasn't a practical solution.I've been using the Flourish Excel for about five weeks now. After maybe ten days to two weeks, it had basically eradicated my algae problem. I still have a couple of spots of green or brown algae here or there - but it's exactly that, just spots. I suspect the Flourish Excel works better or worse on different kinds of algae (as it completely destroyed my problem Black Beard algae) but even on the algae that it doesn't completely take care of, it certainly reduces it and holds it at bay.Additionally, the plants seem to love it. It took a couple of weeks before I noticed substantial enough plant growth that I was sure it was because of the products and not simply regular expected growth from the plants naturally. I have been using this product in conjunction with a shrimp safe liquid fertilizer and my plants have benefitted greatly. My Amazon Swords in particular have tripled in size since starting this product with the liquid fertilizer.Very pleased. Great product, with no side effects to the fish, snails, or shrimp and crawfish in the tank.

Flourish Excel is a liquid source of CO2 for your aquarium plants. Regular addition of Excel will help your plants thrive inside your tank. This is a good option for those who do not wish to add a mechanical CO2 injection system to their tank. An added benefit of using Excel is that it discourages the growth of algae.I have had very good results with my aquatic plants since I started using Excel. Even plants that are hard to grow, like Dwarf Hairgrass, thrive when using a combination of very high light levels and Flourish Excel. I have not noticed any adverse effects on the fish.Will Excel completely prevent the growth of algae? No, it will not. It discourages algae growth, but will not prevent it completely. With a good tank maintenance routine, spare use of fertilizers, ideal light levels, and Seachem Excel, you should be able to manage algae. You will still get algae, but not to the point where it takes over your tank.Seachem Flourish Excel is one of the best products you can get for a planted fish tank. Even if you already have a CO2 injection system, you can still use Excel. You will naturally have to play around with dosing.Having said all of that, regular dosing of Excel can get expensive if you have a very large tank with a lot of fast-growing plants. Then again, an automated CO2 injection system will also set you back a lot of money. You can try and find cheaper sources of liquid CO2, like some aquarists have done and are using surgical instrument sterilizers. However, you need to know what you are doing and will naturally have to play around with dosages and concentration. If you have a small tank, say less than 75 gallon, your best choice would simply be to use Excel.This is an excellent, excellent product. Algae is one of the banes of aquarium keeping. To find a product that not only encourages plant growth, but also discourages algae, is a double blessing. This is one of the most useful advances in aquarium-keeping in recent times.Highly recommended.

Why did you pick this product vs others?:I’ve been using Seachem Excel for a couple months now, and it’s become a staple in my planted tanks. I originally picked it up to help with algae, especially on my slow growers like Anubias and Bucephalandra, and it genuinely made a difference. The stringy stuff on my Monte Carlo started thinning out within a week or so, and spot dosing it on trouble areas gave me visible results without nuking everything else in the tank.What I really appreciate is that it doesn’t melt my more sensitive plants. I’ve heard horror stories about liquid carbon products wiping out Val or messing up crypts, but I haven’t had any of that happen here—as long as you don’t overdose. I’m using it alongside CO₂, too, and it seems to add a little boost rather than interfere.It’s not a silver bullet and won’t stop algae if you’ve got major lighting or nutrient issues, but it’s a great support tool if your balance is already decent. • Pros – Works well as a mild anti-algae treatment – Safe for sensitive plants when dosed properly – Helpful supplement even with CO₂ injection • Cons – Can melt certain species if overdosed – Spot dosing takes a little effort and consistency Thanks for reading, hope this review helped :)