flourish Excel Alternatives

[redilyn]

Hi,

I have heard you can use CIDEX Activated Dialdehyde Solution and metricide 14 day as a alternative to flourish excel. My problem is I can not locate these products in my area (Nova Scotia, Canada).

Is it possible (and safe) to use metricide 28 day instead?

How about CIDEX PLUS 28 Day Solution?

I can get these products in my area but I don't know if they are safe to use.

Thanks for your help.

[Biollante]

Hi,

I use Cidex Plus, though I will be switching to Metricide do to cost.

The “Plus” in these things are a separate component, throw it away, do not mix it in the solution.

Around here somewhere is a pretty good thread on the differences and internet sources.

Biollante

[barbarossa4122]

Or Metricide14

http://www.dealmed.com/Products/Surf...4-Day-1-Gallon and it/s on sale.
You can read this tread about Metricide14, if you like.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fe...nough-co2.html

Over_stocked

Metricide contains the only active ingredient in Excel and would save the average user a TON.

For instance...

2x2L of excel(just over 1 gallon, would run you 62 bucks(before shipping) from Big als. (just the first I chose, not sure if it is cheapest)

1x1 gallon of Metricide 14 is 24 bucks shipped for me, from DealMed

Now, assuming you dose it straight, 100%, not reduced at all, Metricide is 38% the cost of Excel. You would be paying 62% more for a lower concentration of Glutaraldehyde.

Now, lets assume that you dilute it at a ratio of 1.5(Glutaraldehyde):1(distilled water) you end up with a percentage of 1.8% Glutaraldehyde--just over the excel level. This will make your 1 gallon of Metricide turn into 1 2/3 gallon(1.666) gallons of Excel equivalent.

So, now, if diluted you would have the equivalent of about 100 dolars(before shipping) worth of Seachem Excel. On a 50 gallon tank, dosing at seachem dosing of 5ml per 50 gallons... you have 1261 doses... For 24 dollars.

If you don't dilute it, but still dose 100%, you would have 757 doses(on a 50g tank) and be more concentrated. On my 75 gallon tank I dose 10ml daily/every other day of 100% metricide 14(2.7%). I have 378 doses in my bottle.

The value is simple.

All for 24 dollars shipped to my door and about 3 minutes of math.

[barbarossa4122]

Biollante is right..........if you buy the Metricide, do not use the activator or "plus" as he called it.

[redilyn]

Thanks for your help.

I order the cidex plus.

In Nova Scotia metricide is the more expensive product. At least in the places I checked locally. Likely cause its imported from the US. One place quoted a gallon of metricide 14 @ $89.99!!! A gallon of cidex plus cost me $29.

[barbarossa4122]

Go Cidex

[Biollante]

Hi,

Here the Metricide 14 is a lot cheaper.

Do not use the little bottle attached to the big one that is the "Plus" in Cidex Plus. Metricide 14 calls the stuff an "activator" same stuff still do not want to use it for our plants.

The Cidex Plus has more of what we buy it for, so I cut it in half with distilled water. Makes it about the same strength as Excel.

Treat the stuff with care, handle it as you would any strong alkaline cleaning solution and avoid breathing the stuff.

Tom Barr also made a point a while back regarding prolonged exposure to the stuff as showing some health risk to people working in Dental offices, it bears watching. My local expert on such matters asserts that that is prolonged exposure to open trays of the solution in poorly ventilated areas, still, let us be careful.


Biollante

[barbarossa4122]

Yeah, be very careful with this stuff. I mix Metricide14 with DI water to make it Excel strengtht and I can tell you this stuff is BAD for your eyes and your lungs. Use glasses and a cover your nose and mouth. Also try to do it outside if you can b/c of the fumes.

[redilyn]

So how much distilled water to cidex plus to make it excel strength?

[Philosophos]

I can't recall the thread, but if you do some hunting you'll find a guy who had Excel put through analysis at a lab and they came out with 1.5% glutaraldehyde. Cidex is 3.4%

1.5/3.4 = 0.441176

So a mix of 441ml:559ml Cidex : DI H2O will give you excel strength. A lot of people just dose 50% as much cidex without diluting and things work out fine.