I notice that some people use Excel even with CO2 injection, high-tech. Is this for the algae moderating affects of Excel? Why would one do both?

BTW, week 2 (after cycling) of my first high-tech set-up and, thanks to some great advice in this forum, everything is going great. Had some hairy green algae but the new algae eaters and mollies made short work of that. Plants are growing like mad crazy. The process of creating and maintaining a high-tech aquarium is so much fun, it hardly seems like work.

Glad to hear your having a good time! Me too switched to high tech a month or so ago and wont ever look back. To answer you question from my research over the years its for two reasons. Fist some use it for its supposed aid in fighting off alge if dosed 2x-3x recommended amounts. Second some use it so they do not have to pump as much co2 gas into the aquarium. Excel effectively acts like pre-dissolved co2 and thus less gas needs to be dissolved to reach good co2 concentration levels.

Wow, if I dosed with 2 to 3 times the normal amount, I would use it up in a week and Excel isn't cheap.

Do you know if Excel shows up on CO2 indicator solutions?

Excel isn't CO2, so it doesn't show up when measuring CO2 in a tank. It is another carbon containing compound that plants can use for carbon. Dosing Excel at 2 to 3 times the recommended dosage can cause problems for shrimp, some fish, and some plants. There are reasons why Seachem recommends 1 ml per 10 gallons dosage.

thanks for clarifying vaughn. vlvtrope if you want more info on excel fighting alge here is some info
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/al...periences.html

As far as cost, i purchased a large jug, think its 2 lts from dr foster for $24 or so about 6 months ago and still have it, i usually dose 10ml at a time for my 60. If bba is showing i dose every day, if not once or twice a week.

If you do have shrimp do not overdose like vaughn said, i wacked all my ghosties when i first did my excel treaments. It took about 2 months of water changes to clear the stuff out and keep the shrimp happy.

I use excel when I run in a co2 tank to supress algae. It seems to work. If you have something like BBA it won't kill it but it will help to prevent further growth. If dosed aboved suggested levels your vals might not like it. I think vals are sensitive to excel particularly at levels above what Seachem suggests. Even at recommended levels there may be some die off intitally but the plants seem to adjust after a few weeks at least for me. Some people use excel if they can not get enough co2 in the tank. That seems a bit expensive. However, i can buy a 2 liter bottle of excel for 25-30$. That will run a 50 gallon tank at recommended dose for over a year. Not a bad alternative if you want a slow but steady growth tqnk.

Henry