Hi, new here - great site!

I have a question regarding Excel. I have been using DIY CO2 and finding it has no real benefit - so am considering using Excel.

However I use activated carbon in my filter to remove the tannins my bogwood releases. Would the carbon adsorb the Excel?

One other question as I am here. The bogwood was soaked for ages, until the water ran clear. However I still find that tannins leaches into the water over time. Other than activated carbon - is there any way of removing the tannins? (Water changes aside).

Boiling it

Excel in my experience is good at killing algae, but not much for the plants. I would Think DIY CO2 would be better if its stable and high enough output, did you ever check the CO2 levels?

No, I haven't got a drop checker yet. I did use the Ph / Kh calculation - which as I understand isn't very reliable. At any rate the calculations showed by CO2 at 5.2ppm. But I can't imagine it being that stable - as I find stability fairly hard to achieve with DIY CO2.


Ok, I will remove the bogwood and boil it.

with DIY CO2 I think you want to try and get around 15-20ppm. People with pressurized go to 30ppm or above. 5ppm sounds like nothing. The reason I dont think 30ppm with CO2 would be a good idea is that its hard to regulate so could go over, also many dont have a way for it to bleed off at night which can cause issues.