Excel



Excel is the shorted name for a very popular commercial product called Flourish Excel made by Seachem.

This product is a bottle of liquid which provides a ready available source of organic Carbon for aquatic plants and can be used as a CO2 substitute. This causes extra plant growth and less algae.

It is also popularly used to kill some species of Algae like Hair Algae when used regularly at 2-3x the recommended dosage. However this is not with the manufacturer's recommendation.


 * If overdosed it may kill shrimp, fish, etc.

Ingredients
Polycycloglutaracetal - A form of Glutaraldehyde (C5H8O2) a potent disinfectant.

Obtaining Excel
This product is widely available from the better local aquarium shops.

It is considerably more expensive outside of the USA due to export and shipping costs.

Some retailers selling Excel outside the USA.
 * Aqua Essentials UK
 * Aquatics Online UK
 * Seachem's Dealers in the UK

Links

 * Seachem Flourish Excel
 * APD Excel Discussions
 * APC Discussions on alternatives to Excel
 * Glutaraldehyde - Health and Safety