Incorporating Glutaraldehyde (Excel) into a stock solution

[pat w]

What would the issues be of incorporating a daily Glutaraldehyde (Excel) dose into a micro's stock solution. I autodose continuoulsy using a med. infusion pump and I'm going to add the Glut for fungus control anyway. I thought why not just go ahead and get a full days Glut dose with the micro's and kill two birds ... ?

Fire away .... I'm braced to have this shot down for one reason or another.

Pat

 

[barbarossa4122]

Sounds good, imo.

Fire away .... I'm braced to have this shot down for one reason or another

.

I don't think you will Pat.

 

[ShadowMac]

I've thought about the same thing. Makes good sense to me.

I usually dose excel on the days I dose my dry ferts. I figure it can't hurt.

 

[Biollante]

Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred...

Hi Pat,

Nice to have a volunteer, I really see no reason that should not work… On the other hand lacking a coordinated central nervous system, I am not very bright…

The thing, aside from light that would concern me is if any of the salts would act as an alkaline buffer in breaking down the Glutaraldehyde.

• Since James of diy fertz fame uses Glutaraldehyde to keep the pH down in his all-in-one knock-off, I would reason that is not a problem.

Biollante

 

[Cyclesafe]

I've just started doing this, using an Eheim Fertidoser.

Per directions, 5ml/10gal Excel at weekly > 40% WC, reduces my tank's pH by 0.05. So being acidic, Excel further stabilizes the iron chelators in my daily (via Fertidoser) Excel / micro solution. Yep, just tested a dilute mix of the latter with a Hagen "low pH" drop kit:

 

[pat w]

Yeah, Mine'll be in an old green 2-liter Mtn Dew bottle closed up in the dark up under the tank. On my next mix I'll have 1600ml dosing at a rate of 48 ml/day (1ml/hr minimum increment on the doser) for roughly 33 days supply.

80 g water column
1ml/10gal normal Excel dose = 8ml
2.6% Metricide 14 concentration vs. 1.5% Excel = (1.5/2.3)*8 = 4.62ml daily dose of Metricide 14
33 day supply = 152 ml Metricide 14 included in the stock solution. (That ought to keep the fungus at bay)

I'll dose extra manually on WC days , but even with that taken into account I'll have enough out of the gallon of Metricide 14 to last well over a year with extra for some algae fighting. < $26 delivered --- not bad.

Pat

 

[Singtoh]

Hello all,

I have asked this question before, I thought it was here but it could have been another site. Anyway, I have been doing this for a few months now. I mix both, micros and macros with Glut so as to have a 1ppm solution of Glut going into my tank everyday via auto dosers along with the appropriate ppms of ferts. My mix, is 200ml 2.5% Glut cut with 1 liter DI water and that gives me a .5ppm solution(I hope my calculations are correct, please correct me if I am wrong) and this is split between my macros and micros with all ingredients included, 500ml each total volume. I havent noticed any ill effects. 1ppm per day is 2x excel levels if my calculations are correct?? With this, I don't get any fungus and the lines feeding the ferts to the tank stay clear. The only other thing I have noticed is that the my macro mix, KNO3, K2SO4 and PO4 turns a reddish tea color after a day or so for some reason and my micro mix CSM+B I see no effect as far as color change of the mix. Just thought I would post this in hopes of getting some insight on the reason why the fert solution changes color?? Other than that all is well and good and things seem ok.

Cheers,

Singtoh

 

[pat w]

I believe normal Excel dosing yields 0.396ppm

1ml of 1.5% solution per 10 gal
1.5% = 15000ppm
with 3785 ml per gal
15000/3785 = 3.96
3.96/10 = 0.396ppm

Twice that would be 0.793ppm

You may be closer to 2.5x normal dose, but I'd need more detail on the volume of the tank and the daily dose you're adding of each in ml to be sure.

Pat

 

[Singtoh]

Hello Pat,

Sorry I gave the wrong numbers, I just looked at my spreadsheet and it is 100ml Glut cut with 900ml DI water for a .25% Glut solution . My last mix came to exactly what you said above .793ppm, I just rounded it upwards for some reason, I only had 1 cup of tea at the time of writing . In my mix now is I dose 16ml of .25% Glut/Ferts between macros and micros into 100L of water for a .4ppm Glut strength which is the normal excel daily dose. So it looks like my numbers are correct. Any ideas why my solution is turning redish tea color, I tried finding something on the internet about it but couldn't find anything useful?? Maybe I'll do a little test and find out what fert exactly the Glut is reacting with sometime in the near future. Thanks for the reply Pat, I appreciate it.

Cheers,

Singtoh

 

[nipat]

Hi Pat,

Nice to have a volunteer, I really see no reason that should not work… On the other hand lacking a coordinated central nervous system, I am not very bright…

The thing, aside from light that would concern me is if any of the salts would act as an alkaline buffer in breaking down the Glutaraldehyde.

• Since James of diy fertz fame uses Glutaraldehyde to keep the pH down in his all-in-one knock-off, I would reason that is not a problem.

Biollante

Hi Bio, I think James uses Potassium Sorbate to prohibit fungus and Ascorbic Acid
to reduce pH.
http://www.jsctech.co.uk/theplantedtank//allinone.htm

 

[pat w]

Any ideas why my solution is turning redish tea color, I tried finding something on the internet about it but couldn't find anything useful?? Maybe I'll do a little test and find out what fert exactly the Glut is reacting with sometime in the near future.

Cheers,

Singtoh

I'm putting all the Glut in the Micro solution so I'm afraid I can't help there. Let us know what you find.

Pat

 

[Biollante]

Ascorbic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Glutaraldehyde, Who Can Tell the Difference?

Hi Bio, I think James uses Potassium Sorbate to prohibit fungus and Ascorbic Acid
to reduce pH.
http://www.jsctech.co.uk/theplantedtank//allinone.htm

Hi Nipat,

As usual you are correct!

This lack of a coordinated central nervous system...

Biollante

 

[camicov]

Greetings!

I'm worried about something, will daily Glu kill the nitrifying bacteria? I ask as on the glu bottle I got it says it works as a bacteria killer and disinfectant. I've used Glu to kill Green Hair Algae in the past, my aquarium was infested, so I overdosed it, killed the algae and my plants nor fish got affected, but the water turned white, it wasn't a problem as WC solved it but I stopped the Glu, now I've got the algae again, but now I have some young discus that won't let me rise the CO2 a lot, I'm doing it progressively and sometimes I see them breathing near the surface, so I started to add glu again (to complement co2 as I have direct sunlight) I'm adding like 7 ml of Glu@2% solution daily (on my 400L tank and started like 4 days ago), but my water seems to be turning white again... does anybody know why this happens?

 

[Tom Barr]

I add Excel mostly cause I have some to the trace solutions.

I add a fair amount, about 20% of the water is excel concentration.

You can use HCL, or potassium sorbate, you can also use vinegar, acetic acid 5% to drop pH.
Many thing you can use.......

No rules on this one really other than no PO4 and Fe together.

 

[nipat]

I add Excel mostly cause I have some to the trace solutions.

I add a fair amount, about 20% of the water is excel concentration.

You can use HCL, or potassium sorbate, you can also use vinegar, acetic acid 5% to drop pH.
Many thing you can use.......

No rules on this one really other than no PO4 and Fe together.

I tried vinegar but it didn't work, mold still appeared like not using any.
Keeping them in the fridge now.

 

[camicov]

Greetings!

I'm worried about something, will daily Glu kill the nitrifying bacteria? I ask as on the glu bottle I got it says it works as a bacteria killer and disinfectant. I've used Glu to kill Green Hair Algae in the past, my aquarium was infested, so I overdosed it, killed the algae and my plants nor fish got affected, but the water turned white, it wasn't a problem as WC solved it but I stopped the Glu, now I've got the algae again, but now I have some young discus that won't let me rise the CO2 a lot, I'm doing it progressively and sometimes I see them breathing near the surface, so I started to add glu again (to complement co2 as I have direct sunlight) I'm adding like 7 ml of Glu@2% solution daily (on my 400L tank and started like 4 days ago), but my water seems to be turning white again... does anybody know why this happens?

But will it kill the nitrifying bacteria?

 

[Tom Barr]

I tried vinegar but it didn't work, mold still appeared like not using any.
Keeping them in the fridge now.

5% distilled white vinegar? Add about 100mls per 1000mls, this will also destroy KH, thus soften the water.

You can mix this with Excel afterwords also. The softer water will help the dissolved metals stay in soklution, that changes, but takes some time once you add it to the aquarium though.

 

[nipat]

5% distilled white vinegar? Add about 100mls per 1000mls, this will also destroy KH, thus soften the water.

You can mix this with Excel afterwords also. The softer water will help the dissolved metals stay in soklution, that changes, but takes some time once you add it to the aquarium though.

I added 5 ml per 400 ml using this info: http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.200112/msg00488.html

IIRC, I also tried doubling the ratio but didn't work.

Yours is much more concentrate. Will try that next time.

 

[Amanda Adkins]

The iron would be the element that is producing the red color in the mix. It may be combining with something in the mix that is oxidizing it and causing the redness to show. Just like oxygen in the blood cells cause them to be red. The fertilizer solution should be kept in a cool dark place and only mix up the amount the tank will use in a month or less. Otherwise any microscopic critter that finds its way into the solution will be grateful for the food. It will grow and reproduce causing the solution to be cloudy and clumpy or moldy.