# Easy Life Algexit Experiences???



## GreenGrow

I was just wondering if anyone has and experience with this product?

http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/easy-life-algexit-250ml-p-5910.html

It seems to offer alot and I was wondering what peoples opinions are?

Cheers


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## ceg4048

Hello,
        You are strongly advised against using these types of products and instead to fix the problem in your tank. If you have CO2 related algae then that means you need to fix your CO2. You can only fix that by reducing your light, adding more CO2 or fixing your flow distribution. Algecides damage your plants despite what many of the claims state. When you stop using them the algae returns because you have not fixed your basic problem, and because the plants have been weakend by their use the problem becomes worse. 

It would be better to supplement the tanks's CO2 by using liquid carbon, which does have some algecidal properties, but more importantly, it feeds the plant CO2, which is what the basic problem is.

Cheers,


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## John S

I have used it. I had a serious outbreak of hair algae when trying to optimise my CO2. Once I'd optimised the CO2 the hair algae stopped spreading but I got impatient as it very slow in disappearing. I used two doses of this and within 3 weeks it was gone. That was 3 months ago and it hasn't returned but I did notice that some of my plants (crypts mainly) didn't look as healthy, this maybe explained by what Clive has said above.

So that's my experience, but had I seen Clives post I might have been more patient.


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## clonitza

Worked for me against Cladophora, had it for over 1 year in all of my tanks and it was a little bit of a nuisance especially in the tanks with mosses. No plants & fish suffered during treatment and it never returned. I'm not against chemicals but I use them only as a last resort. Prior treatments it's better to check that filters are cleaned, you do the weekly water changes, have enough flow and filtration for the volume of the tank, you dose nutrients correctly, light is adequate etc.


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## GreenGrow

Thanks guys, I don't really know what I can do about the CO2. Its already so high in the tank! I am buying another filter to help with flow.

Do you think it will be a problem if I fix it all to the same filter inlet and outlet as I only have limited space with the braces at the back?


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## ceg4048

Well as I mentioned, what you can do about CO2 is to add liquid carbon such as Excel or Aquaessentials AE Design Aqua Carbon.

Connecting multiple filters is a bit tricky. On the inlet side this may not cause flow issues but on the output side the two may fight each other. The tubing size on both ends would ideally need to be increased to be the sum of the two individual tube sizes.

A cleaner solution is to just get a bigger filter and sell the one that you have now. Easier said than done if you don't have the funds though.

Just to make sure, are you using 4 dKH water in the dropchecker? How are you distributing the flow? Photos of the setup would help if available.

Cheers,


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## GreenGrow

Yes I am using 4 dKH solution.

I have a picture of my gear on my journal linked in the signature. I do see what you mean with Excel, but the thing is that its very pricey for the quantities I would be using, and as a poor student, I will try everything to avoid spending too much money.

The filter I was going to buy would be the Rena XP4 which does 1700 lph, on top of my original XP3 which does 1350 lph( but this has been reduced by the flow feeding through my Aqua Medic Reactor.) The plan is to feed both filters through the reactor to help with diffusion rates and flow.

What do you think?

Cheers pal,


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## ceg4048

Hi mate,
            Yeah, the extra flow will help. I'd probably just connect the reactor to the bigger filter and just make sure the two outputs were on the same side just to begin with and see how that goes first before trying to gang the filters together. If you are at the limit of injection and still getting CO2 related algae then the next place to look is usually flow/distribution.

A cheap short term solution is to cut your light by about half, by the way.

Cheers,


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## clonitza

Clive he won't gonna fix it just with half light, best bet is to up the flow, spray bar or diagonally opposite outlets via 2 filters. 1350l filter halved by media then halved by the reactor I don't think it outputs more than 3-400l/h and if it's the signature tank (120x45x45cm - 240l) it needs a lot more.


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## ceg4048

Hi Mike,
            Rule number 1 is that Light causes algae, so reducing light will ALWAYS help to reduce algae. Will it solve the problem completely? Maybe not but reducing the light intensity is an important first step. It lowers the stress and makes all the other things you do more effective.

The 10X rule is based on filter ratings and takes into account media and all the things that cause drag. The rule is aware of filters only delivering half it's rated flow, otherwise it would be the 5X rule.

 240 x 10 = 2400LPH target flow rate. 1700+1350 = 3050LPH so this is fine.

As you mention, the problem might be the reactor, but only if the spud is the old type 12mm diameter. If it is the new type, 16mm then this will be the same diameter as the filter spud and the flow reduction will not be a major factor other than the bioballs inside, so yes, you have a point, he might remove the balls to improve flow. That's a good idea. :idea: 

Cheers,


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## clonitza

You're right, thought he was using standard lighting that's 2x54w instead of 4x54w he's currently using. Halving it should be fine considering the height of 45cm.

Regarding filters, different brands have different head output, pump power. I mean my Eheim Ecco 300 700l/h has half the output compared with my JBL e700 700l/h even when using half media in the Eheim so I had to replace it. I think the 10x rule is OK for cube tanks for long shallow tanks needs a bit of tweaking. When using the single classic output if the plants below the output bend gently in the flow than the water circulation is alright.


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## um02122

Hi, can anybody advise on the active substance?
If it is LaCl3, then it is controlling algae by removing phosphate.
This would make it not an algicide, as it doesn't kill algae directly.


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