Ferts Killing Tetras?

[TorqueWorks]

Trying to figure out this one. After I put flourish, excel, and iron in my tank in the morning, I come home to a dead glow light tetra. Am I doing something wrong? I always put in the tank on the opposite side of the tank the fish are occupying.

[Fishguy2727]

Isn't Excel the one for nitrogen (nitrate)?

I think it may be more of a coincidence than it seems. Unless it keeps happening I wouldn't worry about it.

[Pamela_S.]

Excel is the one for Carbon.

I'm sorry about the loss of your fish, and i am sorry I don't have a suggestion as to why it happened.... How much of the ferts did you put in though?

[Lady Hobbs]

So glad to see your post because this confirms the same thing that has happened to me. I posted here not all that long ago that each time I dosed with Flourish (not Excel) I lost two fish. First it was a rasbora and a black skirt, then 2 black skirts, then 2 rasbora and finally 2 more black skirt. More than just a coincidence for me since I'd had all these fish for 2 years with never a loss of any of them.

I now dose with Flourish half doses twice a week rather than 1 dose once a week. I used one capful for my 55 gallon. No losses since.

I am also going back to Leaf Zone where I never had a loss of life.

[Pamela_S.]

Hmmmm..... I use the Flourish and the Excel and recently began the Iron and haven't had any fish loss.... I only dose about once or twice a week, and usually after water changes.

Maybe there is something else going on... could the ferts possibly be reacting to something that may be in the water causing the fish to die (since this has happened to more than one person)?

Now I am curious!

[The Wedge]

After that fish problem I had a little while back with my Cacatuoides...I was using excel and leaf zone at the time. Really similar. The only reason i use excel it seems to keep the hair algae at a minimum (It seems to work very well at that). I only add 2/3 the recommended dose of my API Leaf Zone...once a week right after the water change. I always do a 25 % water change. My plants are doing well. I just add my Leaf Zone a little of the dose at a time...so it isn't a big jolt to the biosphere.

[TorqueWorks]

Hmmmm..... I use the Flourish and the Excel and recently began the Iron and haven't had any fish loss.... I only dose about once or twice a week, and usually after water changes.

Maybe there is something else going on... could the ferts possibly be reacting to something that may be in the water causing the fish to die (since this has happened to more than one person)?

Now I am curious!

Good question. I am e-mailing Seachem about this.

[Lady Hobbs]

Oh don't worry. They'll say it can't be their product.

What gets me is these black skirts are hardy little devils. I have moved these guys from tank to tank so many times without ever even a stressed fish. Ticks me off to have stupid plants I lost some of them.

[Evil Slimy]

In my experience dosed in the recommended amounts they are both safe. Maybe they were overdosed by not taking into account a 20g tank doesn't contain 20g of water? Doesn't seem to be the case but it's all I can think of.
I seriously doubt it's a straight forward problem because there are thousands of people that have been using them for years and years in their planted tanks. If either really were the culprit it might be a weird interaction with pH or who knows what else....

[NickFish]

You should put the flourish right into your filter. Do not let it sit in the water, as soon as you put it in it should be mixed right up.

I do full doses of the entire Flourish line of products, flourish, excel, iron, tabs, and I have had no problems. In fact, I just last month starting doing full doses. I used to do 1/4, then 1/2, and now I'm doing full. Maybe you should build up to it.