I picked this stuff up after going through 3 algae blooms in my 10-gallon tank (including one really bad one, couldn't see two inches past it, and the other two being much more tame).
Now, I've read MANY mixed reviews on this product before making my purchase, and I have one thing to say. This is basically Weed-B-Gone for aquatic environments. It's made to kill algae. It's safe for fish IF USED RESPONSIBLY.
We've treated two tanks with this stuff: a 60 gallon, and 10 gallon. No fish died.
The 60 gallon: heavily infested with algae, specifically the brown hair algae. Applied the recommended dose (1 tsp per 50 gallons, we did a full dose). In the tank live two Convict Ciclids, two loaches, two kissing gourami, one minnow, and one otocinclus catfish. The tank itself is very well established bacteria wise, and has an appropriate canister filter going with four sponges and bacteria media. The lights on it are low-light, with one low-light grower. NONE of the fish were affected in any way shape or form.
The 10 gallon: houses my one Oranda goldfish, along with 7-8 trumpet snails. Previously had ghost shrimp in it, but took them out prior to treatment, then ended up dying from separate causes (put three in a bowl, two died, the rest were killed by the stress of my goldfish chasing them and trying to eat them, I don't plan on getting any more, lol). As I stated above, went through three algae blooms/cycles before I bought this, and has an AquaClear 30gal. filter going with two sponges and bacteria media. The light on this one is a 96wat four tube grow light. The light penetrates a solid inch into the gravel, it's intense.
WHEN I DOSED MY 10 GALLON: bottle says 1ml/10 gallons. From what I'VE been personally taught from my boyfriend (his 60 gallon has been running for 10+ years with absolutely no problems), the more gravel that is in the tank, less water; resulting in a smaller dose. I put HALF of 1 ML in the tank. My goldfish is UNAFFECTED, and my snails are as happy as could be cruising around. After repeated dosages, and even one dose being a full dose, my fish is fine. And now after about two weeks, I've seen NO new algae growth, AT ALL. I'm going to continue treating the tank, as it is planted and the algae has taken a liking to the plants, but as far as I can say, nothing has perished in my tank using this product, other than algae.
With more heavily infested tanks: from the 60 gallon, it's petrifying to watch. When you treat it, the water will cloud up almost IMMEDIATELY. And it is and was scary to see it happen so fast. It was back to normal clarity overnight.
Further research into this also relieved that the chemical diminishes in 24 hours, being completely gone by 48 hours. Example: I haven't changed the water in my 10 gallon since I've started using it. By the amount of chemical I've put in, I'm positive my fish would've been long gone by now. But he's still in perfect shape and health.
Everything being said: use this with CAUTION! This is not a magical algae fix (well, was for us....), this is made to kill algae, and I'm sure with inappropriate usage, will kill a lot more than algae, including what is printed on the label. When you put this in your tank, the amount used is VERY important. Algae is still a living plant, living plants produce oxygen, if you have enough algae and do a large enough dose of this stuff it will have such an immediate impact that you will BASICALLY suffocate all of your fish.
If you have any doubts about getting this product, find something else. And if you get it, use your brain. It's easy to over-dose, and some things just don't work with some people. In my case, I began with a half dose, because my tank is one of the fairly smaller ones, and I wanted to see just how my fish reacted to it. I gave it a day, then repeated the half dose, waited, continued with a full dose over the course of a week and a half. It's not the products fault, as it's working BEAUTIFULLY for our own tanks and MANY others.
ETA: After moving twice and unfortunately losing my entire colony of snails, I've finally got only my 10 gal up and running as a snail tank right now. (It did have a Beta in it, but he passed away.) It was having some problems with Algae, so I slapped some of this in it, with previous encounters working just fine I didn't have a second thought.
When I had lost my Malaysian Trumpet snail colony, I searched high and low to get some more and restart. I did, but the Malaysians I have now are.... different from the other Malaysians I had preciously (these are longer, have a sharper pointed shell, and are overall lighter--my previous ones were darker, larger in width, and had a more blunt pointed shell)--my new Trumpets reacted to this product, and after monitoring them for about 20 minutes and quick reacting, was able to save most of them and get the Algaefix out of the water.
I don't know if these snails are just a slightly different variety of Malaysian Trumpets (the physical appearance tells me they DEFIANTLY are, but I haven't researched deep enough to be sure) but they are EXTREMELY SENSITIVE to this, and WILL kill them. So if you have ANY kind of crustacean/snail, USE WITH CAUTION! I can safely say that if you have my first "variety" of MTS, they're cool with it, but this second colony threw me for a huge loop.
ETA 1/5/2015
My 10 gal planted became heavily infested with pest snails that came with a Banana plant, and I can safely say, large doses of this promptly got rid of all of them. (One large initial dose with filter off, then two more large doses after that 2 ~ 3 days apart!)
API ALGAEFIX Algae Control 16-Ounce Bottle
4.2 | 13,961 ratings
Price: 15.75
Last update: 12-29-2024
About this item
Contains one (1) API ALGAEFIX Algae Control 16-Ounce Bottle
Controls algae growth and keeps aquarium glass, ornaments and plants clean
Fast-acting and effective on "green water" algae blooms, string or hair algae
Will not harm fish and plants when used as directed
Dose every three days until algae is under control then dose weekly
Controls algae growth and keeps aquarium glass, ornaments and plants clean
Fast-acting and effective on "green water" algae blooms, string or hair algae
Will not harm fish and plants when used as directed
Dose every three days until algae is under control then dose weekly
Product information
| Item Weight | 3.2 ounces |
|---|---|
| Department | Conditioners & Additives |
| Manufacturer | Mars Fishcare |
| ASIN | B003SNDNQ4 |
| Country of Origin | USA |
| Item model number | 87E |
| Customer Reviews |
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars
8,527 ratings
4.3 out of 5 stars |
| Date First Available | September 21, 2007 |
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 8.43 x 2.28 x 2.24 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 2 x 2 x 6 inches |
| Item Weight | 3.2 ounces |
| Brand Name | API |
| Target Audience Keyword | fish, dogs |
| Directions | It is a violation of federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling. Do not overdose. Add 1 ml for each 10 gallons (38 L) or 5 ml for each 50 gallons (190 L) of water. Repeat dose every three days until algae is controlled. Siphon or scrape any dead algae from aquarium. Once algae growth is under control, add one dose per week. Weekly doses will control algae growth and reduce aquarium maintenance. Caution: do not use with freshwater crustaceans, including shrimp, crabs, and lobsters. Will not harm fish or plants when used as directed. |
| Country of Origin | United States |
| Warranty Description | Warranty |
| Model Name | API ALGAEFIX Algae Control 16-Ounce Bottle |
| Color | Moon Glow |
| Size | 16-Ounce |
| Material | Plastic |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer | Mars Fishcare |
| Style | Freshwater |
| Included Components | API ALGAEFIX Algae Control 16-Ounce Bottle |
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