The smarter way to treat algae.
Especially effective algae control for BBA, hair/string/fuzz and most forms of filamentous algae.
Gently biodegrades completely.
Spot-dose up to 1ml per 10L every 24 hours.
Our Standard 300ml Pack comes with a calibrated spot-dosing pipette.
3% Epoxy Adelhydes
Power meets intelligence. The best algae treatment ever.
Above: single spot-dose of APT Fix. By Day 2, inactive BBA usually changes color to red and/or white. By Day 7, the leaf is now mostly free of algae.
Above: single spot-dosage of APT Fix via the drain-dose method. By Day 2, hair-algae has lost some color. By Day 5, all the hair algae has been deactivated.
This is an effective approach for removing algae on hardscape: wood and rocks. Avoid this method for plants.
This is our usual approach to treat algae on plants. Always pause the filter during spot-dosing. Avoid this method for treating algae on Mosses, Liverworts (Riccardia and Riccia etc.) and Vallisneria (Tape Grass).
If you have alot of areas to cover, you can exceed the 1ml per 10L limit. Spot-dose on affected areas, and perform a 50% water change after spot-dosing.
Yes, but this approach is alot less effective than spot-dosing or drain-dosing.
If your tank looks like the picture below, APT FIX will not make any visible / meaningful difference. You can use a copper-based algicide, which will indeed kill all the algae. However it will also destroy the tank's bacterial colony and other plants. For such a tank, we recommend a reset.
Yes. It is an effective treatment algae control for cyanobacteria / BGA.
APT FIX contains a proprietary formulation of epoxy aldehydes.
The aldehyde components are protein crosslinkers that deactivate algae cells by binding to their proteins. The active component activates in water, but is quickly broken down by biological microbial action, resulting in no bio-accumulation in the aquarium ecosystem in the long run. This enables APT FIX to be a safe and effective inhibitor for various freshwater algae.
APT Fix biodegrades naturally over 24 hours. So you can repeat the recommended dosage very 24 hours.
Option 1: You can exceed the 1ml per 10L recommendation to cover all areas, and do a large (50%-70%) water change after that. Be careful to use dechlorinated water.
Option 2: You can spot-dose on 1 area today, and another area the next day. Do this over as many days as you need to cover all areas. Generally a single spot-dose will be effective for any particular area. This method is slower can can be used if you are keeping more sensitive livestock.
If you are introducing new plants, or have taken out your existing plants to re-plant, you can dip your plants in an APT Fix solution before planting:
1. Create a 5% APT Fix Solution by adding 20 parts water to 1 part APT Fix.
2. Dip plants in Solution for around 10 seconds, not more.
As usual, remember not to let the plants dry out.
The most effective way to avoid new-tank algae problems is to properly cycle the tank before planting and introducing fish.
Inadequate Cycling often results in Diatoms ( brown fuzz on the edges of leaves or thin, brownish spider-web like strands) or Green Water ( which is triggered by excess organic waste).
Read this post on tackling algae in new tanks.
While APT Fix will work against these forms of algae, it is better to simply have patience (in the case of Diatoms) or review the causes of Green Water as we describe in our guide below on the different types of algae.
Within the recommended dosage, no.
The exception? Plants that are already very weak.
Both algae and the plants will be similarly affected in such a case.
Also, avoid spot-dosing on Mosses, Liverworts (Riccardia and Riccia etc.) and Vallisneria (Tape Grass) as their cell structures are much more similar to algae than other plants and are therefore more susceptible to being affected.
Perhaps. FIX gives plants a temporary unfair advantage against algae, and this helps them recover.
However, plants that are already very weak may not benefit. In fact, FIX may affect them the same way as it impacts algae.
In a very mature tank, the signs that your plants may be very weak include:
a) Very little, or no new leaves over long periods.
b) Widespread algae on leaves.
c) Melting leaves.
Overall they might still look 'OK' but are extremely fragile. In such cases, FIX might affect them the way way it impacts algae.
As a rule, old leaves do not recover as plants channel their energies towards new growth and naturally discard older stems and leaves. You can rid the older leaves of algae, and delay their deterioration, but the leaves will generally not regain coloration or sheen. For most aquatic plants, long term tank maintenance involves routine replanting of the healthy tops, and removing old stems and roots.
APT Fix does not harm healthy fish, shrimp and other livestock within its recommended dosage. Of course, if you keep very sensitive livestock, you should avoid all products that give you any concern.
APT Fix should be clear / grey in colour. During production, a purple dye is added as part of the manufacturing process, but fades quickly. If your bottle appears purple or off-white, don't worry- the colour would fade soon. The efficacy of the product is not affected by the change in colour.
APT Fix should be used within 2 years of opening / first use.
I tried hydrogen peroxide, bleaching decorations, and reducing lighting to get rid of the dreaded black beard algae (bba). Nothing worked, until I used APT fix! This product really does work. I spot dosed with the filter off. I allowed it to sit approximately 30 minutes, then I performed a water changed. For the next week, I spot dosed areas of the tank, every other day. The bba turned a red or white when it was dead, this allowed my to see areas that had not been spot dosed. I also diligently removed any dead or severely algae infested leaves. It even worked on the green algae that was growing in my sand pond in the tank. I always keep a bottle handy, in case I see new areas of bba showing up.
I started my aquascaping since 2005, with years of experience, i never worry about algae, until around 5 years ago i met one type of filamentous algae - Spirilla like. It almost ruined my hobby. I put this algae to many small clear transparent glass, each treated with difference brand of algae treatments in very high dosage to see which brand is effective . Only 2Hr Aquarist APT Fix is working. With all other brands (include the famous Seachem Excel) , this algae is still growing under sunlight. Dumb up for APT For this super algae, i find 1x-2x only effectively control its growth, it took 5x overdose to eliminate this particular type of algae, and require few more treatment every few days (though you can reduce the dosage). Take note that for this high dosage it will **** your fish, for any overdose treatment, remember to put Air stone for your fish, for 3x overdose treatment and above, please move out your fish first.
My tank has been suffering from green hair algae for three weeks and I was at my wit's end. It was until I used this APT Fix to deal with the problem. You may see some unhealthy plants dying as well but it is compensated for the fact that most of the algae dies as well. My tank is not completely free of algae now but it has helped me with balancing the tank tremendously. The best part is that I still have so much left of APT Fix that I can use anytime I need to deal with a sudden algae outbreak. All I can say is, 2Hr Aquarist products always meet my expectations and I do not expect nothing less from them. 5 out of 5.
This product is the ONLY product that has successfully and safely cut back my algae as a quick fix. I will say pay close attention because it's not wrong when it says melting Vals and Sags. I'm very impressed. And no fish even slightly bothered.
Questions on usage, dosage or your tank? Let us know.