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 treatments 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.
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.
Organic waste and decaying matter are top algae triggers.
Regularly change water the 2Hr Way and remove old/ decaying leaves.
Stem plants require replanting of the healthy tops after trimming once or twice. Old deteriorating stems invite algae to bloom.
The problem is that copper, like other heavy metals, accumulate over time and do long term damage to the tank's ecosystem.
Both APT Fix and APT FIXLITE use active compounds that biodegrade naturally over 12- 24hours, with no nasty residues.
The best natural defence against algae is a healthy dominant plant mass. 70% of a tank's substrate should be planted.
Tanks with large exposed, un-planted areas are far more susceptible to algae, in the same way that fertile open fields invite weeds to grow.
Yes, but this approach is alot less effective than spot-dosing or drain-dosing. We recommend spot-doing with the included pipette.
When plants suffer from overcrowding, they weaken and FIX / FIXLITE will not help. An example of overcrowding is shown here:
If your tank looks like the picture below, APT FIX / APT FIXLITE 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. Both APT FIX and APT FIXLITE are effective against cyanobacteria / BGA.
Go for APT FIXLITE if you have algae on Mosses, Liverworts (Riccardia, Riccia etc.) Vallisneria (Tape Grass) and more delicate plants (usually hybrids or rare species).
It is normal for algae to develop resistance over time. Nature is amazingly resilient, and they adapt! If APT FIXLITE does not work, try APT FIX. And vice versa.
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 FIXLITE contains a proprietary mix of carboxylic acids. These carboxylic acids selectively inhibit various processes in algae cells, while leaving higher order plants undisturbed due to their thicker cuticle layer. The active components react quickly with algae, but is quickly digested by natural microbes, with no accumulation of residues in the aquarium.
Both APT FIX and APT FIXLITE biodegrade naturally over 12- 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 / APT FIXLITE solution before planting:
1. Create a 5% solution by adding 20 parts water to 1 part APT FIX / APT FIXLITE.
2. Dip plants in solution for around 10 seconds, not more.
As usual, remember not to let the plants dry out.
APT FIX is generally stronger than APT FIXLITE, though either can be used.
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 and APT FIXLITE 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.
Avoid spot-dosing APT FIX 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. Use APT FIXLITE instead. It is gentler than APT FIX. However, already weak plants may still be affected, even with APT FIXLITE.
Perhaps. Both FIX and FIXLITE give 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 / FIX-LITE may affect them the same way as they 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 / FIX-LITE might affect them the way way they 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 / APT FIXLITE do not harm healthy fish, shrimp and other livestock within their recommended dosage. Do not spot-dose directly on livestock. 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, with slight sedimentation. During production, a purple- blue dye is added as part of the manufacturing process, but fades over time. If your bottle appears purple / turquoise / blue or off-white, don't worry- the colour would fade over time. The efficacy of the product is not affected by the change in colour.
APT FIX-LITE should be slight-pink in colour. Some sedimentation may take place in cold temperatures ( < 39F / 4C). If this occurs, keep the bottle at room temperature and shake vigorously for several minutes. Some sediment may remain- this does not affect the efficacy of the product.
APT FIX / APT FIXLITE should be used within 1 year of opening / first use.
These are not printed as the compounds used have technically indefinite shelf-life when stored properly per listed instructions.
However, once opened and exposed to the environment, fungi spores and microbes may lead to contamination.
The included pipette holds 3ml.
The volume on the 6 line markers are as follows:
When used according to instructions, APT FIX and APT FIXLITE are safe for fish, shrimp and other livestock.
However, biological interactions are complex, and if you experienced livestock death, it is possible that some combination of factors came together.
Please note:
Questions on usage, dosage or your tank? Let us know.