Chris A.
Formally toomanyfish
I also saw a bigger dent in algae where they got more light vs shaded if that helps any.
Fluconazole/Vibrant/dosing vs. hair algae!
- Thread starter thrillreefer
- Start date
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thrillreefer
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Yeah that’s a good point, my understanding of how fluconazole kills the algae is by overcharging their metabolism. So that would jive with more light increasing the effect. Maybe I’m premature in reducing my photoperiod then
rock-n-reef
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thrillreefer
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The doubled dosage seems to be helping, good call! Definitely the GHA is hurting now. Looks brown in many places and I can see quite a bit on my filter floss and tangled into the Gracilaria. And it was much easier to pull off my hammers etc. I have more fluconazole, maybe I’ll go higher... Really no adverse effects visible, corals, inverts, fish and macros all happy. Nice!
Good to hear! Ill be trying vibrant next week. Plan to clear out whatever is in my display and then run my santa monica scrubber in hopes that the new growth will stay in there. After my refugium light burn (literally) and hair algae took hold in the display, my cheato has not been able to out compete it.
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thrillreefer
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I've been researching DIY algae scrubbers for chamber 2 of my Evo. Have Chaeto growing in there now, but it doesn't seem to compete all that well with the algae. So why fight it? If the tank has nutrients to grow hair algae, why not just get it growing on a scrubber in the back instead of the display? A little easier said than done in such a small compartment, but I saw a thread on somebody using underwater scrubber in their Evo with an air pump keeping it constantly aerated. Got pretty good growth, though I'd be worried about salt creep with a ton of bubbles popping back there. Might be a longer term export solution if water changes alone aren't cutting it in a few months.
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thrillreefer
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4 week update
Got back from 9 days away to find the firefish is gone without a trace, and realized I improperly set up the new auto feeder. (Why would it even be possible to set feeding times with (default) zero action from the feeding drum??) Bummer. Clownfish seems unfazed, maybe killed or ate the firefish after it died, along with pod snacks?
But at least in part due to no food input for over a week, the hair algae looks far better! Probably 90% less at this point, mostly what’s left is more wiry turf algae, and small patches of hair. I’ve done about 50% water changes at this point, manually removing as much algae as possible, but leaving fluconazole at 13 mg/L. I think I’ll keep it up awhile longer since the corals don’t seem affected. (Xenia becoming the bigger nuisance soon.)
Got back from 9 days away to find the firefish is gone without a trace, and realized I improperly set up the new auto feeder. (Why would it even be possible to set feeding times with (default) zero action from the feeding drum??) Bummer. Clownfish seems unfazed, maybe killed or ate the firefish after it died, along with pod snacks?
But at least in part due to no food input for over a week, the hair algae looks far better! Probably 90% less at this point, mostly what’s left is more wiry turf algae, and small patches of hair. I’ve done about 50% water changes at this point, manually removing as much algae as possible, but leaving fluconazole at 13 mg/L. I think I’ll keep it up awhile longer since the corals don’t seem affected. (Xenia becoming the bigger nuisance soon.)
rock-n-reef
Well-Known Member
I have observed firefish go into hiding for weeks at a time and then surface back up. So there maybe a slight chance that it is still around. Good luck!
Keep the xenia growing and harvest it from time to time. Can work as natural nutrient export to compete with the GHA.
Keep the xenia growing and harvest it from time to time. Can work as natural nutrient export to compete with the GHA.
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thrillreefer
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Wow I guess fingers crossed on the fire fish. But it’s just not a very big tank so limited area for it to still be hiding.
Good call on the Xenia, as long as I can keep it mostly contained.
Good call on the Xenia, as long as I can keep it mostly contained.
Pretty good results! I used vibrant in my tank this month and within about five days pretty much all the hair algae was gone. Every day I basted the rocks too. Now I have my algae scrubber going and I am getting growth in there. Hopefully it stays contained! I wouldn’t stress over the firefish either. More than likely he will show up. Just make sure to check the area around the tank if jumped. I just had a zebra barred goby jump through a 1/4in gap.
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thrillreefer
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Wow that's even better and much faster than what I'm seeing! Dosing bacteria also seems far more natural (ocean-like) than dosing some random small molecule antifungal. I think I'll go another 2-4 weeks with fluconazole to let it run its course, then do some WC to get rid of it over another ~2 weeks, then see how the tank responds. If hair algae bounces back, then it's Vibrant next up. (and Xenia export)
Lurchin
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Glad you are having success. I had hair algae all over my rocks and back wall and used the Vibrant to treat. Now I am algae free. It took about 4-6 weeks. I bought an algae scrubber, but never had to install, since the algae never came back. I have a 75 gallon with sump.
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thrillreefer
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No dried firefish to be found, but hermits and brittle star seem to be spending more time near where the firefish used to hide out in the live rock...
My kiddos would be very excited if it showed up (as would I, feeling guilty for starving the poor fish), but...
I feel I'm much more prepared to teach them about the "circle of life" rather than miraculous re-appearances (partly because then they may expect the same when their grandparents' ailing dog finally goes)
My kiddos would be very excited if it showed up (as would I, feeling guilty for starving the poor fish), but...
I feel I'm much more prepared to teach them about the "circle of life" rather than miraculous re-appearances (partly because then they may expect the same when their grandparents' ailing dog finally goes)
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thrillreefer
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Bit of a double-edged sword here. Hair algae is way down, probably >95%, but the tank now seems to have developed an outbreak of dinoflagellates. Brown stringy coating on some surfaces, disappears overnight. Not a lot - yet.
I think I’ll shut down the fluconazole treatment now and maybe see if the algae rebounds a bit to compete with the dinos. Maybe this outbreak isn’t too surprising, since new test kits confirm no nitrate or phosphate in the water column but a bunch of hair algae went somewhere. Well, some siphoned etc., but not all.
To fight dinos, these are the tactics I’ve gathered:
Manual removal, raise NO3 and PO4 a bit to favor algae/macros, blackout for a few days, clean filter floss every AM since they break up overnight, possibly UV sterilizer could help, and dose phytoplankton and/or heterotrophic bacteria. What am I missing? Any new clean up crew? I guess that’s the photo/bacteria...
I’ll swap Phosban for carbon, should take out the fluconazole and let phosphate come up. WC not advised during dino outbreak?
I think I’ll shut down the fluconazole treatment now and maybe see if the algae rebounds a bit to compete with the dinos. Maybe this outbreak isn’t too surprising, since new test kits confirm no nitrate or phosphate in the water column but a bunch of hair algae went somewhere. Well, some siphoned etc., but not all.
To fight dinos, these are the tactics I’ve gathered:
Manual removal, raise NO3 and PO4 a bit to favor algae/macros, blackout for a few days, clean filter floss every AM since they break up overnight, possibly UV sterilizer could help, and dose phytoplankton and/or heterotrophic bacteria. What am I missing? Any new clean up crew? I guess that’s the photo/bacteria...
I’ll swap Phosban for carbon, should take out the fluconazole and let phosphate come up. WC not advised during dino outbreak?
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thrillreefer
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Noticing a bit of cyano on a few rocks too, thicker slightly spongy kind. But I’m pretty convinced this brown stuff is dinos. What did yours look like?
reddish just like cyano, chemiclean wiped it out quick and easy
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thrillreefer
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Nitrate dosing. Tank is ~12 gal * 3.78 = 45 L
NaNO3 is 73% NO3 by mass so to raise tank NO3 by 1 ppm: 45/0.73 = 62 mg NaNO3
To make it simple, I wanted each mL stock solution added to raise NO3 by 1 ppm, so 62 mg/mL stock
In 50 mL = 62*50 = 3100 mg so 3.1 g NaNO3 in 50 mL, which is well within the solubility limit. Borrowed a bit from my lab and away we go.
Test before dosing (Salifert): 0 ppm
Dosed 2 mL and waited about 30 mins to disperse in the water column
Test after dosing: faint pink, looks pretty close to 25 ppm on the high sensitivity scale, divide by 10 I'd say it's right on the money at 2 ppm. Nice when that works out!
Will watch for any response, and try to test again in 24 hrs to see how quickly it gets used up
NaNO3 is 73% NO3 by mass so to raise tank NO3 by 1 ppm: 45/0.73 = 62 mg NaNO3
To make it simple, I wanted each mL stock solution added to raise NO3 by 1 ppm, so 62 mg/mL stock
In 50 mL = 62*50 = 3100 mg so 3.1 g NaNO3 in 50 mL, which is well within the solubility limit. Borrowed a bit from my lab and away we go.
Test before dosing (Salifert): 0 ppm
Dosed 2 mL and waited about 30 mins to disperse in the water column
Test after dosing: faint pink, looks pretty close to 25 ppm on the high sensitivity scale, divide by 10 I'd say it's right on the money at 2 ppm. Nice when that works out!
Will watch for any response, and try to test again in 24 hrs to see how quickly it gets used up
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thrillreefer
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I think I was starving my tank! Started also dosing phosphate (KH2PO4) about a week ago. Targeting 0.05 - 0.1 ppm phosphate and 3-5 ppm nitrate. Corals have visibly opened up more more, and coralline is coloring up/appearing on the glass. Dinos are pretty much gone, but hair algae is coming back at a medium rate. A multi cyano outbreak has started (red, green and black), mostly on the sandbed and a couple rocks. I got some Vibrant (thanks @bwils !) and added the first yesterday, so waiting to see what happens there.
Interesting issue with some zoas, which went from happy and open to closed and losing color in about 2 days. I caught a bunch of Gammarus amphipods swarming the zoas at night, really looked to be picking at and eating them! I built a little frag rack and stuck the zoas up there, where the amphipods can't climb. After a few days the zoas are opening back up... do Gammarus eat zoas?! I'm curious what will happen when I put them back on the rocks.
Interesting issue with some zoas, which went from happy and open to closed and losing color in about 2 days. I caught a bunch of Gammarus amphipods swarming the zoas at night, really looked to be picking at and eating them! I built a little frag rack and stuck the zoas up there, where the amphipods can't climb. After a few days the zoas are opening back up... do Gammarus eat zoas?! I'm curious what will happen when I put them back on the rocks.
