Die Algae DIE....Dracarys!!!!!

[serwobow]

The normal recommended dose of flucon worked for my bryopsis - took 7-14 days.
The flucon also took care of my green hair algae, but that took about a month. I couldn't believe it, but it worked. That was 5 months ago, and nothing came back.
But, I also had a healthy population of about 5 emerald crabs and 10 turbo snails in a 50 gallon.
So, that combination is my recommended treatment. I dont think nutrient control is the answer, actually. Plenty of beautiful algae free tanks have high nutrients. Snails are your friends.

 

[JCRove06]

So I guess I’m not using the sponge anymore.

I’ll use the rock rubble, gfo, carbon, and what about the Oda that are similar to the poly filter pads? Are those acceptable?

 

[JCRove06]

So don’t use the sponge in either hob?

I can put rubble, chaeto, gfo and carbon no problem. I have a roll of the fine filter pads that feel like poly filter pads. I like to use them to “polish the water” removing fine particles. Replace em every month or so?

 

[laverda]

You need a way of removing the nutrients from your tank. Any sponge, filter pad of floss does a great job of catching that stuff, but it then sits it here braking down to nitrate and phosphate, until you clean them. Cleaning monthly means they are producing nitrates for 28, 29 or even 30 days. In most cases cleaning them every 3 days will reduce your excess nutrient levels over time. Cleaning day would be better I imagine, but no one has the time for that. Weekly is not often enough for most tanks. Most people with canister filters only clean them when the flow becomes reduced.

 

[SDK]

Just to illustrate the above point by Laverda, see the below pic. I’m holding some clean floss next to the floss cup in my Nuvo 10. I changed it Thursday evening so it collected that much waste in less than 48 hours. I change floss every two days and use a skimmer.

With a weekly 10% water change, my values naturally hover around 2-4 ppm NO3 and and .01-.02 ppm PO4.

 

[JCRove06]

Well shoot....I started this thread to see about doubling down on Fluconazole and learned more than I thought I would.

I decided to make a refugium using a fluval 70 gallon HOB filter and a DIY skimmer after watching the DIY guy.

I have chaeto and I’m using the ceramic balls for now. What the difference between that and small rock?

 

[Tastee]

My battle with GHA has ultimately come down the the word I see most frequently quoted on the forums - patience. Fluconazole however was one of the significant aids.

I started my tank 19 months ago (Oct 17). 65g RSR 250. In month 6 I decided the GHA was becoming an issue so I started asking questions and researching. Initially I thought high phosphates were the problem so I tried PhosGuard. That didn’t seem to reduce the Phosphates so I started dosing LC. Around month 10 I realised I had a bad test kit (Red Sea Phosphate Pro) reading higher Phosphates than I really had. Unfortunately by then I had killed a Torch.

I then got a new Red Sea Algae Pro kit and started paying more attention to both NO3 and PO4. I dosed NoPoX to lower them (they weren’t that high but at the time I thought this was the solution). Unfortunately the GHA kept growing and was starting to outcompete some of my corals. In hindsight the levels were probably a little high, but not too bad and perhaps didn’t need lowering at all.

In Feb this year I tried Reef Flux. I was still dosing NoPoX at the time even though NO3 and PO4 were pretty much zero. Initially some GHA died but then it started to look healthy again. At the suggestion of a very helpful member of this forum a couple of weeks later (stop chasing numbers) I halted the NoPoX dosing. The suggestion was that the NoPoX was actually feeding the algae and in hindsight I think that was correct. I’m not saying NoPox is an algae food, but when NO3 and PO4 are low then continuing to dose it is not a good idea.

Ever since then things have been continually improving. 90% of the GHA is gone and the corals are really looking good. NO3 and PO4 continue to stay quite low. I am actually feeding more heavily than I was to keep them at measurable levels.

I think the Fluc was a big help and did knock the GHA down. Once it starts to thrive it seems hard to get rid of. But this needed a good nutrient balance as well to get things into the shape I wanted - not no nutrients, but a good balance.

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

Are you running any uv steralizers? I don’t mean the cheap uvc clarifiers (although they would help a lot). But a level one or 2 stage uv definitely would get rid of that algae in your tank.

 

[JCRove06]

Hello,

Are you running any uv steralizers? I don’t mean the cheap uvc clarifiers (although they would help a lot). But a level one or 2 stage uv definitely would get rid of that algae in your tank.

No I’m not. I’m going to see how this Fluconazole works out. Its day 7 and I think it’ is working a bit. I’ll likely do a big watt change @ about 50% and dose it again. Then take it from there.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I don't see any clean up crew (snails, etc) in any of your pics.
Invest in a clean up crew and a lawnmower or algae Blenny. Pincushion sea urchins also would help. Chemical wise, try Vibrant but use it cautiously

 

[Stigigemla]

I think Your tank looks good. I dont see an algae problem. Maybe there is signs of its coming but no today. Its growing algae on the reefs all over the world so it is just natural.
I would just add a few Urchins to take those.

 

[JacquieBeginnerReef]

Ok so unfortunately I don’t have an iron born ocean going dragon with a thirst for pest algae. I have the next best thing. The internet and R2R where guys that are a lot smarter than me have been there, done that, and come out on the other side stronger.

I dosed a 50 gallon fluconazole treatment for my 40 gallon tank on 5.11.19 in the evening. So as of now it’s been 5 days. I’m not including 24 hours for the 11th because I dosed around 10:30. The thing is I’m not seeing white tips or much change.

I’ve read that fluconazole doesn’t affect coral, fish, and vertebrae which has been the case so far.

My question is...it’s day 5 can I dose another 50 gallon dose? This way I can hopefully nip this In the bud, do a big water change after/siphoning, and get all my carbon etc back in my filters.

Don’t have advice as I have the same issue as you - but I’d try the dragon for sure over a turkey baster. I think it might actually work

 

[LesPoissons]

Sounds like you have a lot of the mechanical changes down. I had the same issue when I overded coral for a couple months. I tried fluconazole with 0% success. It didnt affect my green hair algae in the slightest What has worked for me:
1.remove as much by hand as possible
2. Increase clean up crew- snails hermits urchins, as well as algae blenny and tang
3. Switch to blue lights only for a month
4. Increase flow/blow off rocks

 

[JCRove06]

I haven’t tried the the blue light thing yet. I have about 7 hermits, 7 snails (one’s a huge “Mexican” snail about the size of a golf ball). I went to get an urchin but they said it could eat the coraline algae. Could it be that I need to get that specific type of urchin?

 

[Rich Klein]

Do not use chemicals or antimicrobial medications to try to battle algae in a reef tank. You have a nutrient problem and those algae are simply opportunistic residents that are there to consume the nutrients on your rocks and in your water. Fluconazole is an antifungal medication developed for humans with fungal infections. It makes no sense to put it in a reef tank to fight algae. All you're doing is screwing up the ecology of your system by using that. Our tanks have to undergo a process known as succession, similar to how a bare field of dirt will go through various stages of growth and eventually become a forest if left alone for long enough. Our tanks do the same thing. We start with dead rock (most of the time) and various organisms have to settle in at different stages until eventually a sort of ecological homeostasis is reached and you have a mature tank.
Skim heavily, change your water often, use a turkey baster to blast your rock work regularly, increase the flow in your tank, add more snails, tangs, or other herbivores, consider growing chaeto in a remote fuge, and then, most important of all, be patient. Your tank will eventually be clean and growing coralline algae instead of the ugly stuff. Best of luck
BTW, I love the GOT reference, I chuckled a bit when I read your title

+1 - hatfielj IMO gave the right answer. The tank should eventually balance itself, unless we are not patient enough and mess with chemical treatments, blackouts and other stuff that interferes with the natural processes. I learned it the hard way (2 rounds of Dino). I would only add that I found that hand removal, and using a toothbrush to remove the roots of the algae helps the process along.

 

[PJNANO]

Fluconozol works great for Bryopsis, which I don't believe you have. Will also work on hair algae but takes a little longer. I recently went through an algae growth spurt due to a few months of neglect due to heavy work schedule. I did a 50% water change, changed the filter media, carbon and gfo and then a 3 day total blackout. All signs of cyano and dinos were gone and hair algae severely died back. Did another 50% water change and changed filter floss. I also cut back on my light schedule and intensity. The tank looks much better and corals that were being choked out by algae are starting to recover. Good luck

 

[TetoCCB]

Fluconozol works great for Bryopsis, which I don't believe you have. Will also work on hair algae but takes a little longer. I recently went through an algae growth spurt due to a few months of neglect due to heavy work schedule. I did a 50% water change, changed the filter media, carbon and gfo and then a 3 day total blackout. All signs of cyano and dinos were gone and hair algae severely died back. Did another 50% water change and changed filter floss. I also cut back on my light schedule and intensity. The tank looks much better and corals that were being choked out by algae are starting to recover. Good luck

Does Fluconozol wipe out the food supply for pods as Vibrant does?...

 

[PJNANO]

Does Fluconozol wipe out the food supply for pods as Vibrant does?...

Sorry, I can't answer this as I never really had a pod population to begin with

 

[puffy127]

Is algae a fish disease?

 

[JCRove06]

I showed pictures to a local reefer who sells coral online and a couple lfs. They said the algae which caught micro bubbles and was more branch like than hair alga, in that it didn’t sway as much in the current, was bryopsis.
The reefer and lfs store said Fluconazole has been shown to really help and online videos seem to support this. While I’d prefer not to dose chemicals etc, I felt it was getting out of hand and didn’t want it to get worse while taking the less nutrient approach over time.

That being said I understand this is the best approach and have taken steps to go down that road with what seems to be a jump start with Fluconazole. I’ve noticed the rock work is starting to shed algae and algae in general has decreased throughout. I did have to move some newer frags. The frogspawn and torch seemed to react poorly and all my fish are floating upside down and don’t seem to be hungry or active anymore. Luckily they do seem well rested.

Just kidding about that last part. I use RO water for top off and LFS saltwater. I’ll likely get an rodi in a month or two.