Help, fluconizole didn't work in my refugium!

[csb123]

I had a moderate infestation of bryopsis in my 300 gal display and 60 gal refugium. 3 weeks ago I did a 20mg/gal fluconazole treatment. It wiped out all traces of bryopsis in the display but only reduced it by 50% in the refugium. Last week I did a water change and redosed the same amount. As of now it has had only a modest effect.

The refugium has lower light intensity (T5's) and lower flow than the display. It also has no fish in it.

Water parameters: alk 7.5 ,Ca 410, po4 0.03, nitrate 3, Mg 1850, pH 8.1

 

[prsnlty]

Wow your mg is high...
Is there a way to temporarily cut off the fuge from the system and shine some extra light into it?

If so, isolate the fuge, add extra lighting directed at the bryopsis, put a small powerhead in it to create some flow ( it doesn't need to be blasting just enough to circulate) Then only treat the fuge with fluconazole. Leave it like this for an hour or so (or as long as you can get away with it would be best). I think your DT out competed the fuge.

 

[csb123]

Sorry, the Mg is a typo. It's actually 1350.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Wow your mg is high...
Is there a way to temporarily cut off the fuge from the system and shine some extra light into it?

If so, isolate the fuge, add extra lighting directed at the bryopsis, put a small powerhead in it to create some flow ( it doesn't need to be blasting just enough to circulate) Then only treat the fuge with fluconazole. Leave it like this for an hour or so (or as long as you can get away with it would be best). I think your DT out competed the fuge.

Outcompeted it for what? Fluconazole? Why would that be? Why do you think light is critical? (it might be, but I've not heard that). Fluconazole isn't a nutrient that is taken up.

That said, I do agree that closing off the refugium and hitting it again, maybe even with a higher dose, is a fine way to go. You should be able to close it off for a day or longer.

 

[csb123]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll increase light a flow and see what's happens for the next week.

 

[prsnlty]

Outcompeted it for what? Fluconazole? Why would that be? Why do you think light is critical? (it might be, but I've not heard that). Fluconazole isn't a nutrient that is taken up.

That said, I do agree that closing off the refugium and hitting it again, maybe even with a higher dose, is a fine way to go. You should be able to close it off for a day or longer.

We found that lower lit areas dont do as well as well lit locations. When a light source is added to lower lit areas it dies at or almost at the same rate as well lit locations.

He dosed the whole system the first time from the DT as I understand it. I think there may not have been enough meds to make it to the fuge and/or that the dt algae soaked up the available dose. We have noticed this to be true on heavily bryopsis and especially green hair algae systems infestations. Mine included. ("Out compete" may not have been the correct choice of words)

 

[samparker]

Outcompeted it for what? Fluconazole? Why would that be? Why do you think light is critical? (it might be, but I've not heard that). Fluconazole isn't a nutrient that is taken up.

That said, I do agree that closing off the refugium and hitting it again, maybe even with a higher dose, is a fine way to go. You should be able to close it off for a day or longer.

Probably meant that the dosage wasn't strong enough as the DT was connected which would dilute the medication across the entire water volume.

 

[csb123]

The half the second dose was put in the refugium.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Blast your fuge with more lights. More lights + flucanazole = faster dying bryposis

 

[csb123]

I have a grow light from an aborted ATS project. I'll give that a try.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Light relationship with flucanazole treatment success:-

Bryopsis is a plant, it need lights for photosynthesis. More lights, more photosynthesis, more nutrients uptake. The amount of whatever element in flucanazole being consumed by bryopsis increases with photosynthesis, so it dies faster. Maybe that element is bonded with something in the water column, and being mistakenly indentified by bryopsis as extra food. I am not chemist nor biologist but there must be a logical answer to it, in chemistry forms which I don't have a clue at all

 

[prsnlty]

Light relationship with flucanazole treatment success:-

Bryopsis is a plant, it need lights for photosynthesis. More lights, more photosynthesis, more nutrients uptake. The amount of whatever element in flucanazole being consumed by bryopsis increases with photosynthesis, so it dies faster. Maybe that element is bonded with something in the water column, and being mistakenly indentified by bryopsis as extra food. I am not chemist nor biologist but there must be a logical answer to it, in chemistry forms which I don't have a clue at all

+1 Yes, this is what we have been seeing consistently from the very beginning. The first sign of decay is closest to the light source and that which is in the shadows or furthest from the lights is last to go.

Everywhere that was last to go in my case left roots behind once the medication was used up. I will be rounding up my clip on desk lamps lol

 

[Donovan Joannes]

+1 Yes, this is what we have been seeing consistently from the very beginning. The first sign of decay is closest to the light source and that which is in the shadows or furthest from the lights is last to go.

Everywhere that was last to go in my case left roots behind once the medication was used up. I will be rounding up my clip on desk lamps lol

Your SPS should grow exponentially from now on with that clips

 

[Ocean Lotion]

Outcompeted it for what? Fluconazole? Why would that be? Why do you think light is critical? (it might be, but I've not heard that). Fluconazole isn't a nutrient that is taken up.

That said, I do agree that closing off the refugium and hitting it again, maybe even with a higher dose, is a fine way to go. You should be able to close it off for a day or longer.

My tank did the same thing. Dt gha was killed by 2 doses of fluconazole while the gha in refugium was unaffected. I am going to shut off my fuge from dt, circulate water in the sump and treat the sump adding light to it to mimic what worked in the dt.

 

[Sabellafella]

I had a moderate infestation of bryopsis in my 300 gal display and 60 gal refugium. 3 weeks ago I did a 20mg/gal fluconazole treatment. It wiped out all traces of bryopsis in the display but only reduced it by 50% in the refugium. Last week I did a water change and redosed the same amount. As of now it has had only a modest effect.

The refugium has lower light intensity (T5's) and lower flow than the display. It also has no fish in it.

Water parameters: alk 7.5 ,Ca 410, po4 0.03, nitrate 3, Mg 1850, pH 8.1

If its in your fuge, might be easier to just go in and pull it out.

 

[prsnlty]

Fluconazole isn't a nutrient that is taken up.

It might not be but the algae 'behaves' like it is taking it up IMO. A few days after my initial dose when the tips began to lighten, I pulled some algae off 2 rocks as an experiment to see what would come of it - if anything. I didn't leave much behind compared to the other rocks. These same 2 locations were the very last to die off. It would seem as the tips took up the meds and then it has to go to the root. On the 2 rocks I pulled all of the medicated tips off.

This would be a FANTASTIC experiment to see under a microscope from start to finish [emoji2]

 

[Jose Mayo]

The genus Bryopsidales (bryopsis, derbesia, caulerpa, ulva, codium, halimeda) are algae with a cenocytic cell structure, do not have complete cell division and all algae functions as a single cell. Fluconazole blocks the synthesis of "new ergosterol," but does not remove ergosterol that is already on the cell wall. The alga has to grow (form more wall) so that, in the absence of ergosterol, this "new wall" is fragile and allows the environment to penetrate the cell and disorganize it ... so bryopsis "begins to die" by the growth tips and the disorganization is "top-down" in the filaments, until it becomes complete.

Strong hug

 

[csb123]

So would you think it unwise to to pull incompletely dead/dying clumps?

 

[Rjramos]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned since I chimed in and read. Do these refugiums contain substrate, mud, sand, mixed, or bare bottom? Cause like someone mentioned, you could get your good macro algae out, clean it, clean the refugium, clear out the bryopsis, and start again. I run miracle mud in my refugiums and it would probably be a good time after treatment with fluconazole, to change 50% of the substrate. Reducing the long-term nutrient sink effect of the substrate.

 

[Jose Mayo]

So would you think it unwise to to pull incompletely dead/dying clumps?

Yes!
You would be pruning the "sick part" and favoring the recovery of the seaweed, which delays the process.
Strong hug!