Looking for feedback on macroalgae quarantine protocol

[ichthyogeek]

I'm working on designing a macroalgae quarantine protocol. Can I get some feedback on this? The goal is to get rid of common fish parasites/diseases: ich, velvet, brooklynella, flukes, uronema, internal parasites, and turbellarians, as well as hydroids in non-fish. Information is taken from Humble.Fish (Humblefish' website!) as well as seahorse.org

1. Acquire macroalgae, situate in small tank/bucket/water holding container (5-10 gallons).
2. Do a 100% water change every 48 hours for 14 days (total 7 water changes). Replacement water should contain metronidazole at 250 mg/10 gallons, and ideally should come from a nutrient heavy tank (ex. water change water from a system free of the above parasites). This should hopefully get rid of Uronema
3. Dose fenbendazole
4. Leave the macroalgae alone until the macroalgae has been isolated for a period of 77 days total. Do water changes when necessary to keep it healthy and growing, but don't add fish or anything else. This should get rid of everything else.

I'm confused about how much fenbendazole to dose to kill off hydroids, as well as how often. Does anybody have tips?

 

[Subsea]

Some macroalgae have symbiotic relationship with bacteria. Are any of the treatments that you are adding detrimental to bacteria?

Bacterial Banquet: What Ocean Algae Eat

Microscopic algae that eat free-floating bacteria in the open ocean.

www.livescience.com

[So abundant are the little algae that they alone devour between 40 percent and 95 percent of all the bacteria eaten in the top, sunlit layer of the ocean — the rest succumb to other kinds of unicellular beings.]


[That algae should depend to such an extent on bacterivory came as a surprise. Perhaps it's more efficient to assimilate nutrients concentrated in bacteria than diffused in seawater, Zubkov and Tarran suggest. Whatever the reason, ecologists will have to revise their models of marine food chains to account for algal appetites.]

The findings were detailed in the journal Nature.

 

[ichthyogeek]

Some macroalgae have symbiotic relationship with bacteria. Are any of the treatments that you are adding detrimental to bacteria?

Bacterial Banquet: What Ocean Algae Eat

Microscopic algae that eat free-floating bacteria in the open ocean.

www.livescience.com

[So abundant are the little algae that they alone devour between 40 percent and 95 percent of all the bacteria eaten in the top, sunlit layer of the ocean — the rest succumb to other kinds of unicellular beings.]


[That algae should depend to such an extent on bacterivory came as a surprise. Perhaps it's more efficient to assimilate nutrients concentrated in bacteria than diffused in seawater, Zubkov and Tarran suggest. Whatever the reason, ecologists will have to revise their models of marine food chains to account for algal appetites.]

The findings were detailed in the journal Nature.

Hmm....are there any articles on macroalgae and not microalgae/phytoplankton? The article you linked was for microalgae/phyto, and thus may not be relevant to my question on macroalgae.

The metronidazole is a fairly mild antimicrobial, which as I stated is to be used for treating Uronema and keeping it out of the tank. I’m really trying to limit how many drugs I use, which is why it’s only metronidazole and fenbendazole.

 

[Subsea]

Hmm....are there any articles on macroalgae and not microalgae/phytoplankton? The article you linked was for microalgae/phyto, and thus may not be relevant to my question on macroalgae.

@ichthyogeek


This is another first link, but I suggest you google it. I already know that certain macro will not grow without companion bacteria. It’s called microbiology. As soon as you invade the boundary layer film on macro algae surface, you will effect the macro, to what extent depends on what you are using to treat with and which species you are treating.

Seaweed–microbial interactions: key functions of seaweed-associated bacteria

We have introduced a new topic in this area and suggested future research to understand seaweed-bacteria interactions in greater detail.

academic.oup.com

Abstract
Seaweed-associated bacteria play a crucial role in morphogenesis and growth of seaweeds (macroalgae) in direct and/or indirect ways. Bacterial communities belonging to the phyla Proteobacteria and Firmicutes are generally the most abundant on seaweed surfaces. Associated bacterial communities produce plant growth-promoting substances, quorum sensing signalling molecules, bioactive compounds and other effective molecules that are responsible for normal morphology, development and growth of seaweeds. Also, bioactive molecules of associated bacteria determine the presence of other bacterial strains on seaweeds and protect the host from harmful entities present in the pelagic realm. The ecological functions of cross-domain signalling between seaweeds and bacteria have been reported as liberation of carpospores in the red seaweeds and settlement of zoospores in the green seaweeds. In the present review, the role of extracellular polymeric substances in growth and settlement of seaweeds spores is also highlighted. To elucidate the functional roles of associated bacteria and the molecular mechanisms underlying reported ecological phenomena in seaweeds requires a combined ecological, microbiological and biochemical approach.

 

[ichthyogeek]

I already know that certain macro will not grow without companion bacteria. It’s called microbiology. As soon as you invade the boundary layer film on macro algae surface, you will effect the macro, to what extent depends on what you are using to treat with and which species you are treating.

So uhh...I know what microbiology is. I'm not really sure what the purpose of that statement, and it kind of came off as catty/snobbish...

If you know that certain macros won't grow without companion bacteria, can you list them for us please? That way I can at least screen to see if metronidazole may or may not affect them (I still need to check and see if it affects gram positive and/or negative bacteria....).

I also learned that Botryocladia probably doesn't work with metronidazole after asking this in a seahorse group. I'm leaving the tidbit here for future reference.

 

[Subsea]

So uhh...I know what microbiology is. I'm not really sure what the purpose of that statement, and it kind of came off as catty/snobbish...

If you know that certain macros won't grow without companion bacteria, can you list them for us please? That way I can at least screen to see if metronidazole may or may not affect them (I still need to check and see if it affects gram positive and/or negative bacteria....).

I also learned that Botryocladia probably doesn't work with metronidazole after asking this in a seahorse group. I'm leaving the tidbit here for future reference.

yes, my generalization about microbiology was catty. You are eliminating pathogens and I am protecting seaweed. While I could list all species of macro as being dependent on bacteria, I would be accurate but not scientific.

Your question was specific to medication to eliminate Uronema, which I know little about. To answer your question requires lab protocol. I do know a lot about growing macro. I have used very diluted H202 dips on seaweed with disastrous results. Would Uronema survive a fresh water dip, because seaweed can, depending on length of bath.

 

[BrandonS]

At least for chaeto I always had good luck with a 5 minute freshwater dip. Anything longer and the chaeto melts. Not sure about more delicate macro algaes though.

 

[ichthyogeek]

yes, my generalization about microbiology was catty. You are eliminating pathogens and I am protecting seaweed. While I could list all species of macro as being dependent on bacteria, I would be accurate but not scientific.

Your question was specific to medication to eliminate Uronema, which I know little about. To answer your question requires lab protocol. I do know a lot about growing macro. I have used very diluted H202 dips on seaweed with disastrous results. Would Uronema survive a fresh water dip, because seaweed can, depending on length of bath.

Eliminating pathogens and protecting seaweed don't have to be mutually exclusive. I am very much in favor of not medicating when possible. Tank Transfer Methods, fallow periods, hyposalinity, etc. are all things I would prefer to use over copper, and other medications. But, one has to acknowledge that certain pathogens are hard to get rid of without the usage of them, so my goal in this thread, was to figure out what was safe for macroalgae in order to have both happen.

 

[Subsea]

The only time I treated seaweed was to control green hair algae growing on Bortacladia. I used a 5% solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide for different soak times. At no point was I able to eliminate GHA without eliminating Bortacladia. Consider using copper to eliminate pathogens. While I would consider two treatments within a week of each other. After the second treatment, macro would be sanitized and ready to go into display.

 

[Subsea]

Eliminating pathogens and protecting seaweed don't have to be mutually exclusive. I am very much in favor of not medicating when possible. Tank Transfer Methods, fallow periods, hyposalinity, etc. are all things I would prefer to use over copper, and other medications. But, one has to acknowledge that certain pathogens are hard to get rid of without the usage of them, so my goal in this thread, was to figure out what was safe for macroalgae in order to have both happen.

I suggest you stick with copper in a separate tank. Seaweed will absorb heavy metals. In edible seaweed cultivation system, Gracilaria Parvispora was sent to a regional lab and dry analysis showed

N at 2.5%
P at 0.082%
K at 13.54 %
Ca at 0.555 %
Mg at 1.163 %
S at 4.81%
Zn at 139 ppm
Fe at 107 ppm
Mn at 20 ppm
Cu at 7 ppm

Trinity Aquifer makeup water showed Cu below detection limit of 10 ppb.
I have no idea at what point Cu concentration in bulk water will harm macro.