Started Fluconazole to kill Bryopsis and GHA... A daily report....
- Thread starter Fish Werx
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Fish Werx
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Will do. Thanks!
MUCH improved! Looks terrific 
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Fish Werx
Active Member
Day 15.....
Well, we had snow yesterday. Has nothing to do with the treatment or my reef system. Just thought I would tell everybody something a bit different today! Haha!
On to the pics!
Almost 1000% sure this is just GHA that is still hanging around in the shade areas and towards the back of the tank.... Fingers crossed.
Definitely weird how some of the algae that was in the shade is still hanging on barely, while right next to it the stuff that was in direct light got eradicated totally!
Well, we had snow yesterday. Has nothing to do with the treatment or my reef system. Just thought I would tell everybody something a bit different today! Haha!
On to the pics!
Almost 1000% sure this is just GHA that is still hanging around in the shade areas and towards the back of the tank.... Fingers crossed.
Definitely weird how some of the algae that was in the shade is still hanging on barely, while right next to it the stuff that was in direct light got eradicated totally!
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I actually miss snow! (Born & raised in northwestern NJ) lol
I agree it is very strange how the light or lack of light affect the algae. Everywhere that had minimal light in my system it left roots behind which I am now treating. However those roots seem to be having a harder time to disappear then all the rest did originally.
I agree it is very strange how the light or lack of light affect the algae. Everywhere that had minimal light in my system it left roots behind which I am now treating. However those roots seem to be having a harder time to disappear then all the rest did originally.
Pull a piece of the algae that you think might be hair algae and test it was some hydrogen peroxide overnight. If it turns white then you'll know for sure it is hair algae. Make sure you put a little bit of tank water in with it before adding the hydrogen peroxide so it doesn't evaporate overnight
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Fish Werx
Active Member
I think I will do that. What happens if it is Bryopsis? Nothing?
And, being the pessimist that I am, I went ahead and ordered my second dose of Fluconazole last night! If I dont need it after the 21 days, then Im sure I will find someone locally that may be in need.... Either way Im sure it will go to good use.
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Fish Werx
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So, PO4 is running ~.04 and NO3 is ~.25.....
In you guys opinion, is that PO4 getting a bit out of control? I planned on running GFO again soon anyway, perhaps I will start it tomorrow? For a baseline, my PO4 generally runs less than 0.02 but not quite a true 00. And NO3 is usually undetectable....
In you guys opinion, is that PO4 getting a bit out of control? I planned on running GFO again soon anyway, perhaps I will start it tomorrow? For a baseline, my PO4 generally runs less than 0.02 but not quite a true 00. And NO3 is usually undetectable....
My po4 is .06 and I think that's about the limit. Others will say .02 but running too clean I have great experience with... not so good. You need "some" po4 and no3. No3 should not really go above 5ppm if you have a lot of sps otherwise no more than 10ppm.
I was just showing you a way to know if it's gha and if so you can expect it to take longer [emoji6]
I was just showing you a way to know if it's gha and if so you can expect it to take longer [emoji6]
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Fish Werx
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Day 17...
My laptop that I usually update from has taken a turn for the worse... It need s a new motherboard, so I will use my desktop to update today. Again, nothing to do with algae and Fluconazole! Haha!
What I have noticed is a bit of new growth of algae along the sand and in the shaded areas. So I am assuming that the medication is possibly exhausted in my system, and since I wanted to see how it would go without reactors on the entire 21 day cycle, I guess thats what I get. Also, as you can see in the last pic, I have a bit of cyano in the sump. I will get a little powerhead to help raise the flow in there a bit. So far it is only in my sump....
I am going to retreat after Sunday, which will be 21 full days without GFO and or carbon in my system.
Let me know what you guys think about this course of action...
I am going to allow the entire 21 days cycle recommended for GHA which will be sunday evening...
Monday I will do a nice sized water change, prob 25 gallons. Then I will fill up my reactors with GFO and carbon as per usual. I will run both on a low flow for 2 days just to start the PO4 export and not shock the tank by stripping it too rapidly. Then on the 3rd or 4th day I will go ahead and run them at nominal flow for my system like before I dosed the medication. I will let them run for rest of the week normally. Then, on the following Sunday another water change. That evening, I will do a full dose like the first time except that I will only turn my skimmer down but leave the cup so as not to strip the medication out. Empty the carbon chamber completely. And continue to run GFO as normal to help combat the PO4 rise unlike this go around. (During both water changes I will pull and vacuum out all that I can reach...)
Of course I will test and monitor the parameters daily while all of this is going on to make sure I dont throw anything too far out of whack...
And on to the pics...
And dont fret, I have plastic clamps in the mail now to replace those metal ones. I had to use those temporarily when the build started and totally forgot to replace them!
My laptop that I usually update from has taken a turn for the worse... It need s a new motherboard, so I will use my desktop to update today. Again, nothing to do with algae and Fluconazole! Haha!
What I have noticed is a bit of new growth of algae along the sand and in the shaded areas. So I am assuming that the medication is possibly exhausted in my system, and since I wanted to see how it would go without reactors on the entire 21 day cycle, I guess thats what I get. Also, as you can see in the last pic, I have a bit of cyano in the sump. I will get a little powerhead to help raise the flow in there a bit. So far it is only in my sump....
I am going to retreat after Sunday, which will be 21 full days without GFO and or carbon in my system.
Let me know what you guys think about this course of action...
I am going to allow the entire 21 days cycle recommended for GHA which will be sunday evening...
Monday I will do a nice sized water change, prob 25 gallons. Then I will fill up my reactors with GFO and carbon as per usual. I will run both on a low flow for 2 days just to start the PO4 export and not shock the tank by stripping it too rapidly. Then on the 3rd or 4th day I will go ahead and run them at nominal flow for my system like before I dosed the medication. I will let them run for rest of the week normally. Then, on the following Sunday another water change. That evening, I will do a full dose like the first time except that I will only turn my skimmer down but leave the cup so as not to strip the medication out. Empty the carbon chamber completely. And continue to run GFO as normal to help combat the PO4 rise unlike this go around. (During both water changes I will pull and vacuum out all that I can reach...)
Of course I will test and monitor the parameters daily while all of this is going on to make sure I dont throw anything too far out of whack...
And on to the pics...
And dont fret, I have plastic clamps in the mail now to replace those metal ones. I had to use those temporarily when the build started and totally forgot to replace them!
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Squid
Active Member
Your po4 is fine. Check this thread https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tank-parameters-of-some-masters.295215/ to see what some of the "masters" keep their levels at
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Fish Werx
Active Member
I know! It's crazy! If mine creep up I feel like I'm scrubbing the glass every day. I have so much to learn it's nuts!
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Fish Werx
Active Member
Day 19....
Starting to see a level out in the death and mayhem of the treatment I believe. The more wiry stuff that I assume was a type of bryopsis has definitely been decimated by the medication! The GHA that was hanging on has taken a few turns. First dying, then coming back a bit, then dying off again... So while I wouldnt say this first round was a complete success, it sure is a ton better than it was when I started this journey!
Also, I have observed absolutely no ill effects on anything in my system at all. Except the algae! Haha! I have snails, starfish, shrimp, hermits, fish including a tang, sps, lps, softies, mushrooms and a ton of little critters in the sump chaeto... All are doing fine, I would even say thriving!
Pics.....
Starting to see a level out in the death and mayhem of the treatment I believe. The more wiry stuff that I assume was a type of bryopsis has definitely been decimated by the medication! The GHA that was hanging on has taken a few turns. First dying, then coming back a bit, then dying off again... So while I wouldnt say this first round was a complete success, it sure is a ton better than it was when I started this journey!
Also, I have observed absolutely no ill effects on anything in my system at all. Except the algae! Haha! I have snails, starfish, shrimp, hermits, fish including a tang, sps, lps, softies, mushrooms and a ton of little critters in the sump chaeto... All are doing fine, I would even say thriving!
Pics.....
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Fish Werx
Active Member
Hey @prsnlty and @NCreefguy if you get a minute would you check out my post #131 and see if you agree with my line of thought on going forward? Thanks if you can!
Yes I agree with you BUT I would not strip your po4. The reason your corals are so fat is because they are absorbing it instead of the algae absorbing the nutrients. They need some po4.... I think you're fine The tank looks fantastic!
The tank looks fantastic!
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Fish Werx
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Thanks! I appreciate you checking my thought process out.Yes I agree with you BUT I would not strip your po4. The reason your corals are so fat is because they are absorbing it instead of the algae absorbing the nutrients. They need some po4.... I think you're fine
NCreefguy
Valuable Member
Yeah I think some of your areas will need a second treatment but it looks like the first treatment has worked pretty well for you. Unless your no3 and po4 levels are really high,I wouldn't worry about trying to lower it until you have completed the second treatment. Some people have seen high nutrients from the die off but some have not.
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